Secret Goms Valley Walk

• One of Switzerland's best-kept secrets: fantastic twin-centre walking right off the tourist trail; choice of level every day
• Snow-capped peaks, postcard pretty villages, meadows ablaze with colourful wild flowers
• Breathtaking 360o Alpine views: Eiger, Eggishorn, Matterhorn and mighty Aletsch glacier
• Welcoming trailside restaurants with panoramic sun terraces for lunch
• Charming *** and **** hotels, excellent cuisine, friendly owners

This fabulously scenic independent walking holiday explores the undiscovered Goms Valley in Southern Switzerland close to the Italian border. A long-time favourite with Swiss hikers, it's a region of outstanding natural beauty and, during your week, you will see some spectacular sites: majestic snowy mountains, thundering waterfalls and the Aletsch, Europe's longest glacier. But there are minor discoveries too which are just as fascinating: Gothic churches, Baroque chapels, beautiful mountain shrines and charming wooden villages bedecked with flowers.

For much of the route, you'll be following the well-marked paths alongside the infant River Rhone as it gushes between wooden bridges on its way to Lake Geneva - look out for marmots, red starts and golden eagles circling above. The superb mountain transport system - cable cars, chairlifts and the bright scarlet Matterhorn Gottard Bahn - makes getting around really easy and allows you to choose walking distances to suit how you feel each day.

The places where you'll be staying are as special as their surrounds and you'll sample superb menus every evening. You're sure to appreciate the contrasts between mouthwatering Valais cuisine in Obergesteln and the artistic creations of expert chef (and Everest explorer!), Peter Gschwendtner, in Blitzingen.