Rhone vineyards and their wines are famous throughout the world: Chateauneuf du Pape, Hermitage, Condrieu, Cote Rotie, etc. But the Rhone River begins in Switzerland, not France, and that was where I recently biked part of the Chemin du Vignoble, or the Trail of the Vineyards, following the Rhone River Valley vineyards in Switzerland’s French-speaking Canton of Valais.
The trail begins in Martigny, and proceeds in two stages to Loeche (Leuk in German), with the halfway point being the town of Sion. While trail begins, ends, and has its middle point in two of the canton’s main towns, it also passes through villages as much as through vineyards. It surprised me to see how populous the area was, as the towering mountainsides are closely dotted with hamlets and villages along the entire valley.
I did only the first half of this trail, and since I was on a trip heading west, I began in Sion, and headed to Martigny. This is the most level part of the whole trail, ostensibly the easiest part. But starting at the suggested staging point by Sion’s train station, made the start of my ride all uphill, and somewhat steeply sometimes! While there were no signs showing the way to the trail, several trail signs for other trails indicated that the Rhone Valley is a popular hiking and cycling destination. I considered following the flat Rhone River trail, to where it joined the Chemin du Vignoble by Leytron, but that would have really been cheating! (Plus, I would have missed some spectacular views above Sion.) So, uphill it was for about two and a half kilometers, before entering on the trail itself.
Once at La Muraz, I was on the highest point along the Martigny-Sion section of the trail. Sion lay seemingly far below. Here were some of the highest vineyards I have ever passed through, and the views of the Alps, vineyards and the western valley were correspondingly magnificent. The vineyards seem to tumble from the mountainsides down to the valley. The distant Rhone River was a silvery trail twisting its way through a green landscape.
The trail then descends. From the slowest three kilometers of my biking career to the fastest, the descent to and through the little hamlet of Vuisse was completed in a heartbeat. The descent continues to Conthey, Vetroz and Ardon, villages much lower on the valley floor, that appear in quick succession. While the trail passes through many vineyards and crosses over several fast-moving streams, it also moves along the narrow village streets, where a bit of caution is required. After biking through more vineyards, the trail reached the oenologically renowned Chamoson.
Then came the uphill ride to the town of St. Pierre de Clage. This village is famous for its ancient eight-sided bell tower. The town is quiet, and a lovely spot to pass some time in. From there it is downhill to the Rhone River. Here in the Alpine region, it is a beautiful bluish-green color, and surges powerfully downhill on its way to Lake Geneva, also known as Lac Leman. Shortly thereafter, it enters France. For a while, the Chemin du Vignoble follows the Rhone, offering cyclists a chance to pedal along dedicated and level bike paths.
As the trail heads away from the Rhone, it climbs ever so slightly uphill again toward the wine villages of Leytron, Saillon, and Fully. Fully is one of the larger villages in the area. It has a great tourism office that provides helpful information on other biking trails, and hiking trails, in the area, as well as information on local vintners, and cheese producers. In other words, it is a great town to stock up for a picnic featuring Swiss wine, breads and cheeses!
Speaking of picnics, the trail from Fully to Martigny, provided several spots which would have been ideal for picnics on grassy vergers lining the river, or secluded groves of deciduous trees. This area is crisscrossed by streams, and flat. Once the trail crosses the fast-moving Rhone, it heads almost straight as an arrow to the train station at Martigny, which is the official start for the trail. For me, this was the end of my cycling experience along the Swiss Rhone. From Martigny, other cycling trails lead up to the famous Great Saint Bernhard pass, and thence to the vineyards of Italy’s Aosta Valley, where I was headed. But I will leave it to better cyclists to get there by bike!