Detour #12: Furka Pass, Switzerland
Bond fans will recognise the Furka Pass from the movie Goldfinger, where 007’s Aston Martin DB5 runs Tilly Masterson in her Ford Mustang off the road. And, although the road has been developed significantly since 1964, it’s hard not to hum a few bars of that John Barry theme tune as you imagine yourself in a hot pursuit.
Leaving Gletsch to begin the pass there’s a short section with a couple of tight zigzags to hike up to a higher vantage point followed by a long, fast section with gentle sweepers that can be easily straightened if the road is clear. Then it dips slightly to cross the Muttbach river and ascends again via seven hairpins, one of which overshoots the mountainside to be propped up on concrete stilts.
At the tiny outpost of Belvédère, there’s a crumbling hotel and a touristy ice grotto if you need a breather. Continuing the climb to the 2,436m peak the road opens again and then begins to drop into a bumpier and narrower path before revealing a chocolate-box vision of perfect Alpine meadows and the accompanying sound of cowbells. An eclectic and adrenalin-rich mix in just 14 miles.
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Nigel Tadyanehondo/ Unsplash
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Roadbook
Class: Mountain Pass
Name: Furka Pass, Route 19
Route: Gletsch to Realp
Country: Switzerland
Distance: 14 miles
Note: during winter months when the road is closed Google maps will not display the correct route