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.