Chemin du Vignoble (The Vineyard Trail) from St.Leonard to Sierre

(Note, this post was updated on March 29, 2024)

Wednesday February 1, 2017 -- It was a good day for a trip to the vineyards of the Valais, as that's where the sun was shining, and we can get there pretty quickly.

We've walked the vineyards four times now, twice in winter and twice in autumn, and since we are not great wine drinkers, the charm of the area for us is not in the opportunities for wine-tasting (of which there are a great many!) but the snowy mountain backdrop, the fantastically-terraced hillsides with the thousands of beautifully- and painstakingly-built stone walls (these are some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world), the Rhone River snaking in the valley bottom below on its way to Lake Geneva, the irrigation channels, and the autumn colours (in autumn, of course). 

We started in St.Leonard and walked 14 km eastward to Sierre (4 hours), whereas just under a year ago we walked westward to Sion. Here it's early spring already, and the vintners are out in the fields cutting their vines. And although most of the walk was on paved lanes, a few regular trails through the vineyards made me hopeful that we can get back to regular hiking again soon!

Starting in the Rhone Valley bottom in St.Leonard

 

View West toward Sion (castles on the hill at the back)

View West toward Sion and St.Leonard below

 

View West toward Sion (castle on the hill) and St.Leonard below

This was an easy 4-hour and almost 14-km walk from St.Leonard to Sierre along the Regional Trail no.36: "Chemin du Vignoble" (Note: This map was created and uploaded in 2024. Back in 2017 the "Vineyard Trail" between St.Leonard and Flanthey was off-limits due to danger of the cliffs below the trail crumbling. It seems the trail has been restored).  

Walking Eastward along the "Chemin du Vignoble" (Vineyard Trail)

These are some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world

View Eastward across some of the steepest terraced vineyards in the world.

Swarms of Alpine Choughs are looking for forgotten berries

VIDEO:

Hundreds of Alpine Choughs flying overhead

Our trail takes us just below the village of Flanthey, so we didn't go have a look at that church. 

Just below Flanthey is the small community of Vaas. This is the "Chateau de Vaas", a historical building from the 13th Century, and dedicated to the Cornalin Grape Variety. It is also known as the "Maison des Cornalins"

Every village has at least three wine cellars.... (This one is in St.Clément)

And everywhere along the trail you can participate in wine tasting.

A look behind us at the church in Flanthey as we leave St.Clément and continue eastward. 

Those bluffs are on the trail between St.Clément and Ollon.

  

Up ahead is the next village of Ollon. The Rhone River below flows to Lake Geneva

Great metal-work!

This is called the Villa, in Sierre (where we got back on the train).

Museum in Sierre

This is what our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps (the green one). A year earlier we also started in St. Leonard, walking along the "Vineyard Trail" heading west to Sion. 

Location of St.Leonard and Sierre within Switzerland. This is Canton Valais/Wallis