We start with 4 Pain au Raisin delivered to the campsite by the bus driver. Followed by another coffee in the nice café opposite. There is nothing else till the top.
Steep down and up just out of town annoys all. With 800m to ascend, descent is unwanted. Soon though we are up in alpine pastures. Cows with bells, butterflies and lots of different flowers some like the Martagon lilies seen in gardens some alpines sold in garden centres. The way is very well marked and flowers get better as we ascend those gone over at lower altitude are at full flowering further up. We reach a large hydroelectric reservoir, the route after a small descent traverses round it and then heads up again close to the small road to the top. The main road has dived into a tunnel. We have lunch near a curious structure that Tony realises, when it makes a noise and steam issues from it, is a ventilation shaft for the tunnel. The second major tunnel we have had lunch on top of. For those not paying attention, the first was the channel tunnel on the beach near Calais. We start to encounter snow patches but battle on up.
Eventually we reach the top and are greeted by staff of the hospice of St Bernard where we will stay the night. Opposite is the St Bernard dog museum and kennels. This time the Barryland theme park logo is less in evidence, we had declined to pay 12francs per visit down in Martigny. But this time is good a dog is out with a young English speaking handler and in the museum we learn that Barry 3 was an excellent rescue dog who died falling off a cliff on a search. He is immortalised in two ways. The name Barryland for the museum and organisation breeding and presenting St Bernards and he is stuffed in the museum!