Toggenburg is a long valley in eastern Switzerland, carved by the young Thur river, and it is a landscape of soft green hills with steep stone walls above. The road here runs from Wildhaus, high up at the head of the valley, toward Gams and the Rhine plain, and it has a flowing quality that has earned it a name among riders: long, open bends, gentle gradients and hardly any need to touch the brakes.
On one side, the Churfirsten range stands like a row of teeth, seven peaks with sheer faces to the south, rising above a rolling skirt of pasture. On the other, the Alpstein and the Säntis fill the horizon. The road passes between them, and it is the sort of place where every curve opens a new composition of grass, cliff and cloud. In May, the meadows are full of flowers, and in autumn the cows come down from the high pastures wearing garlands, in a tradition that draws crowds to nearby villages.
Wildhaus is best known as the birthplace of Huldrych Zwingli, the reformer who preached in Zurich and shaped the Swiss Protestant church; he was born there on New Year's Day in 1484, in a wooden farmhouse that still stands. The valley has a strong musical tradition too: yodelling, folk dance and a distinctive local sound that is celebrated in a themed walking trail. It is a place that likes to sing.
Practical matters are simple. Walenstadt, with about five thousand people, is the closest town of size, and it has fuel and food. Wildhaus itself has small shops and cafes, and there are a few modest hotels. Winters are cold and snowy, with a ski season, and the road is kept open, but ice can linger at the bends. Summer mornings are the best, when the air is clear, the grass is wet and the light touches the Churfirsten face by face.