Pays du Saint-Bernard

From Martigny, the St-Bernard Express climbs to Orsières in half an hour. Postal buses leave the station for Champex-Lac, for La Fouly in the Val Ferret, and in summer all the way to the Great St Bernard Pass. By car, leave the A9 at Martigny and follow the Orsières road; there are car parks beside Lac de Champex.

Good to know: buses up to Champex thin out outside the school holidays. Check the last return before setting off on a walk, as the valley empties quickly in late afternoon.

The loop around Lac de Champex is flat, wide and fully pushchair friendly: allow forty unhurried minutes, with benches all the way round. Pedalos are for hire once the weather warms up and fill a good half hour. The Flore-Alpe alpine garden just above climbs gently and starts to interest children around five, when flowers become things to hunt for rather than look at.

The La Breya chairlift leaves from the village and opens up high trails for experienced walkers. The Val Ferret towards La Fouly offers far easier valley-floor walks at the foot of the glaciers, with pasture and torrents to follow. And the Great St Bernard Pass, open from June to October depending on the snow, rounds off the day with its hospice, its museum and its dogs. Reckon on a full day if you want the pass as well as the lake, and take a windproof layer for the top.