The Noble Contrée stretches from Sierre to the Plaine Morte plateau and comprises the ancient territories of Randogne and Mollens, which were individual municipalities before the merger that created the municipality of Crans-Montana in 2017. The “Chemin des Contrées”, initiated by Patrice Clivaz and funded by the Association des Communes de Crans-Montana (ACCM), offers hikers the adventure of travelling between the Louable Contrée and the Noble Contrée via a new route. The trail forges new connections and is an emblem of the region as a whole.
Mollens, in the east, is the starting point of this bucolic 15km hike, which is accessible throughout much of the year. The territory covered by the former municipality is enormous, spanning more than 3,000 hectares from the Planige plateau above Miège to Les Faverges at the border with the canton of Bern.
The hamlet of Cordona, located at the source of the Bisse du Bénou irrigation channel, is dotted with beautifully renovated mayen huts. A curious fact about the village: because it is on the left bank of the River Raspille, which acts as the language boundary between Upper and Lower Valais, Cordona is an enclave in German-speaking Upper Valais.
At the centre of Mollens, Switzerland’s three central powers rub shoulders in the chapel, the municipal building and the “maison bourgeoisiale” (a kind of meeting house for local residents). A little lower down is the parish church of St-Maurice de Laques, formerly one of the key places of worship in the Contrée. There was already a medieval church here in 1270, which means that we are looking back on some 750 years of history. The current, somewhat newer, building features a neo-gothic nave and is home to some magnificent stained-glass windows by the painter and glassmaker Alexandre Cingria.
You can continue your hike westwards to the hamlet of Nayes, and on to the bridge over the Sierre-Montana-Crans (SMC) funicular, where you’ll reach the St-Maurice de Laques toposcope. You can also head east, following the way to Cordona or heading downhill towards Conzor. From there, take the Route des Ziettes to reach the Bisse du Bénou (also known as the Bisse Neuf) at 992 metres in altitude, where you can enjoy an incredible view of the Matterhorn in a unique setting above Planige!
