Breuil High Street looks more normally alpine and is dominated by the South Face of the Matterhorn, which was plastered with snow. This is most unusual.

After taking the string railway to Testa Grigia, 3479m, we found that the Theodule Glacier was solid (1975). It had been cut up by huge crevasses last time we were there (1971). But it is always marked with a safe foot route.

We stopped off at the Gandegg Hut at 3029m for lunch and I later painted it with Jane in the forground. By the time we had got to Furgg, 2272m, slowly admiring those flowers that were still out, we had had enough and took the string railway down to Zermatt, 1616m. We have skied this stretch often enough! I did walk it in 1999, though, going up to the Schwarzsee on the Matterhorn from Furgg & walking down to Furi. Very pleasant

Frau Perren was very subdued at the Hotel Mischabel (cheap & good, Ken's home-from-home in Zermatt) and it was not until 1981, after Jane had died, that she told me that she had lost her husband, a guide, that year. We walked over the Hohe Balmen to look for flowers and spent three nights in Zermatt. For more walks to do in Zermatt, see our site on this link.

To complete the trip, we walked for half a day down to St Niklaus which was quite interesting as we avoided the road most of the way. Herbriggen has something labelled Alte Schulhus. Quite. Then we got the train to Brig, dined and took couchettes home.

Footnotes:

This trip quotes the use of some cable cars but in those days, I was not so pedantic about avoiding them.

i. If there is a view from the Monte Moro Pass, it would be worth walking down. There is plenty of time to do so, even if you walk all the way from Saas Almagell. (There is no accommodation between Saas Almagell & Macugnaga).

ii. It would be a long, hard day's walk to the Gnifetti Hut from Alagna but practicable if you did not intend to do a mountain the next day or were supremely fit!

iii. You can walk up towards Testa Grigia from Breuil & stay the night in the smelly Theodule Hut. One day, I will but we didn't in 1975. (Nor did I in 1999, as the snow conditions were lethal - something to be sure to check!) There is plenty of time to walk to Zermatt from Testa Grigia, if you don't mind lots of down-hill.