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Branching southeast of Orsières, this valley carries the road to the Col du Grand St Bernard and edges the western side of the Combin massif. Its villages, apart from Orsières at its entrance, are the modest settlements of Liddes and Bourg-St-Pierre, both fortunately bypassed by the road to Italy. Bourg has been used as a mountaineering base, and from it routes climb to a brace of mountain huts on the slopes of Mont Vèlen and the Grand Combin, while the western side of the valley is largely snow-free and much lower than its neighbour. Here the Combe de l’A makes a long inroad into the mountains and offers a way over a col at its head into the upper reaches of the Val Ferret.

Val Ferret

Traversed by walkers tackling the Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB), the Val Ferret is a distinctly pastoral valley that lies on the outer edge of the Mont Blanc massif. Several small villages and hamlets inhabit the valley, but these mostly disregard the needs of visitors. Only La Fouly, which gazes into a cirque topped by Mont Dolent and the Tour Noir, devotes itself to walkers and climbers, and it is well worth seeking out for there are some splendid walks and views to enjoy. Like the Vals d’Entremont and Bagnes, the valley is reached from Martigny via Sembrancher. The St Bernard Express (a very slow train despite its name) continues as far as Orsières, where the Vals Ferret and d’Entremont part company. Just out of Orsières a road breaks away to climb in numerous hairpins to Champex, a delightful, small but attractive resort also visited by trekkers on the TMB. With the unspoilt Val d’Arpette behind it, Champex is another worthwhile base for a few days of a walking holiday.