Rossinière, the start of the hike, is famous for its magnificent wooden chalets with intricately painted and carved facades. The most famous is probably the Grand Chalet, the largest wooden house in Switzerland with 500 m2 of floor space and no fewer than 113 windows. South of the little village, the hiking route crosses the Saane river that flows through a small artificial lake, the Lac du Vernex. The next section, known as les traverses, runs uphill on a narrow and sometimes steep forest track. Sure-footedness and concentration are essential here and some highly exposed locations are secured with wire ropes.

After the gentle ascent to Linderrey, hikers are rewarded with a view of the Lac de l’Hongrin and the mountain range of the Mont d’Or and the Gros Van. From here, they’ll be a little disheartened to see the day’s destination on a distant ridge: the Rochers de Naye. This is disheartening because the previous climb to cross La Pertuse must be followed by another descent into the valley.

They can catch a glimpse of the 125-metre-high dam of the Lac de l’Hongrin on the subsequent ascent. After the Col de Chaude, the route passes over a beautiful ridge to the Rochers (rocks) de Naye, Montreux’s local mountain. The rock massif is made of limestone and reaches a height of 2,042 metres. It affords a sweeping view over Lake Geneva, the Mont Blanc massif and the Jungfrau region all the way to the Fribourg Pre-Alps. Even so, the view of the ground is just as rewarding: here, some 2,000 metres above sea level, amateur botanists can enjoy an Alpine garden with more than 1,000 different species of plants.