La Magdeleine - Verrayes

From La Magdeleine, the route gradually makes its way to the pretty Lod lake and then to the village of Hérin to reach the nearby municipality of Antey-Saint-André, where one can visit a lovely parish church from the Romanesque era. From here, travellers can enjoy an especially unique view of the Matterhorn which, with its majestic peak, appears to be wedged in between the valley walls. This vision began to light a spark in the mind of adventurous travellers as early as the 19th century.

There are some interesting ruins almost miraculously clinging to the cliffs, the Ru du Pain Perdu. This was an aqueduct of epic proportions built in the 14th century to supply Saint-Vincent with water. Passing through a series of traditional villages, the route leads to Torgnon. Sights worth seeing here are the Church of Saint Martin and intriguing ethnographical museum Petit-Monde.

The route then proceeds down on the right side of the valley, through dense woods where one can catch glimpses of the ground below and of the imposing cliff sides of the Matterhorn. Finally, you will reach panoramic outlooks at the Chapels of Saint-Pantaléon and Saint-Evence in the town of Saint-Denis. From the promontory of Saint-Evence, the route will take a gradual decent toward airy plains and vast pastures. While still in Saint-Denis, the “Natura2000” Grand Brison-Cly site, an area with an arid and hot climate with an ideal habitat for some plant species of steppe and Mediterranean origin rather rare in the Alps. Passing over the low-lying valley, you will end up in the town of Verrayes, where you can visit the lake Loson nature reserve, the Church of Saint Martin and the Arboretum “P. Vescoz” .