Walking with sheep in the Swiss Alps

With a lot of sheep and some farmers for company, as well as amazing views like this, the Alpabzug parade is quite a sight to behold. Photos: Huck Seng

I’ve already had three amazing and dreamy nights in Gimmewald, in the Bernese Highlands of Switzerland. I pondered what to do next. Perhaps go for a walk?

Before I knew it, I found myself in this parade like no other. I was walking with the sheep (in other areas it might be cows or goats or a mix of animals) all trotting in a line. It was the annual Alpabzug (also called Desalpes by French-speaking Swiss) parade – where farmers (and their families) and animals descend from the Swiss Alps, where they had spent four months, to head back to their farms. Everyone on the route would cheer them on and sometimes the animals would even be “dressed up”!