During the pandemic I would walk from one and a half hours per day every single day of the week for months. In that time I believe that my feet swelled, making normal shoes more and more uncomfortable to wear....
Posts tagged “hiking”
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Why I Switched Away From Minimalist Shoes — Apr 20, 2026 -
Visiting the Creux de Van and spending time with Bouquetins. — Apr 29, 2015Images I saw of the Creux de Van made me want to visit the location in person. Yesterday despite the mediocre weather I went there. From Neuchatel you drive towards Noiraigue. Free parking is available. For the first hour you are walking up a steep winding path. A few trees have fallen, stones and mud are also present until you reach the top of the cliff. From there you see a glimpse of the cliff and views to come. As I stood there I saw a solitary Bouquetin on the rocks. From there I went right and walked along the cliff. On one side I had green grass and a farm and on the other side I had a steep cliff. I walked along and came to an outcrop. From here you could see the full cliff face. I walked around the arc until I came across a herd of Bouquetins. They were right in my path. I took several pictures before heading back down the other side. I came across a wooden hut and table where people can have a snack. As you walk through the woods you get towards the end of the Gorge De L’Areuse. It was full of water due to the recent rains. By this point I had already walked 10km so I continued back towards the car. [caption id=“attachment_2260” align=“aligncenter”] This is the path you take to get up to the top of the Creux de Van [caption id=“attachment_2259” align=“aligncenter”] One of the first views as you emerge from the woods and see the landscape open up [caption id=“attachment_2258” align=“aligncenter”] A nice Valley [caption id=“attachment_2257” align=“aligncenter”] More landscape [caption id=“attachment_2256” align=“aligncenter”] Looking away from the cliffs you see the woods. [caption id=“attachment_2255” align=“aligncenter”] If you look down from this point you will see a long drop [caption id=“attachment_2254” align=“aligncenter”] I liked the quality of light here. [caption id=“attachment_2253” align=“aligncenter”] With Spring coming back all the trees are becoming green once again [caption id=“attachment_2251” align=“aligncenter”] A herd of Bouquetins were playing [caption id=“attachment_2250” align=“aligncenter”] When I arrived they were standing by the grass and slowly made their way towards the cliff [caption id=“attachment_2249” align=“aligncenter”] Just like when we were children they are playing on the wall [caption id=“attachment_2248” align=“aligncenter”] Just like when we were children they are playing on the wall [caption id=“attachment_2246” align=“aligncenter”] A bouquetin with the Creux de Van in the background [caption id=“attachment_2245” align=“aligncenter”] A bouquetin with the Graux de Van in the background [caption id=“attachment_2243” align=“aligncenter”] Nice Landscape and nice view [caption id=“attachment_2242” align=“aligncenter”] The Creux De Van [caption id=“attachment_2240” align=“aligncenter”] This is a physical 14km walk .... -
Views From Les Diablerets — Aug 12, 2021Swiss hiking signs... -
The summer eccentricity. — Jul 2, 2010There are four phones on my desk that are well adapted to tracking hikes. There is the nexus one, the e51, n95 and n97. The reason I mention this is battery life. In my experience if you go on a long hike at least one of the phones will die. You could buy an extra battery or two to make sure that this never happens but a more practical solution is to take all of your phones, install the tracking application on them and swap phone once the battery dies. Of course this would involve taking three chargers with you but at least this way you could track the hike in terms of chapters and somehow aggregate the data for a true hike map....
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The Slowness of Public Transport — Jul 21, 2020Today someone something to the effect “If I go from here to there it will take me two and a half hours so it would require a car.” That’s what I have been saying for years. That’s one of the reasons for which having a sporty life, during the pandemic, is not possible, or at least requires a much bigger commitment....
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Reading About The Camino De Santiago — Jan 19, 2022Over the last month or so I have been reading Le Camino Seule, ou enfin presque and it is one of my favourite hiking books. It might simply be because it was written in French, by a french woman rather than in English by Brits or Americans but it made me feel more than other books. She often references Sylvain Tesson’s book Forêt de Sibérie, a book I read a few years ago....
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Reading About The Camino De Santiago — Jan 19, 2022Leslie - Jan 3, 2022...
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Looking Back In Time — Feb 13, 2020For a few days now I’ve been looking through thousands of pictures to make sure that they’re synced from iCloud to the Photo app before they’re deleted. In so doing I noticed how far in front of a group I was hiking a few years ago. Instead of hiking with the group I was so far in front that I could get group shots without trying. Eventually, they did pose, as if it had been intentional rather than my walking habit.... -
K2 With a Drone — May 6, 2017K2 with a Drone is a documentary following Petr Jan Juracka, a scientific photographer’s trip to K2 with Klara Kolouchova with two drones. He performed extensive testing before setting off on the trip. He flew the drone in a hyperbaric chamber to see how it would react. He flew it in freezing conditions to check that the batteries would cope and then he flew in other places. He had already flown his drone in a multitude of countries and Pakistan was the latest challenge. We see the journey to base camp. We see images of the snow and ice, of rivers, of challenging roads and more. The documentary mixes fixed camera footage and drone footage in a pleasant to watch manner....
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Hiking With Cats — May 2, 2023Usually when we hear of people hiking with cats we think of them walking with the cat, or cats, on a leash. In a Pass Moi Les Jumelles (PAJU for short), we follow two guys who go for a walk with four cats. The report is funny because the cats, or some might even say kittens, are allowed to roam and explore with the human companions. They can leap across streams over and over. Occasionally they, the cats, fall into the water.... -
Hiking in the Jura in Minimal Shoes — May 27, 2023Today I went for a short walk in the Jura with minimal shoes and I felt fine. The shoes, despite being thin soled, felt fine on the dry dirt paths. They do get wet when walking in dew covered grass but that’s what you would expect so that’s acceptable.... -
Hiking in Switzerland — Jun 30, 2020In 2019 Swiss people spent 162 million hours walking and hiking in Switzerland. Hiking generates 2.5 billion CHF per year and there are 50,000 signs to help people find their way. In Switzerland people hike 20 times per year.... -
Hiking And Tea — Nov 21, 2021This morning, as I was doing laundry, I found that I couldn’t focus so I started to look at all the teas that are available at a local shop. I saw that they had herb teas, mint teas, nettle teas, weed tea and more. I also noticed that tea is cheap. You can get twenty cups worth of tea for 0.95 CHF if you’re not picky about the tea you drink. What I find interesting about the broad selection and choices of tea is that it is so cheap compared to water, soft drinks, fizzy drinks, juices, coffee and more. Not only is it cheap, but it is light and easy to carry.... -
From Grächen to Zermatt via the longest suspension bridge: part one — Sep 10, 2017Hiking from Grächen to Zermatt via the longest Suspension bridge is an interesting two-day hike. It provides you with views of glaciers, boulder fields, scree slopes and more. It also provides you with the opportunity to cross a suspension bridge that takes six minutes.... -
Day Twenty-seven of ORCA in Switzerland - River Walking — Apr 11, 2020My shoes are wet and my socks are wet because today I tried river walking. If a child was to do the same it would be called immature and irrational but when an adult does it then it’s adventure, and trying something new.... -
Day Twenty-Nine of ORCA in Switzerland – A Desire To Go On A Hike — Apr 13, 2020We’re in day 29 of ORCA in Switzerland and I have an ever increasing desire to go for a hike. During today’s walk I listened to two podcasts about hiking and I walked yet another variant of my usual walk. Apple tree blooms are increasing in number and the Colza looks almost ready to harvest.... -
Day Thirty-One of ORCA in Switzerland — Plenty of Dust — Apr 15, 2020You build up plenty of dust as you plow the fields at the moment. The drought continues, as does the desire for this pandemic to be over. For now, the downward trend continues so we could feel optimistic. I’m still optimistic than in two or three weeks recycling centres will go back to normal. At the moment recycling centres remind me of something else.... -
Day Thirty of ORCA in Switzerland -- A Strong Desire to Go Hiking. — Apr 14, 2020I have a strong desire to go hiking. I would like to go on a hiking excursion that lasts for a few days. In theory I could do the Via Alpina route one starting in Nyon and ending in Lichtenstein. It’s a 21 step hike going north.... -
Day 48 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland - Calves And Their Mothers — May 2, 2020During today’s walk I saw calves and their mothers. Their mothers were mooing me away but I was taking video so I didn’t move until one after another started to approach me. By then I had the footage I wanted to have. I had a strong fence fixed with wooden posts and a bush between myself and the cows so I calculated that the risk was low enough not to bolt.... -
Day 47 Of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Walk In The Rain — May 1, 2020Yesterday I went for a walk in the rain. I walked for two hours, took pictures and listened to Echo Der Zeit and this episode of the Thru-Hiking podcast. Gretel Scarlet was the interviewee. She talked about South Bound (SOBO) hiking the PCT.... -
Day 41 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Reverse Journey — Apr 25, 2020Today I ran and then walked a reverse journey of what I did yesterday. I wanted to take a picture of the corkscrew tree. It would have required for me to wait for two slow walkers and their dog to pass and because they insisted on walking two abreast it made more sense to turn around and take an alternate route.... -
Day 40 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Local Adventures — Apr 24, 2020For this 40th blog post on the topic of self-isolation, I’d like to speak about local adventures. I feel the need to do this because I see people posting about their trips to someone two to three hours from live and work during a pandemic and I strongly believe that getting into a car to have an adventure far from home at this time is short-sighted and selfish.... -
Day 38 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – Contact Sports — Apr 22, 2020By May we may be able to go back to doing sports in groups as long as they are not “contact sports” in Switzerland. For me this means hiking, running cycling and other related sports. For me climbing is a contact sport because we touch the same hand holds as everyone else climbing the routes, we use the same ropes and we share quickdraws and belay devices.... -
Day 35 of Self-Isolation in Switzerland – A Hike To La Barillette. — Apr 19, 2020Today I went for a Hike from La Barillette to La Barillette. It’s a shame that the restaurant wasn’t open to the public. It is currently marked as private, and scheduled to open on the first of May. Today I didn’t expect to do a long and physical hike. I expected to complete my usual daily tasks and then to go for the usual walks around where I live. In the end I did do such a hike, but it involved a slightly different geographic location.... -
Day 1: Hiking from Gryon to Villars Sur Ollon. — Jul 18, 2017First evening... -
Caught in a hailstorm 200 meters from the peak — Aug 14, 2017A few days ago a group of us were caught in a hailstorm 200 metres from the peak. When we were approaching the summit we aimed to climb clouds came in and covered the peak and rain fell. At this moment we had doubts about going on. Half an hour later the clouds had gone, we could see the summit and so we started for the summit. As we climbed up the conditions were good. There was a strong wind As we got within two-three hundred metres from the top the wind picked up and we could hear lightning several seconds away. At this point, we slowed our climb. [gallery ids=“3725,3726,3728”] As I looked behind I could see the clouds coming in fast and as I looked the other way I could see the clouds come that way too. By this point the wind was strong and the sky became dark with the clouds we were in. It started to rain and then hail. At first, it was a few very small hailstones but within a minute or two they became large enough to become painful through a cap and a rain jacket hood. We sheltered against rocks to minimise what was exposed to the weather. The intensity of the hail increased and as I started to feel pain I hitched my hiking bag over my head, shielding as much as I could beneath it. As I did this I looked out and it looked like someone was throwing buckets of hailstones. I could feel my trousers getting drenched and my hands got very cold. The wind shifted and the hailstones started to pummel my back and I stayed sheltered. It was an uncomfortable situation to be in. Water was running from my trousers into my shoes and my feet were soaked. When the hail started to subside I stood up and we started to head down. I looked up. One person from the group was rushing down and I decided to descend as well for a bit. I couldn’t see the person who was leading the group so I decided to wait. The storm seemed to have passed and I chose to wait. When he came down I blew into my hands vigorously, warming them up again. Diving in cold lakes I grew used to having cold hands so I did what I always did. I warmed them up again. This was a mild cold. After some dives, I had such cold hands that they hurt so badly that I was close to tears. In this scenario, I was just uncomfortable. The surface was white with hailstones, as if it had just snowed. The leader did come down, smiling. By this point it was an adventure. The concern we had from being in such a situation became amusement at having experienced extreme weather. It’s the first time that we had been caught in a hail stone after years of hiking in the mountains. I almost always carry my rain equipment when I’m hiking for just such an occurrence but usually, it’s just weight that I carry in case it is required.... -
Appalachian Trail Progress Via Garmin And Walk The Distance — May 10, 2023Recently I started the Appalachian Trail Challenge on Garmin Connect and every sstep I take counts towards the goal. The goal is to walk 3,500km, which is around 4.9 million steps. I have walked 652 km out of 3,500 so I have completed about 18 percent of the challenge. I am almost a fifth done.... -
A Walk To The Chateau De Bossey — Aug 21, 2021I walked to the Chateau De Bossey today. It’s an easy walk from one village to another and another after that.... -
A Walk To Los Molinos from Javea — Dec 29, 2022This walk takes you from the Port of Javea up to the lighthouse near San Antonio before continuing along the top towards Los Molinos. These are old grain mills. They used wind power to grind grain for several centuries before being taken out of action as modernisation arrived.... -
A Walk By The Mediterranean Sea — Dec 27, 2021A walk by the Mediterranean Sea.... -
A Saturday Walk During A Pandemic — Mar 6, 2021Last week it was comfortable and warm so it was tempting to go cycling. This week it has gone back to being cold. Yesterday it was cold and windy and today was cold but sunny. I went for my usual walk but rather than listen to a podcast I watched TikTok videos as I walked at full speed. I am so used to the paths that I do not always need to pay attention....
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A Lot of Walking in Circles — Dec 22, 2021People think that you need to get in the car, drive for half an hour to two hours, hike, and then drive home for from half an hour to two hours but this idea is wrong. We can do a lot of walking in circles. In reality we don’t walk in circles. We walk in loops. We walk from home to home, but via a different variety of villages. Some days it is the villages that overlook the lake, and other days it is the villages that are under the Jura.... -
A Fourteen Kilometre walk and I Crossed Paths With Just Two Other People. — May 20, 2020Today I went for a fourteen Kilometre walk and I crossed paths with just two other people. It was a couple of runners and we crossed paths at just the right place as I could slip into a clearing, wait for them to pass and then continue on my way. I think this is the quietest walk I’ve been on in a while.... -
Autumn Walks in Winter Snow — Nov 24, 2025This weekend I could have cycled on Saturday and Sunday but I chose not to because I am finally feeling recovered from my cold. I did not want to overdo it by cycling, and getting cold. With hiking I can dress warmly and go at a more relaxed pace.... -
Offloading Locomotion to Cars and the Transition to AI — Sep 23, 2025Recently I was thinking about how some people want to offload their work to AI and it got me to think about how people already offloaded getting around to cars. When is the last time that you saw a group of people walk from Nyon to St Cergue via La Dôle, rather than take the train most of the way, and walk a short loop at the top?... -
The Desire to Chat Longer on Hikes and Bike Rides — Sep 12, 2025I was perfectly happy hiking in solitude for years in a row, but eventually, as normal life returned, after the pandemic I felt a sense of isolation, especially on weekends. I would see groups walking together and I longed to revert to that habit. Eventually I did and now for more than a year I have been on regular group hikes and bike rides.... -
The Energetic Cycling Rest Day — Aug 26, 2025On Sunday evening I saw that a ride was planned for Monday evening. Usually I would hae skipped this ride because I felt that I should rest. According to Garmin I should have taken a rest day.... -
A Weekend of Hiking and Cycling in the Jura — Aug 25, 2025This weekend I cycled and I hiked. The bike ride was up to the Combe Blanche, and the hike was from Vallorbe to Croy-Romainmôtier.... -
The Inclusivity of Empathy in Group Activities — Aug 18, 2025I love to hike fast. I also love to walk fast. When I am hiking I love to hike my own hike, and then wait for people at regular intervals, so that they may catch up, rest a little, and then continue.... -
How to Share the Strava Flyover — Jul 21, 2025Yesterday I was playing with Strava Flyoveers and I tried to share the videos of flyovers but rather than sharing the video as I had wanted to do it shared a hyperlink to the activities that were already shared. I then tried to share via Instagram but the result was a pixelated mess with a line.... -
On Meetup and Strava Cycling Events — Jul 16, 2025Meetup and Strava are two sites filling specific niches. Meetup is a dinosaur of the web. It dates back to 2005 when the web was still looking for a way to be sustainable, and thus, more fun. Meetup was good for people in big US cities, London and other metropolitain cities. If you lived in Bumbleduck nowhere it was not. (Intentional spelling)... -
The Desire Not to Hike — Jul 2, 2025Walking and hiking are integral to my identity. I walk from four and a half to five and a half million steps per year. I walk in heat waves, rare snow and normal conditions. I hike with groups and I walk alone. Recently my desire to hike is much lower.... -
Emergency Contact Information and Incident Detection — Jun 25, 2025Recently I joined a cycling group and they require us to provide In Case of Emergency Information so that if we have an accident our phone provides people with names and numbers to call. At first I thought “Why would I want this, I have no In Case of Emergency person” due to being single and living alone....
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Of Relaxed Rides and Hikes the Next Day — Jun 23, 2025Two days ago I was cycling with a group and someone commented that the relaxed rides are no longer relaxed and that got me to thinking about organising a real relaxed ride, where the aim is to cycle at 20 on the flat. If I had had this option then I could have tried group rides much sooner. In fact the group rides that I tried last year would have been more comfortable. When a group is fast, and we are not, then the ride is exhausting, even if it has a coffee break.... -
Why do I Hike and Cycle in Groups — Jun 21, 2025The most beautiful sight I saw on today’s ride was a murder of crows sitting at a water fountain. They were there because it offered water. When I cycled by it forced them to take off and scatter. With them were a few birds of prey. If you have watched The Birds by Hitchcock then the experience would have been bad. For me it was the highlight of my solo ride.... -
A Pleasant Hike Along the Rive Droite — Jun 16, 2025When you drive around Geneva or walk in the centre it is easy to see Geneva as an urban place with little to offer in terms of nature. If you get on a bike, and ride around you will find vineyards, fields, viticultural villages and more.... -
The Desire to Cycle on Saturday — May 30, 2025I am in the process of forming a new habit and that habit is to cycle on Saturday mornings. In cycling on Saturday mornings I keep Saturday afternoon free for other things. I can take care of washing clothes and more. It also gives me time to rest and recover before Sunday....
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A Metric Century and A Hike to Jaman from Montreux — May 26, 2025This weekend I went for two Meetup.com events. The first was a one hundred and twenty kilometre bike ride and the second was a one thousand four hundred metre climb from Montreux to the Dent De Jaman.... -
Planning Hikes with Public Transport in Mind — May 14, 2025Yesterday I was surprised that someone had planned an activity without public transport in mind. A few years ago I would not have noticed. For a long time I never considered that people would want to take buses and trains to the start of a hike. Now I do.... -
From Jaun to Gruyères and around the Aiguilles De Baumes — May 12, 2025This weekend I went on two hikes. The first was from Jaun to Gruyères across fields filled with flowers. The second was a loop around the Aiguilles de Baumes. Both hikes were interesting although I prefered the size and pace of the second group.... -
Tempted to Camp in Gruyère — May 8, 2025Yesterday while I was looking for a Via Ferrata I came across this hike and I am tempted to do it. I will be in the area to do this hike on Saturday and if I camped overnight then I could do the second hike as a solo hike.... -
Hiking With a Herd of Cats - Not Literally — May 7, 2025Every week, in Whatsapp groups, I see the same questions. “Who is driving from A?” “Who is driving from B?” “Where can I park?” and more questions. The same questions are asked every time. A decade or two ago I might have understood, but not in 2025.... -
Looking for Conversations in the Age of Facebook Dominance — May 2, 2025A few days ago someone wrote something about chocolate croissants. I then wrote something about Chocolate easter bunnies. A third person then said “please don’t have conversations, there are hundreds of people reading this exchange”. This is on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is, or at least was, an IM client. For those of a certain age an IM client is a conversation app. It’s the type of app that includes AIM, ICQ, Messenger, Skype and many, many more apps. Its raison d’être is to encourage conversations.... -
A Change of Locomotion — May 1, 2025This weekend seems to be quiet, hiking wise. So far I see just one event, organised. Sunday would have been an option, except that it could be stormy in the afternoon. If light rain falls, then that’s fine, but if it is hail then it is better to avoid. I think that’s why we have gone from five hikes in a single weekend, to just one....
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Complicated Hiking Logistics — Apr 30, 2025This morning I was studying the logistics for Stage 8 and 9 of the Jura Crest Trail before thinking, “This is too complicated, to be interesting”. Specifically, I noticed that if we finish at Vue des Alpes we have to go via La-Chaux-De-Fonds rather than via Neuchatel. This means that if we go by car, and park in one valley, we need to take multiple trains to get back to the other valley. It has be thinking twice about hiking stages 8 and 9 of the Jura Crest trail....
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A Weekend in Two Hikes — Apr 28, 2025This weekend I didn’t blog because I went on two hikes. The first hike was with the History hiking meetup group, and the second was with a GoSocial group. Both hikes were around 10km in different landscapes. The first one went from Bière to Allaman and the second one went from Haut-De-Caux to the Dent De Jaman and back....
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A Choice of Weekend Sports — Apr 24, 2025This weekend I have the choice between running, hiking, walking, via ferrata and probably more. Years ago I would have automatically gravitated towards Via Ferrata because that is a sport I really loved. These days I’m not so sure. It’s especially that the VF would take one and a half hours of driving, which isn’t really the issue, but that it starts at around 11:30, which, for me, is late.... -
The Saturday Run — Apr 19, 2025Recently I have been hiking so regularly, and on such long hikes that I rest during the week. Two weeks ago I hiked a lot and we had Vision Du Réel so I didn’t run or cycle much.... -
Plenty of Transport — Apr 18, 2025If you live in towns it’s easy to do things. You walk half an hour to an hour and you’re ready to do something. In contrast, if you live in a village doing the same thing would require a lot of traveling....
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Hiking From Le Pont to Marchairuz — Apr 13, 2025If you’re ready to use buses and trains opportunities for walks and hikes open up. Yesterday’s hike, for example, was possible because we parked the cars in Marchairuz before catching a bus to Le Pont. That’s where we met another part of the group before hiking from le Pont, to the Col de Mollendruz. From here we saw the defensive Toblerones before heading back down.... -
A Weekend of Hiking — Apr 7, 2025This weekend I went on two hikes. The first was from St-Cergue to La Dôle and back and the second was from Marchairuz to St Cergue. It amounts to about 66,000 steps and thirty four kilometres of hiking. The La Dôle walk is a familiar walk that I have from multiple directions over the years so it was relaxing. There were some patches of snow where appropriate shoes and crampons or hiking sticks will help but other than that the conditions are good.... -
Walking from one Valley to Another — Mar 29, 2025Sometimes when we go for a hike we walk along a route that makes getting back to the car quick and easy. For tomorrow’s walking getting back to the car would take three trains and more than an hour. For Londoners this is a familiar routing situation, but for people in Switzerland it might not be.... -
The Desire to Participate — Nov 16, 2024I saw that there is a hike taking place nearby. I would have really liked to join it but I would have been participant eleven with a limit of ten people. I wanted to participate because it would have required walking to Nyon, and taking the train de St Cergue to St Cergue and then walking for a few hours, before taking the train back down and walking home. Both my carbon footprint and my travel time would have been small and the environment would have benefited....
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The Fairphone 4 and Hiking — Nov 11, 2024Yesterday I spent three hours on a train and hiked for a few hours. I also spent two hours in a museum. During this time I was using the fairphone 4 to listen to an audiobook and streamed media. At the end of the day I think I was at about sixty to seventy percent battery life. The battery has only had three or four cycles so far so you would expect it to last.... -
The Saturday Recycling Trip — Sep 28, 2024I love to recycle but recently on Saturday I have been hiking or climbing so I couldn’t go to the recycling centre. The result is that I often accumulate recycling for several weeks. One day I finally have a saturday morning free, and that isn’t a public holiday, and I take things to recycle....
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The Missed Hike — Sep 22, 2024Today I could have been coughing and spluttering on the train like someone did last week, except that I would have worn a mask. Yesterday I had a fever and when I was sitting at the desk in the morning I felt awful so I went for a siesta that lasted for one hour and ten minutes. When I woke I felt much better but I still skipped my daily walk as I wanted to leave my energy resouces for my body to fight the virus.... -
The Water Bottle Paradox — Sep 4, 2024This weekend when I hiked to Valangin I thought that I would found a water fountain along the way, so I took just 600ml of water. A few weeks ago when I went to Charmey I took the same amount of water because I didn’t want too much weight for the Via Ferrata. The result is that I have run out of water twice recently.... -
Hiking to Valangin From Neuchâtel — Sep 2, 2024Yesterday I went for a hike from Neuchâtel to Valangin. This is a 14 kilometre loop that begins with a relatively steep climb out of the city before heading into the woods. You hear the sounds of the road every so often as you crisscross paths with it. The castle was used from the 12th to the 16th centuries by the Valangin lords.... -
Plenty of Choice — Aug 29, 2024A few days ago someone was angry at me for posting too much in a whatsapp chat and I’ve been feeling down because I felt bullied out of the group. I miss sharing project ideas but at the same time it is essential for me to remind myself that just because I am trolled in a whatsapp group does not mean that there are not dozens of other things to do.... -
Hiking from Vallorbe to Orbe on Foot. — Aug 19, 2024Hiking from Vallorbe to Orbe is possible by following the foot path that goes along the River Orbe. If the river looks a little slow, and stagnant compared to what you would expect there is a simple reason. There is a hydroelectric dam that is slowing the flow of water. When I walked along it I noticed that there were logs and other debris floating. With the recent storms and rains they will need to remove debris from the water.... -
Lucky With the Weather — Aug 16, 2024Yesterday I went for a 50km bike ride that took two hours. During the first half the weather was good, and it felt warm. I cycled down to Nyon and towards Prangins, before cycling back towards Nyon before heading to Duiller and from there up towards Genolier, but not the direct route because of roadworks. I went up via a smaller town. When I got to Genolier I then went down the hill before heading back up to the road that takes you via the top of Trelex before cycling to Gingins and up via the golf of Bonmont before riding to La Rippe and up via the upper route that takes you to Divonne via the upper route.... -
The Sunday Stroll to Majinsee — Aug 6, 2024If the Lammenhüutte is too strenuous for you there is an easier option. A walk to the Majinsee and back, via the Thermal gorge. This is an easy hike with 300m of climbing and descent on wide gravel paths rather than narrow hiking paths. It takes you by a cold water lake before taking you through a vertiginous gorge that is not for those that suffer from a fear of heights.... -
From Leukerbad to the Lammenhütte and Back — Aug 5, 2024I have gone up to Leukerbad at least three times for the via ferrata and this could have been the fourth or fifth time that I do it. I chose not to do it. During the pandemic I spent a lot of time hiking, with little to no exposure to heights. As a result of this I lost the habit of being high up....
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A Weekend of Hiking and Cycling — Jul 22, 2024This weekend has been physically demanding. On Saturday I rode with people who do nothing but ride, so they’re far fitter, on a bike than I am, so by the end of the ride I was struggling to keep up....
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The Pleasure of Looking for New Routes — Jul 11, 2024For several years I explored every route that was walkable from my village. In the process I found loops that took up to four hours to complete. When there was no traffic they were all pleasant, whether it was wet, dry, hot, cold or windy. As cars and driving re-emerged plenty of the plaths I enjoyed walking became unsafe so I stopped walking them.... -
Walking to La Grotte aux Fées and Bisons — Jul 9, 2024It’s good to browse Komoot because sometimes you find nice hikes to enjoy. Today I drove towards Vallorbe and specifically Juraparc. Juraparc is a park with bisons, wolves, alpacas, goats and bears. I saw the goats, the alpacas, the bison and deer. I didn’t look for the bears and wolves.... -
Exploring with Komoot and Meetup — Jul 8, 2024It’s easy to find a group, and to do the same thing, again, and again, and again. Each year you do the same things in the same order, at the same time. It becomes routine. You get used to that routine. You don’t deviate. That’s where Komoot and Meetup come in.... -
From La Sarraz to Romainmotier and Back — May 27, 2024It is possible to walk from La Sarraz to Romainmotier and back with barely any time spent on roads. You can get there by train b taking a train to Renens, and then switching to a train from Renens to La Sarraz. You can also drive to La Sarraz via the motorway and park at the P&R parking for five francs per day, via the app. It costs 1 CHF per hour but the walk took five and a half hours so I amortised the parking by staying more than five hours.... -
Which Hike to Do — May 24, 2024Now that the hiking season has started again it isn’t rare for me to have to choose between two or three activities on a Sunday. Do I do the mountain hike from Villars Sur Ollon or the historical one to Romainmôtier?...
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The Cascade Du Flumen — May 13, 2024The Cascade Du Flumen are in the Jura, on the French side. They can be accessed either with a 1.6km walk from a large parking nearby that requires going over a few pot holes or down a steep path with loose scree. What makes the waterfalls so spectacular is that they are formed not by water flowing over a cliff and falling to the ground. They are formed by holes in the rock allowing water that has been through underground caves to seep through the rocks. The result is a cliff with several waterfalls bleeding out of the cliff facee....
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The Lazy Weekend — Apr 25, 2024For a while I have wanted to go on linear walks but I had no groups to do that with. Now I have the opposite issue. I have groups that only do linear walks so I’m missing circular walks.... -
Tired of Garmin and Apple, Playing With Casio — Feb 13, 2024For a while now I have been wearing a Casio and an apple watch or a Garmin and an Apple watch, or a Casio and a Garmin watch or a xiaomi smart band and a casio or a xiaomi smart band and… it goes on.... -
Exploration on Foot — Jan 28, 2024Walking is an easy activity. You put your shoes on, and you go for a walk. Sometimes you walk from home. Other times you walk from a car park. Sometimes you walk along rivers that are full, and others you walk along streams that are almost dry.... -
The Temptation of a Group Hike — Nov 19, 2023A few days ago I signed up for a group hike but decided not to go for two or three reasons. The two main reasons were the size of the group and the weather. From what I saw fifteen people were going to go on that hike and I am still in pandemic mode. I would be happier with a smaller group of people. fifteen is too large.... -
A Growing Fear of Wolves — Oct 1, 2023More Wolves... -
Playing With the Switzerland Mobility App — Sep 9, 2023Yesterday I was planning to walk from Nyon to La Barillette but rather than take the usual route that takes me via a set of cabins where there is sometimes a dog I wanted to try an alternate route. In the end I used the Switzerland Mobility app and website because I can trust that the paths they suggest actually exist....
