22nd meeting of the Cent Cols Suisses in BallensGo to info

10 new member routes are online (one of them is route of the month on the site's home page)Go to info

Fred and Bruno's 12-stop trip from Thonon to TriesteGo to info

Presentation of the club by sports journalist Davide MazzoccoGo to info

The new Board's presentation page has been updatedGo to info

Gerald Cowham has passed awayGo to info

Summer break in Saint-Maurice (Switzerland) from 13 to 19 August 2018

All the Swiss team, the IT and travel managers contributed to this page presenting the trip.

What's on : Télévision Suisse Romande video shot before and during the trip.

The town of Saint-Maurice (©nicolassedlatchek.ch)

Once again, the Club is offering a holiday outside France, after Spain and Italy. This time it's to the French-speaking Valais region that our Swiss friends will be welcoming us next summer.
It is scheduled to take place in Saint-Maurice, a town of 4,500 inhabitants at an altitude of 418m, from Monday 13 (welcome between 4pm and 5.45pm) to Sunday 19 August 2018 (after breakfast).
This trip, organised by a team of Swiss members, will enable you to discover the passes of the lower Valais as well as those of the cantons of Vaud and Fribourg. The highest pass on the tour is the Col de Chassoure CH-VS-2739a and the lowest is the Col du Prion CH-VS-915.

Annual meeting

The Club's annual gathering will be held in Morgins on the French-Swiss border, at Pas de Morgins CH-VS-1369a on Saturday 18 August 2018.

(Meeting place)

You will find the headings below:

  • Introduction to the region
  • The circuits
  • Hosting
  • Note from the Board of Directors
  • Registration, with a location map
  • Other activities or visits
  • Culture and practical issues

See also information booklet for participants. This is an extract from the brochure which will be distributed during your stay and which contains, in addition to welcome messages, information about the region, access and safety.

Introduction to the region

The canton of Valais is located in the south of Switzerland, crossed by the Rhône which rises at the foot of the Furka Pass (2431 m). The Rhône initially flows from east to west as far as Martigny. Its course then bends sharply northwards. After passing through a narrow gorge at Saint-Maurice, it flows into Lake Geneva at Le Bouveret in the commune of Port-Valais.

No fewer than 46 Alpine peaks over 4000 metres in altitude are located in the Valais, including the Matterhorn and the Dufou pointr, the highest peak in Switzerland (4634 m).
The canton boasts the largest and longest glacier in Europe: the Aletsch glacier which has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is around 24km long, with ice up to 900m thick in places. There are 680 glaciers in the canton, with a total volume of 52 billion m3 of ice. This represents two-thirds of the ice in Switzerland and one-third of the ice in the Alps, giving the canton a unique position in the Alpine region.

Enclosed on all sides by high mountain ranges, with the exception of the mouth of the Rhône at the goulet de Saint-Maurice, the canton of Valais is isolated from its neighbours. However, these natural barriers can be crossed by high-altitude passes and rail or road tunnels. The road network links the towns and villages on the plains, as well as the numerous villages dotted along the valleys perpendicular to the Rhône Valley. The mountains are crossed via a number of high-altitude passes (often over 2000 metres): the Simplon, Grand-St-Bernard, Furka, Grimsel, Nufenen, Forclaz and No Morgins. Most of these passes are closed during the winter. The Great St Bernard, however, can still be crossed thanks to the tunnel of the same name. The main rail network crosses the Rhône plain. Rail communications have been facilitated by the digging of the long Lötschberg, Simplon and Furka tunnels.

(photo André Rudaz)
Saint-Maurice, Col du Grand Saint Bernard, Col du Sanetsch, Morgins. (photos ©tintinphotography, © jbbieuville)

Tours

Each day there will be a road circuit and a mountain bike circuit.

Some road routes will depart from Saint-Maurice. The others, as well as the mountain bike trails will have a start requiring a vehicle for the journey (max. 45 minutes). There are a number of passes on the programme, including two "2000" road passes (Grand St-Bernard and Sanetsch) and around twenty "2000" mule passes. For those wishing to extend their stay in the region, a number of routes with no set dates have been added to the programme.

Hosting

We will be staying at theFranciscan hostelry, run by Franciscan friars and lay staff. The capacity isaround 90 people. If more CC members are interested, we can accommodate up to thirty more people in a nearby hotel at the same rate if we register early enough. That's why we urge you to register as soon as possible. For those who wish to arrive earlier or leave laterA rate of CHF 60 per person per night + buffet PD has been negotiated (contact by telephone or e-mail only).

Note from the Board of Directors

If you arrange your accommodation elsewhere than at the holiday village, please let us know that you will be taking part in the holiday, for 3 reasons:

  1. To be able to correctly size joint events (information sessions, welcome and farewell parties).
  2. To be able to split up into several groups on the routes to improve safety for everyone.
  3. To help organisers deal with any unforeseen events.


Franciscan hostelry, rue Antoine de Quartéry 1, 1890 SAINT-MAURICE, CH. Tel : +41 (0)24 486 11 11    Website

For those wishing to stay in camping or motorhomeHere is a list of nearby campsites. It is forbidden to park motorhomes in the Hôtellerie car park.

List of campsites, Saint-Maurice in bold.

You can already book at the Saint-Maurice campsite by telephone or on the website. Payment will be made on the day of arrival.

Registrations

To register, download the PDF registration form with the link below and follow the instructions therein. The deadline for receipt of registrations is 31 March 2018.

NB: Swiss members can pay in CHF by registering directly with Pierre Mai.

Download the Saint Maurice 2018 Registration Form
Modulo d'iscrizione
Booking form

Other activities or visits

A wide range of tours and walks will be on offer.

At Saint-Maurice

The Fairy Grotto

Perched high above Saint-Maurice, the Fairy grotto dominates the Rhône valley. It was the first tourist cave in Switzerland to be opened to the public, and for more than a century it has been offering a marvellous natural spectacle whose main protagonists - stone and water - are nourished by the imagination of mankind to make this journey into the bowels of the earth unforgettable.
After a half-kilometre educational trail through a floodlit gallery, the underground walk reaches its climax when visitors see a small lake fed by a dizzying waterfall.

Historic fortress

The historic fortress of Saint-Maurice comprises three forts - Cindey, Scex (VS) and Dailly (VD) - built between the First and Second World Wars. These fortifications, which are of strategic importance in Europe, offer visitors a superb summary of almost 500 years of development in fortification, culminating in the apogee of fortification in Switzerland. These military structures sometimes enabled several hundred men to live for up to three months in total autonomy.
The tour takes in the armaments (7.5cm, 10.5cm and 15cm turret guns, etc.), the garrison living quarters and the ammunition shops, as well as the sometimes tragic history of these legendary underground galleries (an explosion in an ammunition shop in 1946 killed ten people). (Source: Wikipedia.)

Saint-Maurice Castle

Built in the late 15th century and completely destroyed by fire at the end of the 17th century, the Château de Saint-Maurice is conveniently located like a lock at the entrance to the Rhône Valley. It has served in turn as the seat of the governor, a guardhouse and customs house, and, between the 18th and 19th centuries, as an orphanage, a home for the elderly, a military school, a troop barracks and a prison. In the twentieth century, it became less active but more open to the general public and, following a major renovation in the 1970s, became the Valais Cantonal Military Museum.

(photo ©www.cparide.ch)

Le castle is now a venue for receptions held by the Valais State Council, as well as an exhibition space dedicated to drawings, press cartoons and comic strips. A nod to the famous painter Turner (1775-1851), who once stopped in front of the castle to paint a romantic portrait.

Saint-Maurice Abbey

1500 years of history.
The Christian history of Agaune began around 300 AD with the martyrdom of Saint Maurice and his companions of the Theban Legion, at a place called Vérolliez. These Christian soldiers, who had come from Egypt, were part of Maximian's army on its way to the Rhine.
Maurice, Exupère, Innocent, Candide and their companions refused the emperor's impious orders. They were massacred and buried on the spot. The Passion of the Martyrs of Agaune, by Bishop Eucher of Lyon, attributes these words to Maurice:
"We are your soldiers, O Emperor, but above all servants of God. We owe you military obedience, but we owe him innocence. We would rather die innocent than live guilty.
Around 380, Theodule, the first known bishop of the Valais, moved the remains of the martyrs under the cliff and built the first basilica in their honour.
In 515, King Sigismund broke new ground by introducing perpetual praise at Agaune. This continuous prayer, 24 hours a day, continued until around the year 1000, without leaving many written traces. In 824, the monks were replaced by canonswho followed the Rule of Saint Augustine from 1128.
Kings and princes gave the Abbey an international aura, seeking to benefit from it, but also showering it with gifts to honour the martyred saints. The 12th and 13th centuries were a golden age for the Treasury relics.

Throughout its history, the Abbey lived to the rhythm of events that never threatened its survival. The Reformation stopped at the gates of the monastery. Fires and falling rocks required rebuilding. The Revolution, initially threatening, finally allowed the Abbey College to open in 1806.

Places to visit in the region

Culture and practical issues

Once again, we're going to be visiting a foreign country whose customs may surprise us. It's important to remember that in French-speaking Switzerland (and not in French-speaking Switzerland), we speak French with a vocabulary that is specific to the country, known as "helvétismes". These are Swiss words and expressions that you will need to learn (cornet, natel, caissier, etc.). A short list of other language usages will be presented to you during the welcome speech.

And don't forget: these words really do exist, and we're talking about the French language - regional, perhaps, but just as valid as the Hexagon! So open your ears and eyes, share and don't judge.

The Valais is a Catholic canton and respect for practices and faith is important, especially where we live.
In some restaurants, water in a carafe is considered a service in its own right and is generally charged for (this is not the case at the Hôtellerie Franciscaine). On the other hand, there are plenty of drinking water points and the tap water is excellent everywhere!

In Switzerland, compliance with the regulations is strict and any breach is frowned upon and may be penalised.

Cyclists must use the cycle paths. When mountain biking, it is important to respect the no-passing zones and pedestrians always have priority.

Respect road traffic laws - cross-border fines are a reality on both sides of the border!

Of course, respect for nature is paramount, and you can't throw away any waste, but you can also enjoy organic produce and avoid leaving your car engine running when you're not using it.

We will be outside the euro zone, so if you pay in cash (cheques are not accepted), make sure you have Swiss francs, otherwise you risk being charged an unfavourable rate and you will have to pay in Swiss francs. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. Don't forget to ask about the exchange rate when you arrive, but be aware that as of 1 January, the exchange rate for Swiss francs is the same as for Swiss francs.er At 1 January 2018, the exchange rate was CHF 1.17 to €1.

In the event of illness or accident, the European Health Insurance Card is recognised by Switzerland.

Electric sockets: sockets in Switzerland are a little different from those in France. While there's no problem with the 2-pin male sockets for our small appliances, which we can plug in without difficulty, we will need to use an adaptor for earthed sockets.

Motorway access is subject to the purchase of a "vignette" at the border, which costs CHF 40 for the current year and is valid throughout the country. It is possible to reach Saint-Maurice without a vignette via the south shore of Lake Geneva (via Thonon and Evian) or via the Pas de Morgins, but in this case you will not be able to use the motorways during your stay.

Note that in Switzerland since 2015, cars must be driven with their headlights on, which must be done manually for cars not equipped with the automatic system.