Kandersteg to Le Châble

We had breakfast, tidied up, packed and left the Airbnb in Kandersteg. It’s been a lovely place to stay, and we’ve done some wonderful walks. I now feel comfortable tackling the Walkers’ Haute Route, although my rucksack feels very heavy! Past experience tells me, I’ll be used to it in a couple of days.🤞

We caught a train to Brig, another to Martigny, and finally a third to Le Châble. All went smoothly and, by half past 2, we’d checked into our hotel. Our guest cards (one from tonight’s hotel and one from Cabane de Louvie where we’re staying tomorrow) mean we can travel on the cable cars free of charge on 2 days. Therefore, as we had time to spare, we took a lift up the mountain to Verbier, then a second to Les Ruinettes, where we start hiking from tomorrow.

A big mountain biking event was going on and cyclists were everywhere… taking the cable cars up the mountain with their bikes hanging outside, on the steep rocky trails flying back to the bottom, and in the bars in Verbier and Le Châble. We wandered round Verbier but agreed it wasn’t our sort of place. Although, the chalets and buildings were beautiful, there were too many posh shops and a lot of advertising for expensive brands… maybe it has a better vibe in the winter ski season.

This evening we’ll have dinner in the hotel and an early night, ready for day one of our Walkers’ Haute Route adventure. As always with such challenges, I have a certain amount of trepidation, hoping it’ll all go to plan, but I’m also rather excited and can’t wait to get going.

We’re staying in quite remote places for the next couple of nights. I know Cabane de Louvie doesn’t have a phone signal or WiFi. Therefore, future blogs are likely to be delayed. Mum, don’t worry if you don’t hear from me xx