Sargans - Oberschan - Buchs

Sargans, first mentioned in history in 765, served as the seat of the Counts of Werdenberg-Sargans in the 13th century and was granted town rights in 1337. From the town we climb up the stone steps to the castle and on the meadow path to the Retellerstrasse, which we follow uphill to the next hairpin bend. We descend to the hamlet of Vild, where the works railway of the Gonzen iron mine, which was closed down in 1966, left the tunnel. Directly on the path is the Chapel of St. Mary, built in 1602. We follow the path to the Atscha mountain hut and the Schollberg quarry. In the Chlefibünt we cross the Trübbach and the Luterbach and climb on the stony mountain path past the scout home up to Böschen and through the Böschenwald. Below us lies the ruins of Wartau Castle, first mentioned in 1261, which gave its name to the community and the landscape. On the dirt road we reach Malans and Oberschan. The old building with the bell tower once served as a schoolhouse. Past the former lake in the Schaner Riet we hike via Martinis - Plana to Valschnära. Via Hof - Untergass we reach Ortisei, a former Walser settlement with well-preserved and partly protected residential buildings. Through the beautiful mixed forest we go to the Valcupp and via Rans to the village of Räfis. At the station we cross the railway line and walk via Burgerau to the Werdenberg Inland Canal, which we follow to the left to Buchs station.