Walking along the Ergisch Irrigation Channel (Aergischer Wasserleitu)

Sunday June 21, 2020 -- After the very long hike in Zermatt on Saturday, we decided on the spur of the moment to spend another night in the Valais region instead of making the long trip home (after all, this was our "vacation") so we booked the last available room in the St.Ursula Guest House in Brig, where we had stayed about three weeks earlier, and decided to do a non-strenuous "short" (approx. 3 hours) hike along another irrigation channel we had not yet been to.

"Non-strenuous" means not so much uphill, and the "Suonen" or water channels are usually pretty level, but the Aergischer Channel in the Turtmann Valley also has some very nice sections along cliffs with narrow trails and a good drop on one side, the kind of interesting trail we really like to walk. To make it even more interesting, we included sections of trail that are marked as "non-official" trails on the map, which usually means they are not cleared and might mean running the gauntlet through stinging nettles!

Starting in Ergisch on the East side of the steep entrance to the Turtmanntal Valley, it took us about two hours following the channel to its feeder point at the Turtmänna River, and about another hour to walk back out on the other side to Unterems, where we caught the cable car back down to the Rhone Valley. The day was not quite as sunny as we'd expected, but this turned out to be a non-issue, as we were mostly in forested areas anyway, and it might have been too hot otherwise. 

Even though I slipped (happens very seldom) on a slimy section (in my mind's eye I was picturing going over the edge!) and landed full on my bottom in a small run of water, we really enjoyed this little walk we did to end our three-day hiking trip...

Photo of the Turtmanntal Valley from the Turtmann train station. To walk to the cable car which goes to Unter- and Oberems takes about 20 minutes. But there is a bus to Ergisch (does not run often) so we timed our trip so we could start by taking the bus to Ergisch, and returning via cable car from Unterems. Our hike started about 100m above the town of Ergisch

In Ergisch is this lovely house displaying all the placings of their Eringer cows in the Eringer cow fights and elimination rounds

 

These are young Eringer cows, raised for meat and to fight in the cow fighting events!

We join the Aergischer Water Channel about 100m above the town of Ergisch. Across the steep valley is Unterems, where we are ending the hike

Walking carefully along the water channel trail takes about 90 minutes, and the descent to Unterems another hour (the latter trail was a little rough and also not cleared). The "official" trail from Ergisch to the channel crosses the meadow, but we wanted more of the "channel" experience, so we headed straight up

This is what happens when you choose to walk the "unofficial" trails!

 

After taking this photo, I slipped on a slimy section and fell into the water. Good thing I had a change of clothes. Also, I didn't go over the edge!

All of a sudden the water disappeared out of the channel, and I was very disappointed. The water channel experience is best when the water is running! As it turned out, the water had been diverted, and we had water again 15 minutes later!

This is how the water channels work: Each area or farmer is assigned certain days where they get the water, so there are several sluices along the way that get opened and closed depending on where the water is currently assigned to go. So from here on, we have water along the trail again!

Even though there is quite a drop on one side, the trees kind of create a screen. Plus the trail is pretty wide and easy to walk on

At the places where the trail is narrow, there are cables to hold on to

VIDEO

Walking along the Ergisch

water channel

The water volume was very high! And we were walking slightly uphill, which was a good thing in the places where the trail was a bit damp

 

We found a great spot for a "coffee" break (no coffee though)

The interesting trail continues

VIDEO:

Another section of the 

water channel

It took us almost two hours to walk the approx. 4 km water channel, including 20 minutes for the ascent from Ergisch, before reaching the bridge over the Turtmänna River. 

They are rather optimistic with the amount of time to walk to Ergisch from here! We could barely make this time on a really good mountain trail. In any case, it also took us a bit longer to get to Unterems than the time here states

This trail, while an "official" trail to Unterems (called the Bear Trail) had not been cleared recently!

A bit of a shower along the way!

The beautiful Martagon Lily, or "Turk's Cap Lily" . We found these along another "unofficial" trail which diverted us off the "trodden path"

Finding our way through meadows along the unofficial trail!

Across the valley now is Ergisch, where we started our hike

Across the Valley is Ergisch, where we started our  hike. The valley on the left is the passage to Goppenstein and the beautiful Lötschental Valley. Also, the South Ramp Railway passes through the old Lötschberg Tunnel from here

Below us is Unterems, our goal for the day. You can see across the valley how very dry it is here. There is a 12-km section of the "Valais Sunshine Trail" which we are planning to walk soon, maybe not on a hot day!

The village of Unterems

A few details of the village. Doesn't take long to walk through!

Another cute Valais house, probably used to be a hay barn, set on those mushroom stilts so that the mice can't get into the barns

Next to this bench is the cable car station. We had to wait 15 minutes for the scheduled run of the cable car. If there are many people waiting, they run more often, but we were the only ones needing to go down.

A couple of people came up to Unterems, and we were the only ones riding down. They didn't even run the cable car to the top (Oberems) because no one was waiting there. Worked out well! Down below is the airplane runway, not sure if it is still in use.

Heading down to the village of Turtmann, from where we have to walk 20 minutes to the train station.

A pretty waterfall where the Turtmänna River leaves the valley!

First cable car ride for this year, another photo to add to my collection of cable cars we have ridden!

Walking across the old tarmac (no longer in use) to the Turtmann Railway station

I'd never seen this before: It was quite windy and so an ideal place on the old runway for land sailing!

 

A look back to the Turtmann Valley. We came down with the cable car from Unterems on the right. We could have easily walked, another 40 minutes, but I'd had enough walking for three days!

Last pretty house near the train station in Turtmann

From Turtmann railway station we took a bus to Ergisch, walked the 3 hours (8.5 km) to Unterems, from where we caught the cable car down to Turtman, and another 1.5 km walk back to the train station (The red trails are other hikes we did in 2015)

We spent the night before in the St.Ursula Guesthouse in Brig, where we had been three weeks earlier. This time we had a room under the roof, where we had to take a spiral stairway to get there!

A view into the Stockalp Palace in Brig, from a higher floor in the St.Ursula Guesthouse!

We had to walk through the entire building and up the spiral staircase to get to our room with shared toilet and shower. It was also a very nice room and large!

Hiking on the Most Spectacular Irrigation Channel in Upper Valais

Wednesday Sept.4, 2019 -- This time the weather was perfect for our outing to the driest part of the country, Canton Valais, although the train connections were not. We were supposed to be in the town of Ausserberg at 10:30 to start on our hike along the most spectacular of all the irrigation channels of the area: The Niwärch Suon in the Baltschieder Valley. But with train delays etc. we started an hour later. We didn't rush though, the day was beautiful and there was a breeze going (without it the first ascent at midday would have been too hot) and still managed to catch the 16:30 bus back in Ausserberg, after a total 4-hour hike. 

Some of these spectacular irrigation channels are hundreds of years old. In fact, both the channels we walked -- Niwärch Suon heading into the Baltschieder Valley (with a drop of 300 vertical meters to the river below) and the Undra Suon heading back out (150m above the river) were both originally built in the mid-14th Century, sometimes at great loss of life. Because the area is so dry, the farmers had to be creative with bringing the water down from the mountains at high enough altitude to share the water from above, and this meant long hard work carving out channels in the rock (with only pick-axes and shovels), and attaching wooden troughs to vertical rock faces. 

In the meantime a new tunnel was built here to bring out the water, but some local groups clean up the old trail every spring to keep it open to hikers. I must say, though, that with the rocky overhangs, the narrow trail and steep drop down, I have never walked so slowly and carefully in my life....

The cutest house in Ausserberg, Canton Wallis 

Various impressions of Ausserberg

Heading 200m up the mountain toward the little bunch of houses called "Niwärch", same name as the irrigation channel because it runs right above there. This is looking down at Ausserberg. 

View down to Visp and the Rhone River. In the back the Mischabel Mountains are just making their appearance. These are the highest mountains fully on Swiss territory.

Autumn Crocus:  A sure sign that summer is over and Fall has begun

Just passed through the little hamlet called Niwärch. It's still another 60 meters altitude till we hit the irrigation channel

And here it is, the irrigation channel called Niwärch, watering this fields for the past 600 years

The Niwärch irrigation channel, very old, hewn out of rock in the mid 14th-Century. The first part is mostly through forest and very pleasant to walk along. 

One last look down at Ausserberg before heading into the Baltschieder Valley

300 altitude meters from Ausserberg train station to the irrigation channel near Niwärch, which we followed through meadows and forests to Choruderri, which is the start of the really amazing trail, along vertical cliffs 300m above the Baltschieder Valley. On the way back we followed a different channel called Undra, which we could enjoy better because the trail was not so narrow.

Walking along the "Historical Irrigation Channel Niwärch". The sign says 40 minutes to Ze Steinu, but that is impossible, because you have to walk so carefully. We took 1:15 with lots of stops, but one hour for sure would be necessary.

Besides the terrible English translation, these signs always make me laugh: There is no way you could "quit" (or "leave") the trail, even if you wanted to! (except to go straight down bouncing along the cliff wall)

The start of the 1.5-km stretch of irrigation channel built into the vertical cliff walls 300m above the valley bottom. Heading into the magnificent Baltschieder Valley. 

If the narrow board over the irrigation channel isn't bad enough, look at the narrow trail past that... and the cliff leans outwards.

We walked very slowly, always leaning slightly into the cliff wall, as the vertical drop was right on the other side. Between the trail and the rock face is the water channel.

The irrigation channels built into the steep mountain walls over 600 years ago. The drop is at least 300m

Looking out of the Baltschieder Valley down the Matter Valley to the Mischabel Mountains. You can just make out the trail where we started

At this section the water still runs through a wooden channel, and the trail is just a board over the channel.

This hike is not for the faint-of-heart nor for those who suffer from vertigo

In most places there was a cable to hold on to, but not everywhere. 

These irrigation channels... hewn out of rock over 600 years ago

Absolutely stunning and fantastic.

Simply breathtaking. The view into the Baltschieder Valley

There were a few sections like this, nothing to hold on to, the cliff face hanging over the trail so you had to bend down slightly, and the weird trail with the vertical rocks that meant to had to put your foot down carefully for each step.

And also here, nothing to hold on to. This was probably the trickiest of all the passages.

Finally arrived at Ze Steinu, the furthest back into the valley that we were going. It took us 75 minutes to get here, whereas the trail marker showed 40 minutes. Not sure who can walk that fast....

Looking South out of the Baltschieder Valley, the impressive Mischabel Mountains, with Mount Dom being the highest peak that is totally on Swiss Territory. 

From Ze Steinu we walked back OUT of the valley. Further down another irrigation channel (the Undra Suon) is diverted from the Baltschieder River, also running back to Ausserberg but lower down the mountain than the Niwärch Channel.

The start of the Undra Suon. Near where it leaves the river, the trail is easier to walk. 

Since the irrigation channels are almost horizontal, the drop down to the river below gets higher each time. 

VIDEO:  

Walking along the Undra Suon irrigation channel, 

150m above the Baltschieder River below

By the time we reached the mouth of the valley, and before heading West back to Ausserberg, the drop is pretty high again. At this point I had the largest sense of how narrow and high up the trail really was.

We were happy to see a couple of Valais Black-Nosed sheep. This one was sticking its head into a cleft in the rock.... I believe cool air comes out of there! For us the light breeze was refreshing. For the sheep I guess it was a hot day. 

The final 2 km back to the town of Ausserberg were along a paved road, but the irrigation channel next to the road with its happy sound of rushing water made you forget that you were on the road. 

Another look down onto the city of Visp. From here the Valley to the East leads up into the Goms region, and the Valley to the south ends at the Matterhorn

Our destination, the bus stop in Ausserberg (there was no need to walk the 20 additional minutes to the train station, as there was a bus arriving in 15 minutes).

Admiring the wooden houses while waiting for the bus.

Heading back down to Visp by bus for our train ride back home. 

This approximately 12-km round tour from Ausserberg into the Baltschieder Valley along the upper channel (Niwärch) and back along the lower irrigation channel (Undra) took us four hours. 

We have been in this area several times already. Previously we walked into the Baltschieder Valley using the new tunnel (which also brings water from the back of the valley) because we did not know we could walk along the old irrigation channel. At that time (blue line) we walked along the historical Gorperi Suon to Eggerberg on the other side of the Baltschieder Valley.