Tour du Mont Gond, Croix de la Cha (Croix de l'Achia)

1 - From Croix de la Cha: the Diablerets massif

In the centre of the Valais region, not far from Sion, two circuits of about 6 hours each form a figure of eight, intersecting at the Croix de la Cha, a pass at 2351m (7713ft). To the north-east lies the Tour de la Fava, and to the south-west the Tour du Mont Gond. Both circuits are little-known and will take you through the wild landscapes between Sanetsch and Derborence.

My favourite is the Mont Gond circuit, there's no need for any excessive effort and it weaves it way around spectacular mountainsides where wildlife can be spotted (on our trip we saw ibex and a bearded vulture). We also finished our day with supper at the Gîte de Lodze which added an extra touch of delectation and good spirits to the outing (don't forget to bring a torch if you go in for this option).

2 - Quille du Diable

The walk starts on the Codoz/Incron road (Mayens de Conthey) at the point where a signpost indicates the way to the Gîte de Lodze. Do not follow Lodze, this is where the walk ends. Instead, start walking along the tarmac road and then dirt track towards Flore. After about 50 minutes of fairly monotonous walking and just after where the woods stop, ignore once again the sign left for the Gîte de Lodze and continue on to the right towards the alpine meadow of Flore, so beautifully named.

Flore, which you'll reach in just over an hour, is at an altitude of almost 2000m. Having started off at 1556m, you won't really have noticed a climb of over 400m (which is already half way up to Col de la Cha!) and this is due to the cleverly designed track towards the meadows which was neither too flat nor too steep. The path to take now starts just after the bend before the farm. Make sure you don't miss the red arrow painted on a rock. The path heads up towards the Etang de Trente Pas across sunbathed slopes. Around the lake and its dry stone wall, the path becomes much less easy to follow but it is easy now to see where you're heading: just aim for the pass and its cross. This first portion from Codoz to Croix de la Cha normally takes about 2½ hours.

3 - The black schist of the Northern side of Croix de la Cha

The pass between the Mont Gond and the Fava offers greats views out towards Les Diablerets and most people choose this spot for a good break. Besides, it's the highest point of the walk. If the southern side you came up was mostly gay alpine meadows, the way down now seems bleak and steep in a setting of shale and slate - beware of patches of snow along this portion! At the first junction, take left towards Chaux de Lodze. In some places the path is narrow and crosses rolls and black and green gullies in a quite peculiar atmosphere. Then, from the point at 2172m, the path starts to climb again to get around Petit Mont Gond and Mont Gond to the west. Close up, the walls of these peaks are most impressive. At the end of this climb you'll reach a grassy hump (just under the point at 2397m). The scenery becomes more pasture like again and we saw ibex here. On the way down through Chaux de Lodze make sure you do not take the upper path! The correct path lies close to the lowest stable which you can't see until you're practically next to it.

4 - Mont Gond, 2710m (8891ft)

From Chaux de Lodze onwards, the way becomes easier and runs along the mountainside. In some places the path narrows up under cliffs but it's still flat and easy. The Gîte de Lodze marks the end of the second portion of the walk from Croix de la Cha and generally takes about 2¼ hours.

Since the remaining section only takes an hour and is an easy descent, we decided to stay for dinner at the restaurant and finish the walk by night (it gets dark fairly quickly at the end of September). If we decided to do this, it was only because we had torches in our rucksacks. The rest of the descent is indeed effortless but it's still mountain terrain - the route is good but we did definitely need our torches. From what we could make out in the dark, the wide path goes closely around the Sex Riond peak before diving into the woods and then coming out onto the Codoz road. All in all, this walk is about 6 hours long.

5 - Between Chaux de Lodze and Lodze