Switzerland - Bellwald: from quiet mountain village to adrenalin mecca

Switzerland - Bellwald: from quiet mountain village to adrenalin mecca

We are in Bellwald a place that towers like a sunny balcony 1,600 metres above everyday life in the Valais Alps. The mountains here are vast, rugged and majestic. But the best thing: Bellwald seems to have time. Time for those who are not satisfied with the ordinary.

The nature? Breathtaking. In summer the hiking trails beckon, in winter life pulsates on the pistes. Anyone who googles Goms winter will immediately fall in love with this region.

Accessible via a winding road or by cable car (Felix is too heavy for this), Bellwald is not immediately obvious to everyone. Perhaps that's where the magic lies. The village? Car-free, with narrow, time-worn alleyways and sun-baked wooden Valais houses. The parish church quietly watches over it all, a baroque witness to past stories.

Bellwald has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 "Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch" and impresses with its well-preserved, car-free village centre.

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After endless hairpin bends, we reach the village and my favourite pitch. Peace and quiet at last, cosiness at last. But we've done the maths without the landlord - or rather: without the downhill racers. Unplanned, we learn that this weekend the End of the season and a Downhill Cup take place. Parking spaces? Not a chance. Restaurants? Overcrowded. Peace and quiet? Hardly.

Nevertheless, we find a place to spend the night, right at the finish line of the daring cyclocipists. We quickly organise an information sheet with all the races and departure times and decide: instead of leaving, we'll stay. Let's see what exciting things happen here.

So we sit with our teacups in the warm Felix and look out: right into the heart of the mountain bike scene. Bellwald, otherwise known for its tranquillity and the vastness of the Valais Alps, is transformed into a Mecca for adrenaline-seekers and downhill enthusiasts. And we are right in the middle of it.

The first night is anything but quiet: as central as we are, we are close to the pub with its loud music and party atmosphere. Around 11.30pm, the party moves indoors, but some people continue to party in the car park, right next to our Felix. Around 3am - or was it half past 3am? - the group disperses and it gets quiet. We can finally go to sleep.

Until, of course, the first racers arrive for training at around 8 o'clock. A Mecca is never quiet.

We are also up early, take the chairlift up the mountain and hike along the downhill route with the most beautiful Alpine panorama. Steep descents, technical passages and fast bends - everything a downhill enthusiast could wish for can be found here. The course winds its way through dense forests, over rocks and roots, and offers a view of the magnificent Alpine scenery, as long as riders have the time to lift their heads.

Halfway down, we savour the best Valais raclette, marvel at the jumps over ski jumps and continue downhill. It's fascinating how the young and semi-young riders race down here. Just watching them makes me feel different.

We'll probably need 3 hours in total, maybe even 4. The fastest, who later stand on the podium, race down in under 3.5 minutes. Wow, once again wow.

A wonderful mountain day with variety for us. However, we spend the evening somewhere else: a good night's sleep and some peace and quiet please.

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Merci for "travelling with us

Here you can find our future lectures:

Our current and past lectures are listed here. You can register via the links next to the dates. There will probably be new ones every now and then, so make a note of the link!

Date: 25 & 26 October 2024
Our lectures: 25. 10. 14:00 & 26.10. 10:40
Location: Switzerland, two Vanlife lectures at the Suisse Caravan Salon Bern
Registration: not necessary, but you have to pay admission to the Caravan Salon (or contact us, we can give away a few day tickets).

Date: 25 & 26 October 2024
Our lectures: 25. 10. 12:00 & 26.10. 14:00
Location: Switzerland, two Vanlife lectures at the Suisse Caravan Salon Bern
Registration: not necessary, but you have to pay admission to the Caravan Salon (or contact us, we can give away a few day tickets).

Date: 24 November 2024 4 pm (doors open at 3 pm)
Location: Germany, Landgasthof zum Mühlenteich 15345 Eggersdorf near Berlin
Registration: https://forms.gle/5XFgSz31NKzmCzmT8


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