Hiking holidays Via Suworow Airolo - Ilanz

Arrival to Airolo and luggage drop-off. After a steep climb through the Tremola, views open up to the Totenkapelle (Chapel of the Dead) and the Susten on the Gotthardpass. The pass head is «conquered» via the old trading route, just as Suvorov and his troops did after the French retreated.

The descent into the Urserental valley leads through the rugged Gotthardreusstal valley, mainly along the old trading route. Suworow set up his quarters in Hospental in the Hotel St. Gotthard (formerly Ochsen). The route continues along the valley floor to Andermatt.

Taking the route through the Schöllenenschlucht gorge today is much easier than in Suworow's time. He and his soldiers had to force the French troops back down the valley. However, he was given a memorial at the Teufelsbrücke (Devil's Bridge) for his pains. 

The wonderful cultural landscapes with medieval buildings and stone arch bridges are a joy to behold along the route through the lower Reusstal valley. Totally in contrast to Suworow and his troops, who only had French soldiers in sight. 

Constant pinpricks accompanied the general on his way to Lake Uri. Compared to the narrow gorges through which the Russians had previously fought their way, however, the way through the Reuss plain was child's play. The hiker of today will find today’s stage to be the same way. 

At the Urnersee lake, Suworow was unable to proceed any further as the French had seized all boats. So the ViaSuworow follows the route of the Russians from Altdorf into the Schächental valley, where cobbled cattle tracks bordered by drystone walling lead to Biel-Chinzig.

The Chinzigpass awaits with bizarre rock formations and views of the Alps in the Chinzer and Hürital valleys. Unfortunately, Suworow's troops saw little of these as they had to scale the pass with their heavy field guns on a dull, rainy day. 

With views of the primeval forest reserve of Bödmeren, through which Suworow marched in flight from the French, the route leads from Muotatal along alp trails and an impressive stone-slab path in Schluecht over the Pragelpass to Richisau in the hinteren Klöntal valley. 

The trail leads alongside the Klöntalersee (lake) between mighty cliff faces down to Glarus. Anyone chancing a dip in the Klöntalersee may find the Russian war chest. It's reputed to have been sunk in the lake as the French attacked. 

With the French in pursuit, Suworow's troops marched southwards in snowfall towards Elm. The easy hike leads to Schwanden alongside the river Linth and then partly above, partly along, the river Sernf via Engi and Matt to Elm. 

From Elm the ViaSuworow continues over the Panixer pass, which led to Suworow's troops suffering disastrous losses in the snow. The route leads through the Jetzbachschlucht gorge up to the pass and then over alp Mer and alp Ranasca down to Pigniu. 

Several attractive churches and chapels line the route from Pigniu down into the valley of the Vorderrhein. The ViaSuworow ends at Ilanz, the first town on the Rhine, which the weakened Russian troops reached on 7 October 1799.