Tour of Monte Rosa. Hilary Sharp

The 134km Tour of Monte Rosa is a challenging and very varied trek that takes a high route around the massif, in a circuit that begins and ends in Zermatt. The trek is described in eight stages, but these are not necessarily one-day stages, and some will be more comfortably achieved over two days or more. Realistically you should allow 9-10 days to complete the route. The Tour of Monte Rosa covers a variety of terrain, ranging from major forest tracks to narrow single-track footpaths to scree slopes to glacier, and offers a great introduction to high mountain walking. Along the way, this Alpine trail takes in spectacular views of the Monte Rosa massif, including ten 4000m summits, as well as breaks in mountain huts and the towns of Resy, Saas Fee, Macugnaga and Cervinia among others. The guidebook also provides a wealth of practical information to help you prepare for the trek.