16-km Hike from Motta Naluns (Scuol) to Ardez via Val Tasna

Tuesday August 23, 2022 -- Since we were spending three nights in a historical Engadine House in the very charming village of Ardez, we received guest passes to use the cableway in Scuol to access higher elevations, and so it was convenient that we were close by and didn't have to travel far. (10 minutes by train).

For this first day in the lower Engadine, we chose to walk on the Regional Trail no.87 called "Via Engiadina", Stage 5, from above Scuol to Ardez via a beautiful valley called Val Tasna. As it turns out, it ended up being five hours of walking, but the trail was so good that we were back at our accommodation before we were aware how far we had walked!

It helped that we had over an hour lunch break at a mountain restaurant called Alp Laret, where we tried their "Kaiserschmarren", an Austrian dish kind of like pancakes or crepes but baked in large chunks. The restaurant is popular, so we had to wait a long time for our food. But the lunch break made it easier to continue on the high trail to the back and then out of the valley. The highlight on this tour was the sighting of very many marmots!

We needed to stay away from our residence till 5 p.m. though, because the neighbour's house is currently being renovated (two meters away) and I cannot tolerate the noise of construction (the agent brokering the property was not made aware of the construction), so when we returned to Ardez, we checked out the ruins of the Steinsberg Tower (unfortunately not accessible) and then took our time admiring all the fabulous Engadine houses in this charming village. Each house is decorated with intricate paintings and artwork, each has large arched doorways mostly with a bench next to the entrance, and most have colorful flowers on the recessed shuttered windows. There was a fountain at each corner, many of them made out of wood which is unusual but typical for this region. 

Our routine when we got to our accommodation was cooking a quick meal, showering and inspecting all the many nooks and crannies of this beautiful house. It was like living in a museum, really. Photos can be viewed HERE.

On the 10-minute train ride from Ardez to Scuol, we get a really nice look at the Scuol-Tarasp Castle in the early morning light

Zoomed view of the Scuol-Tarasp Castle

Gondola cable-way from Scuol to Motta Naluns

Because the whole distance walked was over 16 km, and we had a long break for lunch at Alp Laret, it didn't actually seem like the hike was that long (5 hours!) and we barely noticed going downhill. 

The first 30 minutes were on this wide road and I was a bit worried that the whole hike would be like this, but then it changed to a good mountain trail. 

A very good mountain trail and very clear view into the mountains of the Swiss National Park. It took us 90 minutes to walk to Alp Laret.

At Alp Laret we stopped for lunch. Soon after us, lots of people arrived. Due to a mix-up in orders, though, (partly our fault for moving tables), they served my "Kaiserschmarren" to someone else, and I had to wait quite a long time for them to redo the order. 

Such a lovely flower arrangement!

Details of Alp Laret (Chickens checking out the mountain bike) and the yummy Kaiserschmarren.

Our first glimpse into the Tasna Valley after leaving Alp Laret. 

First of many marmots which we saw along the way!

The trail was very good to walk on and the air temperature perfect, so it didn't seem like a long walk at all!

This is a view of the other side of the Tasna Valley, which we later walked along. On that large grassy slope, farmers were cutting and raking up the hay. 

From here the trail went down to the river. 

This farm is called Alp Valmala, and this is the furthest back in the valley that we went. The trail turned and headed back out of the valley on the other side. 

Tasnan River in Val Tasna

It took about an hour to walk from Alp Laret to this point, so another good opportunity for a rest.

VIDEO:

Always a great place to take a break beside a river

Following Trail no.87: "Via Engiadina"

From here at Alp Valmala we head south out of the valley on the right side. 

More marmots

The back of the valley was more interesting than the entrance, so there are more photos in this direction!

Close-up view of the mountains at the back of the valley

Another fat marmot!!

Now we are passing across the grassy slope where the farmers are raking up the hay which has been drying here. 

A look back at the large expanse of mountainside which has been mowed and harvested

After a long stretch through the forest, we finally arrive above the village of Ardez, with a view of the ruins of the Steinsberg Castle. 

After walking about 15 km, we decided to go up to the castle tower, to see if we could access the inside. At the very least, get a view over the village. 

More harvested hillsides, and cows all in a row!

Lovely Engadine houses at the foot of the tower hill

The walls on these houses are very thick, and not always straight! Many have the family crest painted on the wall. Most of these houses were built in the mid-17th Century

This ruin might have been a chapel. It turns out the tower is privately-owned and you cannot access the inside. 

A look down at the roofs of Ardez. The house in the circle is where we were staying, right in the center of the village and not far from the train station (on the left). 

The lovely house in the center of this photo with the two windows is our rented accommodation. As you can see, the house not 2 meters distance is being renovated!

A look eastward down the Engadine Valley toward Scuol. You can just see the castle from here. 

Heading back down from the Tower Hill to go inspect the lovely houses in Ardez

Our hike as seen on Google Satellite Maps

The following photos are of the beautiful buildings in the historical Engadine Village of Ardez, where we stayed for three nights. As we knew there was construction going on on the house next to "ours", we walked around the village till 6 p.m. to make sure it was peaceful by the time we got "home". There was plenty to look at, so not an issue at all!

Interesting fact: As of the census of the year 2000, there were 400 residents in this village, 75% of whom spoke the local language called Romantsch. 

Many fountains in the village, a lot of them made of wood, which looks weird but is common in this region. 

A quick look inside the village church

Many of the houses have a bench next to the large arched doorway. The date on this one is 1656. So lovely. 

This was probably the best-painted house in the village. You can find a picture of this in Wikipedia under "Ardez". The date under the window (center top) reads 1647

I could see this house from my bedroom window (not this angle, though)

So many pretty windows

These are the houses across the alley from where we were staying.

So many attractive doors!!!!

This one is for sale. I wonder for how much?

A look up the main street to the tower on the hill

The Steinsberg tower with the fantastic backdrop of Engadine mountains

This is Chasa Clavazin, the house we were renting for three nights. There is a second house attached, on the left. Attached to the house on the other side is an equally large "barn". We had access to the barn through the house, but the other house is separate. 

Some details on the house called Chasa Clavazin, built in 1619!!

This is the barn section attached to the house, and just as large as the residence portion (many of the houses were built like this)

Urs opening the door to our residence....