Circular route around the Riederhorn via toggle bridges

Starting from Riederalp, this hiking trail circles around the Riederhorn. The path first leads up to the Riederfurka, then in a large loop below the Casselweg around the Riederhorn down to Oberried and then back up to Riederalp. Along the way, three toggle bridges are crossed, some path sections are somewhat exposed. From mid-June to mid-October, this hiking trail offers a lot of variety in the middle of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site: hikers cross a total of three bridges that are built from round wooden toggles. Hence the name «Toggle Bridges Trail». Previously, the constructions were somewhat more rustic and dangerous. Today the bridges are easy to cross, though somewhat exposed. Along the way, you look towards the valley communities and the Gibidum reservoir above the Massaschlucht. The gorge was carved into the rock long ago by the ice of the Great Aletsch Glacier. A special highlight of the hike is the historic Villa Cassel, built in 1902, on the Riederfurka. Surrounded by green meadows and snow-covered four-thousanders in the background, the magnificent building doesn't quite fit into the original landscape. It was the private holiday residence of Sir Ernest Cassel, a very wealthy German-British banker. Before the descent towards the toggle bridges, a refreshment is recommended in the tea salon of the Victorian villa, where illustrious guests such as Winston Churchill once came and went. Today the historic house is home to the Pro Natura Center Aletsch, a nature conservation center with a guesthouse – and at the same time the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Jungfrau-Aletsch.