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The French have published leaflets on 32 of their "Grands Sites" - including well known places such as Mont St Michel and the Verdon Gorge. Many - including this one - must be almost unknown to Brits. If they're all as wonderful as Sixt there's a lot of visiting to be done!
The area is noted for its waterfalls but as we were in an unusally dry spell there was little water to be seen until the end of the day when some of the snowfields were melting. We arrived just before noon and set off up the huge valley track.
Shortly after a bridge there is a "route dangereuse" going up what looks like a near vertical cliff - there is a fixed rope in some places, but I don't recommend it if you suffer at all from vertigo. This picture was taken in near darkness on the way back. The path follows the slanting groove upwards starting near the trees at the bottom left.
The ascent takes nearly an hour to arrive at the Chalet du Boret (a restaurant in summer)
From here you can take the much longer (but very much gentler) path back through the woods. However we went steeply up much higher to the Refuge de la Vogealle. This is the col just before it.
Walking back through the woods you can look down on the huge cliffs and a couple of the waterfalls - they must be fabulous when in spate.
At last you reach the head of the valley and the bottom of the path down
To see the path back (now in deep shade and getting progressively colder!) down beside the river.
Even in the shade the cliffs are full of colour
And you can see the waterfalls from below
Back at the start the eastern cliffs now have sun on them
