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The construction of this pretty chapel dates back to 1650, but it fell into such disrepair so quickly that it was renovated three times in the 18th century, and was even closed to the public in 1764. Further work was carried out in the 20th century, including the addition of a sacristy and the replacement of the bell.

This little road leads up to Corin, the winegrowing village overlooking Noës, on the road between Sierre and Crans-Montana. Our virtual stroll in Noës ends here, at the chapel of Sainte-Barbe in Champzabé, which we will of course enter.

This series of panoramas was shot on a fine afternoon in late October 2024, shortly after the harvest. The colours of the vines still range from green to yellow and gold, with hints of red. In the distance, we can make out the copper-coloured larch forests below the summit of the Illhorn, where a few clouds are basking.

Corin-de-la-Crête is at an altitude of 667m, Noës at around 530m, so the difference in altitude is not huge, but as the route is less than 2km long, the gradient sometimes reaches 15%. Let's face it: to shoot these panoramas, we walked the route on the way down...

The funds raised to renovate the 18th-century chapel also enabled this strange church, very different from most Valaisan churches, to be built in the mid-1960s. Inside, the stained glass cast a magical light, so don't hesitate to enter!

This beautiful Baroque chapel was built in 1763. Having almost fallen into ruin in the 1950s, it was threatened with demolition but saved by a fund-raising campaign that enabled it to be renovated and a new church to be built next door.

With its circular shape and multitude of small, colourful stained glass windows, the church of Corin is a true work of art. Seen from the outside, its modern style may not appeal to everyone, but the interior is enchanting and guaranteed to win everyone over.

Classified as a historic monument of regional importance in 1978, the chapel was nevertheless abandoned and closed around 1990 due to its dilapidated state. It wasn't until a major restoration project in 2010-2011 that the chapel was restored to its former glory and reopened to the public.

Corin is served by the line 421 of the SCM (Sierre-Crans-Montana) bus service, which departs from Sierre SBB station. The nearest bus stops are Corin-de-la-Crête Village, 300m to the east, and Corin-de-la-Crête Corinna, 250m to the west.

From the pedestrian crossing, walk up Route de Crans-Montana for around fifty metres to find the top of Rue du Pressoir, which we will use to descend through the vineyards to Noës.

This is where the big show begins, with a panoramic view of the Rhône valley and the mountains, with the Val d'Anniviers on the left and the Réchy valley on the right, and Vercorin in between, perched at the foot of the Crêt-du-Midi summit.

One last look at Corin-de-la-Crête before taking Chemin de Corin down to Champzabé. On our right, Route de la Râye joins Rue Henry Roulet, which climbs towards Route de Crans-Montana, and Chemin des Vendanges, which descends towards the outskirts of Sierre.

Here we are at the entrance to Champzabé, a hamlet that shares its postcode with Noës but is part of the municipality of Crans-Montana, whereas Noës is part of that of Sierre. The hamlet consists of just a few houses and villas scattered among the vineyards.

According to Henry Suter (1942-2014), author of a veritable encyclopaedia of the languages of French-speaking Switzerland, Champzabé has borne various names over the centuries (Champ Sabet, Champzabey, etc.) and already appears in 1289 under the name Campis Abel, the ‘Field of Abel’. As for who this Abel was, that's another story, one that remains unknown...

Our virtual stroll has been carried out in several stages over the months since May 2023. If you take the whole walk in Noës, on the Rhône banks, in Champzabé and in Corin, you see vines in spring, or just before the grape harvest, or, as here, in the flamboyant colours of autumn, in the first half of November.

Here we come to what looks like the heart of the hamlet, the chapel of Sainte-Barbe. Until the merger in 2017 of the municipalities that formed the larger municipality of Crans-Montana, this was the border between the municipalities of Chermignon, Montana and Sierre. To the left of the chapel, you can see the intercommunal hall, which still bears the coats of arms of the three municipalities.

Here we are at the foot of the steps leading up to the Corin chapel and the esplanade of Saint-Michel church. If you continue along the street, you'll find another access, on a slope but without steps.

We've reached the end of this virtual stroll, on Rue de la Chapelle, which continues eastwards before becoming Rue du Prieuré and arriving at Corin-d'en-Haut. Along the way, you'll enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the Rhône valley and the mountains overlooking the Val d'Anniviers and the Vallon de Réchy.

Corin isn't really a village, it's actually a group of hamlets scattered across the slope. We are here at Corin-de-la-Crête and, following this road, we come to Corin-d'en-Haut, a hamlet above Corin-du-Milieu and Corin-d'en-Bas.

From here, to reach Noës on the plain, there's no risk of taking the wrong route: just go downhill, downhill, downhill... Soon we'll be leaving the old hamlet and discovering spectacular views over the vineyards. Your calves will ache a little, but you won't regret your effort!

We come to the junction with Route du Bretton. To the east (on the left), it joins the road to Crans-Montana. To the west (on the right), it joins Route de Champzabé, which heads towards Ollon, a pretty little-known wine-making village. But we're going to continue straight down...

Here, we have the choice of continuing straight ahead or taking the lane on the left. In either case, we'll join Route de la Râye, from which Chemin de Corin leads down to Champzabé through the vineyards.