Route: Scuol to Sent and back
Area: Switzerland
Date of walk: 20th January 2019
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 8.5 miles
Ascent: 1,700 feet
Weather: Sunshine and blue skies
On the last full day of a wonderful walking holiday in the Engadine area of Switzerland we decided to revisit Scuol and explore further along the valley
After taking the bus from Guarda village to the station, the train from Guarda to Scuol station, and another bus to the town centre we were ready to set off on our walk. The Swiss public transport system is superb – the bus and train times are synchronised, and they will wait for each other in the unlikely event of a delay. We alighted from the bus at Scuol Platz, in the lower part of the town which gave us the chance to look around the older district, which is very attractive and well worth a visit
We then made up our way up to the newer part of Scuol and located the path to Sent, which starts near the hospital. We set off on a steady climb uphill with ever improving views along the valley. The path was easy to follow and set at a gentle gradient. We followed the highest of the alternative paths shown on our map, and eventually arrived at Restaurant Vastur, the highest point of the walk at 5,450 feet. Our destination, Sent, was visible from the restaurant and after refreshments we followed the path down into the attractive village
After a short wander around we retraced our steps out of Sent and after a few minutes joined a lower level path which contoured around the mountainside and descended gently back to Scuol. This marked the end of the walk, and the end of a superb walking holiday
Thanks to Inntravel for organising everything so efficiently (as usual), and special thanks to Benno and the staff at the Hotel Meisser in Guarda. The hotel was a perfect base for our walks, the staff were friendly, the food superb, and Benno was very helpful with his advice on walking routes – I can’t recommend the hotel highly enough
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Dawn on our last full day in Switzerland, and we look out of our bedroom window in the Hotel Meisser
We can easily identify the peaks thanks to this reproduction print available at the hotel
We walk through the village street to catch the bus down to Guarda Station...
...and here it comes, bang on time as usual
The bus and train timetables are interlinked, and one will wait for the other in the unlikely event of a delay - we hop on board the train to Scuol, a few miles east along the valley
Scuol Station, and from here we take another bus into the old town, which is further down in the valley (this lengthens the walk slightly)
We arrive in the old square, where there are some attractive buildings...
We walk uphill out of the old town to the more modern area, here looking back to Piz Pisoc
-10c on the high street
After walking through an underpass beneath the road we start to climb out of Scuol
Looking back to the hospital, which is a helpful guide to the start of the path to Sent
Heading east along the valley - there's a choice of paths, and at each junction we keep to the higher one, heading for Vastur
Looking back to Scuol, overlooked by a wonderful array of peaks
Onwards and upwards
Another view back as we gain height
We pass by a small farm
Bench with a brush to dust away the snow
Animal tracks...
We arrive at Restaurant Vastur, the highest point of the walk at around 5,400 feet
A perfect place for a pit stop
It's possible to toboggan down to Sent from here but we (or rather me) preferred to walk
Sent comes into view below...
That's next year's Christmas card sorted...
...or maybe this one?
...or this?
Piz S-chalambert Dadaint above the village church
We pass by some more attractive wooden chalets
The path zigzags back and forth in order to ease the gradient - we could have simply returned along a lower path from here, but wanted to visit Sent and so zagged back in its direction...
Piz S-chalambert Dadaint again, at 3,031 metres or 9,944 feet
We arrive in the old village of Sent, home to around 900 people
As with the other villages in the area, the houses are beautifully painted...
After a short walk around we retrace our steps to start the return leg back to Scuol...
We'd arrived in Sent via the path on the right, and we keep left this time to follow another, more direct, path lower down the valley
The River Inn below
Scuol is just around the corner
We walk back down into the old town again
We arrive back in the old town...
Piz Lischana above the town square
We reflect on another great walk as we wait for the bus to arrive
