Hike Bisse de Salins - Bisse de BaarBegin your walk in the heart of the village of Beuson. Take the opportunity to admire the little chapel for a few moments before starting your walk.
Follow the small road that passes next to the chapel. Continue up this narrow road until you reach the Rue du Stade. Walk past the football pitch and then cross the main road one last time to continue your ascent to the start of the bisse de Salins.
Then follow the bisse de Salins. After crossing the impressive Ogeintse bridge, you pass through the dry meadows of Clèbes. From here you have a magnificent view over the Val de Nendaz and the Bernese Alps opposite.
Follow this bisse until you pass below the village of Veysonnaz. When you reach the drinking water reservoir, leave the bisse and take the path down to the hamlets of Beaupérier, Misériez and finally Salins.
From Salins, take the bisse de Baar, which winds through the apricot trees. After looking down on the village of Baar from above, continue your walk to the charming village of Brignon. Cross the farm and follow the small road up through the village to the Castle of Brignon. From here, your starting point is in sight again!
Apart from the walking time, this walk with its many different landscapes and viewpoints is accessible to all, without any great technical difficulty.Bisse de Salins pont 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Salins 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Salins vue 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)989.65802001953BeusonNestled in the hollow of the Nendaz valley, this charming village is renowned for its illuminations in the run-up to the end of the year. Every winter, Beuson is transformed into a fairytale setting. The inhabitants install lights on the roofs of their houses, the chapel and on the bridge for an amazingly magical effect.
There was a time when Beuson was the industrial centre of the municipality. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this village was as populated as Basse-Nendaz, the main town of the area. The proximity of the Printse river was a real asset because the hydraulic power was the only one capable of running the industry of the time (flour mill, sawmill and tannery).
Beuson is also a starting point for your hikes. From the heights of this village, the bisse de Salins departs, dating back to 1435 and thus being one of the oldest bisses in the region. An impressive metal footbridge overhangs the river Ogeintse for a very aerial passage..Village Beuson automne 2017 (Inès Bonvin)Beuson village 2017 (Florian Guntern)Village Beuson Nuit 2015 (Etienne Bornet)Village Beuson 2015 (Arnaud Delhez)1153.5783691406Bisse de SalinsWith a construction dating back to the Middle Ages, it is the oldest bisse in the district. With a length of 12 kilometres, the Bisse de Salins still irrigates the mid-mountain pastures, meadows, orchards and crops of Beuson, the Bioleys and Salins.
Its path passes though various environments: first of all a humid forest right above the village of Beuson before reaching the metal footbridge over the Ojintse torrent, then a dry meadow on a moraine. The unique fauna and flora of this arid region is worth the visit.
A BISSE, WHAT IS IT ?
The bisses were originally irrigation channels that diverted water from the rivers to water the farm land crops growing on the mountain slopes. They are true historical relics and bear witness to the Valaisans' relentless fight against drought. It is their construction that makes them so special. Indeed, these channels had to adapt to the different terrain and environments encountered along the way, giving rise to impressive workmanship, especially when we imagine what the means of construction were at the time. The bisses of our region take their source from the Printse, a river that flows along our valley. Of the eight bisses located in Nendaz, six still have water flowing within their banks and are still carrying out their original task of irrigation.Bisse de Salins pont 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Salins vue 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Salins passerelle 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Salins 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)834.49829101562Bisse de BaarThe Bisse de Baar takes its source above the château de Brignon, at 840 metres above sea level. It is still used to water the fields and crops of Baar, Salins and Sion (Maragnenaz), especially the numerous apricot orchards.
With its 6 kilometres in length, departing from Brignon, it passes through vineyards, dry prairies and fields of apricots.
The construction of this bisse goes back to before 1456. In that year, a convention was signed between the people of Arvillard and Turin accompanied by a representative of the Bishop of Sion on the one hand and the people of the of Brignon and Baar on the other. The latter gave the bishop and his associates permission to take water from the existing channel under certain conditions, including the widening of the bisse at their own expense.
A BISSE, WHAT IS IT ?
The bisses were originally irrigation channels that diverted water from the rivers to water the farm land crops growing on the mountain slopes. They are true historical relics and bear witness to the Valaisans' relentless fight against drought. It is their construction that makes them so special. Indeed, these channels had to adapt to the different terrain and environments encountered along the way, giving rise to impressive workmanship, especially when we imagine what the means of construction were at the time. The bisses of our region take their source from the Printse, a river that flows along our valley. Of the eight bisses located in Nendaz, six still have water flowing within their banks and are still carrying out their original task of irrigation.Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)Bisse de Baar 2020 (Florian Bouvet-Fournier)731.47680664062BaarBaar is divided into two parts: Baar at the top end and Plan-Baar on the plateau below.
The numerous apricot orchards in this village are still watered by the Bisse de Baar. The latter has its source below the castle of Brignon and also irrigates the regions of Pravidondaz and Turin (in the municipality of Sion). It was built before 1456.
Since 2009, the village has hosted its annual Carnival festivities with a parade and fancy dress competition, thanks to the CarnaBaar organizing committee.
During summer, there is a fruit stand between Baar and Brignon where you can buy the legendary Baar apricots.Baar village 2020 (Florian Guntern)Village Baar 2018 (Florian Guntern)881.66766357422BrignonIn the Middle Ages, a watchtower stood on the hillock on the present site of the Brignon castle restaurant. Peter II of Savoy, who had authority over the Nendaz region at the time and was in conflict with the Bishop of Sion, decided in 1261 to build a dungeon there to protect the land on the right bank of the Printse. The strategic location made it possible to keep an eye on the valley and to communicate by signals with the Tour de Conthey in the Rhone Valley. The castle was demolished only a few years after its construction for financial reasons. Its ruins can still be seen today.
In the first part of the 20th century, the first hotel in the municipality was built on the ruins of the old tower.
If you are in the area, stop at the Brignon dairy for some tasty cheese and other local products.
In Brignon, at the very bottom of the village, you can also find the start of the Bisse de Baar. To access it, you must pass through the cowshed where you can say 'hi' to its residents.Village Brignon 2018 (Florian Guntern)Brignon chapelle 2003 (Yvette Martignoni)Brignon printemps 2014 (Etienne Bornet)974.84106445312995.150756835941021.39752197271033.07495117191044.03771972661057.40673828121060.76818847661062.03222656251076.57995605471090.843751131.62341308591146.55895996091161.57299804691151.99060058591164.18994140621144.88024902341159.50500488281139.96911621091133.89404296881138.9667968751133.08996582031138.22607421881149.63061523441147.00439453121142.86877441411157.996093751140.96350097661152.32568359381128.41943359381136.35107421881131.92126464841124.13623046881118.25805664061123.10180664061121.16589355471114.83142089841114.8339843751115.77038574221126.21667480471125.52685546881125.96130371091122.23852539061101.11865234381102.41284179691101.57250976561116.5175781251094.71276855471098.07104492191096.66638183591114.96545410161112.47290039061120.64916992191138.21081542971125.96911621091115.53063964841104.72485351561098.78356933591079.55981445311072.49145507811036.62048339841031.00280761721028.02868652341021.93377685551014.0162353516994.74444580078976.84564208984961.49291992188948.54180908203943.86492919922939.07037353516931.05950927734896.34765625882.02697753906872.15710449219839.94799804688823.18151855469819.88653564453817.26812744141806.90344238281798.88226318359794.65454101562779.96795654297767.45886230469762.12939453125748.78955078125765.68994140625775.25775146484786.16674804688777.27777099609773.96948242188767.50964355469775.15515136719792.71307373047784.96612548828790.15911865234795.61981201172798.9892578125813.91217041016813.28076171875811.37573242188822.24603271484815.91168212891823.72326660156818.53674316406822.23077392578834.3330078125836.16223144531831.32757568359836.72064208984830.94299316406842.78314208984837.78100585938853.96087646484868.71911621094885.39178466797890.92083740234891.65307617188922.39971923828925.916015625924.45709228516925.47052001953922.64691162109922.29168701172945.15936279297949.39282226562955.5673828125969.95709228516974.66223144531