Rochers-de-Naye: first snow

I’ve seen a fair few stunning views since I’ve been visiting Switzerland. And most of them I’ve appreciated after considerable effort to get there: sweat and occasional tears (thankfully no blood so far) have taken me to the top of Le Grammont, with its sweeping vista of Lake Geneva, and to Cabane Rambert above Ovronnaz, where my gaze was level with mighty peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Grand Combin.

But there are easier ways to see some of Switzerland’s epic views.

After a rainy few days in the city, a break in the clouds and rumours of snow on high led me to take one of the train trips I’ve had my eye on since arriving in Switzerland: the journey to Rochers-de-Naye.

It’s not a cheap ride (although my annual half price card makes it reasonable) and it’s full of snap-happy tourists in inappropriate footwear, but it’s worth experiencing. From Montreux the two-carriage Golden Pass train trundles its way through Glion and Caux, winding ever higher up to 2,045m. From half way up we can see the snow-covered summit, a telecoms mast marking the spot, but we can’t quite believe that this little train goes up so high.

Quite abruptly the land turns from green to white, a thick duvet freshly laid in the past few days. As we pull into the top station it’s a though we’ve travelled to another country, so stark is the comparison between the mild autumn down below and the depths of winter up here.

The wind is strong, and as we climb the short distance from the station up to the telecoms mast I feel it buffeting me and throwing me off balance in the deep snow.

It’s worth making the brief effort required to reach the absolute summit, rather than languishing in the cafe with a cuppa. The views at the top are magnificent, even on this rather tumultuous, cloudy day. The lake stretches out to the west, Montreux tiny and sparkling on the shore far below, while on all sides are mountains, speckled grey and white, as they will remain throughout the long winter ahead of us.

There are hiking trails up here, and in fact you can hike up from Montreux rather than taking the train. I enjoyed taking the easy route this time, but I can’t help feeling I’d have appreciated the view a whole lot more if reaching the summit had been my reward for a long hike. As I sit in the cafe before the train back down, I vow that next time, I’ll earn my large slice of carrot cake.

Get there: Take the train to Montreux and change for the Golden Pass line to Rochers-de-Naye (it’s clearly signed at the station) for 33CHF one way.