4 hours to the Matterhorn

 

A cold front has moved in from the Atlantic and the mountains of the Northern Alps are covered in thick clouds with non-stop rain forecasted…

 

I am in the middle of a two week locum at a veterinary clinic on the Toggenburger plateau, not far from Lake Constance.

Not the best of prospects for a weekend off in the Alps …..

When I take a look at the weather map though, I notice, that sheltered by the great continental divide which the Alpine peaks provide, the forecast looks very different in the Valais, in the South of Switzerland.

It is 4 hours to the Matterhorn the Sat Nav says…..

So, rather than staying at the clinic procrastinating, I get into the car to start on one of the most scenic journeys not only Switzerland, but probably this planet can offer….

Following an early breakfast at Café Schweizer in Wildhaus, I once again descend into the Rhine Valley just North of Liechtenstein.

Heading South this time, I have soon left the Principality behind me. After passing Chur, I have the choice of continue further South  towards the St. Bernadino Tunnel and the serene setting of Lugano, or  further West towards the Oberalp Pass – one of the highest road crossings of the Alps.

The steadily climbing road here, is running parallel to the tracks of the famous Glacier Express, which is connecting the ski resort of St.Moritz with that of Zermatt on the foot hills of the Matterhorn.

Despite the fact that it is still September, snow has already fallen and started to settle on the pass at just over 2000 m altitude. With some satisfaction, I now appreciate the unseasonably early return to winter tyres on my car. The Oberalp Pass is not far from the source of the Rhine, which embarks here on its over 1000 km long journey to the North Sea.

Once I have crossed the pass, leaving from the canton of Grisons into the canton of Uri, the weather improves as predicted and I am greeted by a blue sky with only a few clouds remaining. The snow capped mountain tops, the green valleys and connecting these, the slowly descending Glacier Express with its bright red colour, make this a picture postcard Alpine setting.

Something that has puzzled me when I started on this journey, was now also becoming clearer: why would my 4 hour trip to the Matterhorn include a couple of train rides?

Arriving at the small village of Realp, I appreciate the reason: here the valley comes to an abrupt end and a small railway is offering a direct transfer to the other side of the mountain, with a more basic version of the Channel Tunnel Railway link.

After driving on to an open railway carriage, the train disappears into a dark, completely unlit hole and passengers are under strict instruction not to leave their vehicles. No explanation is needed for this advice: just a few inches away from the car window, the rough edges of the rock wall of the tunnel are flying by, with the probably fairly sedate speed of the train being enhanced by the near complete darkness.  Not a good time to find out if someone has an issue with claustrophobia….

The small train eventually exits the bowels of the mountain in Oberwald, right next to another great European river, the Rhône.

Tracking back a few miles on a narrow mountain road, I can’t resist the temptation to follow the still young river further upstream towards the once impressive Rhône Glacier.  

Perched high on the side of a mountain I find the imposing facade of Hotel Belvedere, which 100 years ago was located right next to a large wall of ice, which dwarfed the hotel and the surrounding buildings.

With the hotel now closed, its grandeur and the Belle Époque setting of the early 20^th century a thing of the past, what is left of this once spectacular place, is a small pool of brown melt water next to a souvenir shop with a doomsday atmosphere with dated, yet overpriced merchandise, not much helped by its close proximity to a small kiosk selling processed food and refreshments in plastic cups.

A further drive, nearly all the way up to the Furka Pass, and a short hike is required, to see the remainder of the glacier these days.

Turning back towards Oberwald, the road is now taking me along the Rhône and all the time along the tracks of the Glacier Express to the largest remaining ice giant of the Alps – the Great Aletsch Glacier.

Swapping the warm inside of my aging BMW for a unheated cabin in a cable car, I am being transported close to the summit of the nearly 3000m high Eggishorn, which provides the most stunning view of this body of ice, which over a length of 23 km is steadily moving from the mountain tops of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in the North to the valley of the Rhône in the South, with its melt water finally ending up in the Mediterranean estuary of the Carmargue.

Time for a coffee in the slowly fading autumn sun…..

A few more miles have to be covered though, once I have returned to my car. Leaving the river behind, in the green valley of Visp, the road once again starts climbing through the narrow Matter Valley, which is flanked by 4000 metre high Alpine giants like the Dürrenhorn to the East and the Weisenhorn to the West. Finally arriving in the small town of Täsch, I again have to leave the car behind, to cover the remaining few kilometres to the  pedestrianised centre of Zermatt with another train ride.

Not as initially planned in 4 hours, but just in time for sun set, I am finally standing at the entrance of Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, looking at the Matterhorn. From here (an extremely serious looking) Edward Whymper set off with his team in 1865, to successful climb this striking mountain for the first time.

While a fine bronze plaque on a wall opposite the hotel is commemorating this momentous achievement, only a small brass plate in the pavement nearby is mentioning  the first female ascent just six years later by Lucy Walker.

Admittedly, the view of the Matterhorn from the urban surroundings of Zermatt at the end of the day is somewhat disappointing, as the sun is setting behind the mountain in the West.

However, with a bit a luck on my side and helped by a very early start the next morning, I am rewarded with a clear sky and the first golden rays of the sun on the top of the Matterhorn and the surrounding mountain tops.

Truly a weekend and a journey to remember……