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  A descent path from Col Termin enters a little hanging valley at whose southern end lies Lac de Louvie. As you approach the tarn, careful to avoid boggy patches advertised with cushions of cotton grass, the Combin massif once again draws your attention. At the far end of the lake, and standing a few metres above it on a 2207m bluff, Cabane de Louvie was built by the Bourgeoisie de Bagnes. This light, modern hut has 54 dorm places and is manned only in the high summer season from July to mid-September (tel 027 778 17 40) – there’s no winter access. Two onward routes are worth mention: the first is a direct 2hr descent to Fionnay; an extremely steep zigzag path with occasional fixed chains for safety. The other takes the path of the Tour du Val de Bagnes (see box) on a demanding and exposed up and down route, before slanting down to Mauvoisin (4½–5hrs).

View from the terrace at Cabane du Mont Fort

Le Châble to Fionnay

‘The lower part of the Val de Bagnes,’ said R L G Irving in The Alps, ‘is full of smiling villages. All the way up to Lourtier the valley bed is wide enough to allow plenty of room for road and stream and cultivation.’