Stage 11 - E4 through Switzerland

You could blame Switzerland for my E4 adventure.  The first time I did place to place unassisted walking was about 10 years ago, with Christine, when we went from Grindelwald to Gstaad and my enthusiasm for this style of walking has grown ever since.  Of course we were completely spoilt by the scenery, particularly the awesome views of the Eiger and the Jungfrau, but it was the excitement of a new walk everyday and the sense of achievement from looking back over ground covered that really got me hooked.

Switzerland really is a different country.  Intensely associated with the Alps (almost interchangeable) it has lots things going for it.  Famous for its long history of independence and neutrality it somehow combines an intensely decentralised form of government (all the way down to referendum) with really strong national institutions (a conscript army based on national service).  Famous of course for its financial services (infamous to some (particularly Harold Wilson)) it actually has a broadly based economy with the highest per capita level of manufacturing in Europe (interesting counter factual - it also has the lowest proportion of graduates in its workforce).  Switzerland is a successful country and all this makes for easy hassle free visiting.

Friday 8th July Brugg to Bulach

Dielsdorf is the last town on Jura Howenweg and the European Ramblers Association web site doesn't really tell you how to cross 50 kilometre gap between Deilsdorf and Lake Constance. Menno, who commented on my original route, has given a list of towns and I will try and go from town to town using these stepping stones. Bulach is on that list and gets me within a long striking distance of the Rhine for tomorrow.

If you have ever been to Zurich than Bulach, where I'm staying tonight is just to the east of the final approach run to the airport.

The weather is a bit iffy at the moment. Last night was very hot and at about three o'clock in the morning there was an enormous thunderstorm and the evidence of the damage done was all along the route today.

I say route but I just couldn't find the Jura Howenweg coming out of Balsthal this morning. Sleepless night and the need to cover a lot of ground today didn't help matters but in the end I gave up and followed the local footpaths rather than get on the route proper. Basically I walked along the bottom of valley and of course the Howenweg sticks limpet like to the top, the "crest", whenever it can.

Walked along the side of the river to Baden, which looks a very prosperous town, past numerous factories and a lot of new building. Two of my favourite counter intuitive facts are that Switzerland's economy has the highest percentage of manufacturing for any country in Europe and its workforce the lowest proportion of graduates. The evidence of the first fact at least was everywhere today.




After Baden I decided to bushwhack my way to the top of ridge. As is usually the case going in a straight line up the side of a 600 metre hill is a lot harder than it looks (explains why they have paths) and the ground was particularly sticky after last night's storm. It was also hot and the horse flies were on patrol again.

Eventually I hit the trail proper and was able to finish of the Howenweg and march in Dielsdorf on the right route. Saw an interesting use made of a silage bale on the final descent. The penultimate town was Regensberg which was very picture postcard.









The last bit to Bulach was very dull but has to be done as I have big ambitions for tomorrow. Today's walk was 33 kilometres some of it in the right direction.

So I'm now yomping across the plain to Lake Constance and I'm trying to get to Stein am Rhien by tomorrow. I guess being so close to Zurich the hotels around here are extra expensive so I don't want to hang about. I'm one day ahead of schedule at the moment and after tomorrow that will be two days. Hopefully I can find somewhere a bit cheaper to hunker down for a bit. It's not just that the hotels are expensive, and I hate being in expensive hotels on my own, they are also not very good, food wise everything wise. Come back France all is forgiven!

Thursday 7th July Hauenstein to Brugg

Big 33 kilometre walk today with about 800 metres of climb. Hot and sticky with a bit of thunder in the air, rained a bit this afternoon but nothing serious.

The big pain at the moment, apart from smelly shoes, is horse flies. They are savage and I'm currently carrying four huge bites on arms and legs. The bite is much worse than a mosquito (although they don't buzz around your ear at night) and if you see them on your arm or leg it's basically too late they've got you. My standard insect repellant doesn't stop them and although I've also got some heavy duty DEET stuff I'm a bit loath to use it as standard. Still, as they say if it doesn't kill you it can only make you stronger (absolute nonsense of course).

On nasty biting things I have also adopted a new approach to ticks. I'm wearing shorts which means I can keep checking my legs. I now know the conditions where your likely to get them and I'm extra diligent when these conditions apply. Saw a deer today and sure enough a tick jumped on my leg but I got it before it made itself comfortable. For some reason had my flash on the camera so the deer shows up with a touch of red eye.



Another nice walk but much too misty to see the Alps. The limestone ridge is definitely starting to fizzle out but what as left, today at least, was a series of outcrops which in themselves made for some nice scenery.







Nowhere to get a packed lunch so treated myself to sausage and chips at Staffelegg, a road side restaurant, very pleasant. Despite the length of the walk it was all very gentle and I was making great time.

Wednesday July 6th Balsthal to Hauenstein

The good news is the Alps haven't disappeared and if it's clear enough you can still see them from this part of Jura Höhenweg. I could just see the sun reflecting of the snow today but not clear enough to actually see the mountains.

Escaped from Balsthal at about 9.30 having struggled as I usually do in a town of any size to find the route out. I think I have mentioned it but the Jura Howenweg is broken down into stages with the end of each stage linked to a public transport access point, usually a train or bus stop. I worked out today that what you need to do is head for the train station where there will be signs for the footpaths. This involves thinking as if your a Swiss person and expecting things to be organised instead of thinking as an English person and wandering around aimlessly on the assumption that they are not.

Well the Jura Howenweg has not fizzled out and the start of the day involved a 550 metre climb up to top of the Roggenflue, which is just less than a 1,000 metres high. The man spreading liquid cow manure on his field kindly stopped as I walked past although it wouldn't have made my shoes smell any worse.

There was an information board on top of Roggenflue describing what I would have been able to see if there wasn't so much heat haze and on a good day this would have included views all the way back along the Höhenweg to Mont Dole above Sant Cergue.

Although the Jura Höhenweg hasn't fizzled out, my ability to say anything new about what remains very nice countryside but basically the same very nice countryside, probably has. I have now been walking through Jura Howenweg for eight days, will probably miss it when it's gone but I'm getting ready for something else. As it was, on a hot and sticky day, I've devoured another 20 kilometres despite a 1,000 metres of climb.

Hill side restaurant

Down to Hauenstein

Shady Path

By the way fortifications re-emerged again today, lines of obstacles to stop tanks, some fairly new looking. Just before arriving at Hauenstein a whole hill had been fortified in 1915 and I think it's still used in some way. All along the side of the hill insignia of the army regiments who served there had been carved into the rock.

 Belchenflue

Staying at a Gasthof in Hauenstein which is very pleasant. They have brilliant wifi but the landlady doesn't know the password, which is a bit frustrating. If this gets published then I must have found it.

Tuesday July 5th Hinter-Weissenstein to Balsthal

Staying in a hotel in a Balsthal, a big hotel but it doesn't have wifi. This is a major pain because I have just finished my book and I can't download another one. When I'm walking on my own, and I've now had a long stretch on my own, I'm listening to podcasts all day and reading books, on my Ipad, in the evening. I'm dependent on a wifi connection to keep this all fresh and this useless place hasn't got wifi. Still I did knock them down three times on the price of the room.

Another nice day on the Jura Höhenweg. I think things will change after today. Although I've still got another 50 kilometres or so before I get to Dielsdorf, the end of the route, I think I have finished the 1200 metre plus part with the last two days at around 600 metres. In fact the big feature of today's 20 kilometre walk was the 700 metre descent at the end.

Left the splendid Gasthof at Hinter-Wiessenstein at about 8.30 (where they did have wifi) and the scenery was very similar to what I've been enjoying for the last week, although no views of the Alps today. Not sure if that's because I've run out of Alps for the time being or because it was too misty.

As good as it looks

It was a lot warmer today and heat was giving the countryside more of a high summer look, grass looking dry and the trees darker. Lots of haymaking activity and they really don't let any scraps go to waste. No idea what the weather forecast is but it could get seriously hot as I get lower down.

Picture postcard landscape

There was a final peak to climb, the name of which I forgot to record, before the drop down to Balsthal. Before the descent you walked a path along the ridge with a tall fence topped with razor wire on its side. This was definitely about something a bit more serious than deer management. Sure enough at the end of path, and on the other side of the fence, there was a group of young uniformed military men with blackened faces. Didn't have the nerve to take a picture.

And then the drop down to Balsthal, the first place since Saint Cergue with an ATM machine.

My shoes, although dry, continue to smell. Not sure if this is because they are basically trainers or whether it's what happens when you walk miles and miles in the same pair of shoes. They, the third pair, are wearing very thin and it will be touch and go as to whether they are still in one piece by the 19th when the next pair arrives.

Monday July 4th Frinvillier to Hinter-Weissenstein

Another bit of luck this morning. Had mentioned to Urgi, the guy who ran the hotel I stayed in last night, how difficult I find it sometimes to sort out accommodation, not speaking the language, and that this was the most stressful part of the trip. This morning he offers to ring up the next place. I was just going to walk there assuming that there would be plenty of places. He rings them up and finds it shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays, that walking on would be another two hours and away from the trail, and then persuades them to open up just for me. Urgi also made a top breakfast: fresh fruit salad in yoghurt; two fried eggs perfectly seasoned with coarsely ground black pepper; and, fresh rye bread with an apricot compot. He also made me two sandwiches for my lunch.

The walk turned out a bit harder than I expected, just 22 kilometres but a lot of climb, 1400 metres. Expecting a walk to be hard makes it easier and vice versa. It was also another great walk, good views again, warm but not too hot.

Left Frinvillier at just before 9. It's a slightly odd place, right at the bottom of a valley with a motorways exiting and entering the sides of the valley at both the north and south end of the village. The village is in box with cliffs forming two sides and motorway flyovers the over two sides.

Because Frinvillier was right at bottom of a valley it takes a couple of hours of walking up hill through trees before you get to the open pasture which has been such a feature of the trail for last week or so. You also go through the village of Plagne which has a couple of hotels.

More green meadows

At some point after Plagne I cross from one canton into another and there some stone markings designating the "border". More important it seems that I crossed from French to German speaking Switzerland. The trail I'm on is now described in German and the greetings have changed.

From French to German speaking Switzerland

The mountains I'm looking at across the valley are also a lot further east than I thought yesterday, just to the east rather than the west of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch. The distinctive mountains I mentioned yesterday are the Wetterhorn, Shreckhorn and the Finsteraarhorn all over 4000 metres.

More Alps

The last third of the walk was a bit different. The usually broad ridge became very narrow with drops on both sides. It was also tough walking with a series of ascents and descents.

On the edge of the ridge

The Gasthof at Hinter-Weissenstein is on a working farm and has a brilliant location high up the side of the hill. Had my dinner on the terrace looking across the valley to the Alps, great way to finish a great day.

Hinter-Weissenstein

Sunday July 3rd Vue des Alpes to Frinvillier

At last the mist above the Alps, which has been hanging around for the last five days or so, cleared and I could see right across the valley. I got to view the Alps from the Vue des Alpes.

Actually the hotel was pretty awful, had one of worse meals of the trip last night. The man on the organ in the corner playing a Procol Harum medley should have been a warning that the food might not be good but when the other customers, all Swiss, started singing along to Whiter Shade of Pale, I perhaps should have just asked for a sandwich.

Given the terrible food, and the mean breakfast, I decided not ask them to make me a sandwich, my original plan, and instead left as quickly as I could this morning with absolutely no food in my bag. The weather was perfect, the views were great, and I just knew I would find somewhere to eat along the way.

The first bit of the walk was along a ridge with views to the Alps. Mont Blanc was no longer facing me and was at the western end of the perspective and I think the Weisshorn and Dom des Mischabel, almost as high as Mont Blanc, now took centre stage (could easily be wrong about this).

Weisshorn?

The initial target was Mont Chasseral, just over 1600 metres, and to get there I had to drop down from my ridge, walk along a valley, and then climb up the ridge opposite. The valley was particularly nice, everything fresh and clean. The little village at the end of the valley, La Pacquir, is the birth place of the three times world champion skier, Didier Cuche, and his photograph was everywhere.

Georgious

Found my lunch stop just before the final climb up to Chasseral and, after last night's Procol Harum ordeal a plateful of cured meat and cheese, and yodelling on the radio, restored my faith in authentic Swiss culture.

Apart from the amazing views Chasseral was a bit of a disappointment. It was very crowded, and the hotel, which is expensive, was being rebuilt. The distinctive feature is the huge telecommunications tower which dominates the skyline.

Chasseral

Carried on along the ridge enjoying the same amazing view of the Alps and then got confused about which route to take down to Frinvillier. I chose the wrong one and instead of staying high went down the slightly more suburban path. Not the end of the world but suspect I had to walk a little bit more on hard surfaces than would otherwise have been the case.

Alpine views - catch them if you can

This was a brilliant walk. Must admit I was starting to worry that the trail was becoming a bit suburban towards the end of yesterday but it kicked in again today and was just great. It was a big walk and by the time I got to Frinvillier I had clocked 36 kilometres and climbed 1,000 metres.

Staying at the brilliant Auberge des Gorges. Spent the evening chewing the fat, and drinking brandy, with the owner and his friend. Good day all round.

Saturday July the 2nd Le Soliat to Vue des Alps

So today's walk involved a steep walk down to the town of Noiraigue and then an equally steep walk up the other side, back onto the ridge and a walk along that to the Hotel at the Vue des Alps. Total walk of about 28 kilometres with a 1000 metres of climb.

The weather is just the same as yesterday, sunny but with a chilly wind. Still can't see the Alps.

Sleeping in the refuge was fine last night, a bit cold. Got a good nights sleep although woken up very early by people with weak bladders tramping through the dormitory. The floor literally shook every time someone walked across it. I was the only person in the dormitory so the family rooms were actually more crowded. Good food, had a fondue, one a year is about right I think.

Le Solait

Met up with a walker I saw a few times yesterday and walked with him for a couple of hours. A Swiss guy, spoke perfect English, he is training for a big walk in Sweden and was carrying 22 kilograms which makes my load look a bit pathetic (have worked out that the weight I'm carrying is less than the weight I've lost). He tells me the weather is unusual, and is normally much hotter than this. He thinks the best time to walk this ridge is late May. Mind you there were loads of walkers out today, literally hundreds piling of the train in Noirague, most of them going in the other direction.

Having climbing out the valley the first 10 kilometres or so was very close to the edge but in trees. The views were either down to Lake Nuechatel or back across the valley to yesterday's incredible gorge. Got very close to a chamois but the picture didn't work.

Lake Nuechatel

Left my Swiss friend as he wasn't going as far as me and I needed to crack on a bit. Compared to him carrying all that weight I was super speedy.

The countryside then opened up. For a time I was walking away from the edge but through some lovely park like scenery.

Meadows

For the last bit of the walk I was on the ridge again with views in all directions. Such a shame that it is still misty over the Alps.

Must admit that I had high hopes of this hotel. It's actually situated on a col going over the ridge next to a busy road. There is also an enormous car park and it's a bit of a tourist attraction. To be honest the last two or three kilometres were just a bit busy compared to what I have got used to.

The place I was going to stay tomorrow night no longer does rooms so I have now got a bit of rejigging to do with my schedule. This is where maps would have been useful!

Friday July the 1st Ste-Croix to Le Soliat

Not sure if I got my stops right on Swiss section of the walk. I was definitely influenced by the stages described on the official web site and have now worked out that these stages are really designed to allow to leave the route by public transport rather than for through walking. So today's stage goes takes you from Ste-Croix to Noiraigue, but there is nowhere to stay at Noiraigue. By stopping at Ste-Croix you also miss the treat of stopping at Hotel Chasseron another 90 minutes on from Ste-Croix and which I could have easily made yesterday. The web site also gives you timings and these seem to be longer than the timings you get on the ground (although the origins the problems associated with timings have already been described in Christine's Guest blog the "EU Walking Time Directive").

The climb up from Ste-Croix to the ridge was perhaps the toughest part of today's walk but it was a very easy climb. Once on top it took another 40 minutes or so to get to the Hotel Chasseron and decided to stop and have a second breakfast. Feel a bit churlish talking about the Hotel Chasseron after staying last night in a very comfortable bed and breakfast just outside Ste-Croix but the hotel's amazing location right on top of the ridge would have made staying there a real highlight. Food looked good as well and although you have to sleep in a dormitory I'm starting to think that the chances are you'll get the place to yourself if you come mid-week and before the holiday season.

Hotel Chasseron

Today's walk was similar to yesterday's, really good. The main disappointment is the mistiness over the Alps and if the weather was clear it would be perfect. As it was, like yesterday, there was a great mix of open ridge walking, walking across meadows (meadows which looked like landscaped English park), and walking through woods. In total I walked about 27 kilometres and climbed just over 1,000 metres.

Along the ridge beyond Hotel Chasseron

Crossing the Valley

Hay Meadow

The spectacular sting in the tail was the Le Creux de Van just before Le Soliat. This is Malham Cove type feature but on a much bigger scale, a huge semi-circle of cliff which must be a least 600 metres long. The photo below captures about half of it.

Le Creux de Van

Tonight I'm staying at a refuge at Le Soliat. The family rooms have already gone but I think I might be the only person in the dormitory. Got a shower as soon as I got here, one open line of showers, no lock on the door but I was very noisy.

The Refuge

Decided not to worry about the mistiness over the Alps, this bit of the walk is so good I think I will come back another time and give it a second go. Bring Christine next time.

Thursday 30th June Ballaigues to Sainte Croix

I'm definitely a fan of the Chemin des Cretes, Jura Ridgeway or the Jurahohenwege or whatever the thing  I'm walking along is called. Although it was too hazy to see right across the valley to the Alps, the weather was fine today and the shorter views were just great. It's also easy walking and you feel that your covering the ground quickly. Mount Tendre, the misty mountain from yesterday, seemed miles away today.

Not a huge walk, about 17 kilometres, although I added about 5 kilometres looking for somewhere to stay at the end. No Internet access last night and didn't get myself sorted before I got to Sainte Croix (rescued by the Tourist Office in the end). Hotel at Ballaigues was fine although the flags outside the window were rattling in last night's storm.

Hotel de la Croix d'Or

I guess you could say that today was the two lake day. Once on top and having travelled along the ridge for a bit I could see the northern shore of Lake Geneva and then, after travelling a bit further the western half of Lake Nuechatel.

Lake Nuechatel

It would have been great to see clearly across the valley but the shorter views had a lot going for them. This definitely wasn't the endless forest which I got stuck with through large parts of the trek through France but loads of open countryside alongside with some short stretches of woodland trail.

Meadows

Shady path

Limestone cliffs

I also seemed to following the Swiss equivalent of the Maginot Line with concrete barricades and little forts strategically placed in all the gaps between the hills. They were running in a line east to west so obviously trying to stop someone from getting into the country from the north, can't think who that would be.

Tank defences

Staying in my first Swiss bed and breakfast tonight and was able to weigh myself in the bathroom. Christine's claim that I have have lost two stone in weight are of course an exaggeration but I have lost about a stone and a half. Now the same weight as I was in my early twenties!

Wednesday 29th of June Col du Marchairez to Ballaigues

After the heat of yesterday, and a hot night, hot enough for a mosquito attack, the weather this morning was a shock. What I thought might be early morning mist was actually low cloud. Initially it was just damp but by lunch time it was a proper wet day and the rain didn't stop until about four. Shame about the weather because it was a big walk, 30 kilometres and 8 and a half hours walking.

The day started well as the chef at the Hotel wouldn't let me pay for my sandwich, a huge one, which made me feel better about paying extra for a room of my own. He had the radio on so presumably had heard the weather forecast and was feeling sorry for me. Good food at the hotel, absolutely enormous portions.

Col du Marchairez

I suspect that this would have been a top walk had it not been for the weather. After an initial walk through trees there is a long middle section which is open countryside. The highlight would have been Mount Tendre (see below) which is either the highest or one of the highest points on the Jura Ridgeway but today it could have been anywhere. Another highlight could have been an unexploded shell which warning signs seem to suggest are scattered about this part of Switzerland. If it's foggy like this all the time no wander they can't find them.

Mount Tendre

There are an enormous number of cattle on top of the mountains at this time of the year and in the fog the sounds of the bells clanking all the time is a bit eery. Warning signs tell you that cows will protect their calves so, along with exploding shells, this is makes for dangerous walking.

Mist and more mist

The walk stays high for a while and then drops down to Le Pont and onto Vallorbe, the mist started to disperse but the rain got worse. Technically the walk seems to take you into Le Pont and back out again but I resisted the delights of that detour.

Looking down to La Pont

An unexpected pleasure was some baby Lamas in a field. They looked ridiculous, something a very small child would get a great deal of pleasure from, must find out if there any near Brighton.

Lamas outside Vallorbe

The really bad news about today's walk is that my feet wear got very wet and the room at the hotel smells of damp dog. I have placed them on the window ledge hoping that they might act as a mosquito repellant.

Tuesday June 28th Saint Cergue to Col du Marchairuz

Today was really hot - hot and sticky. According to my schedule the walk was supposed to be 28 kilometres but turned out to be only 18 which, given the heat, was a bit of a let off. Slightly worrying discrepancy, maybe I'll have to do an extra 10 kilometres tomorrow.

Anyway it was a really nice walk. Through a mix of woodland and open pasture with a view point every so often of the Alps to the south.

Meadows

Given the heat haze the Alps were not exactly clear, certainly not clear enough to get decent pictures but this walk must be one of the best places to see the full extent of the Swiss Alps. With the help of a friendly local I now know that I was definitely looking at the Grande Combin but other day but can also see other mountains I've stood beneath including further to the east the Jungfrau, Eiger and Monch and more centrally the Weisshorn.

It's also difficult to get lost, the signs are brilliant. The national trail I following is route 5 and it's very unusual not to be able to see a sign post. Even the European Trail is marked.

Going the right way

Without the heat haze the highlight would probably have been the Cret de la Neuve, which at 1494 metres was the highest point on the walk and on other days a brilliant view point. Adding to the haze were three young men, sitting underneath the Swiss flag, whittling sticks and sharing an enormous joint. Looked very relaxed.

By the way there are lots of walkers on trail, more walkers than any trail I've been on along the E4 other than the bits of the St James Way I travelled on in France.

Given the heat I walked slowly and what was supposed to be a five hour walk took six. Arrived at the Col du Marchairuz at 2.30. It's a sort of walkers hotel and the accommodation choice is a dorm or the whole of a family room to yourself. I chose the family room, an extra 20 Swiss francs, and I'm feeling a bit guilty about the indulgence.