Mark Watts – Page 3

Walkers explore the Versoix 2021-06-30

The Swiss metéo promised a relatively dry morning so 16 walkers gathered at the bridge at Sauverny on Wednesday morning for a walk along the Versoix river and back through the Versoix woods. We had heavy rain the day before so the path was expected to be muddy and did not disappoint, however nobody fell and nobody got hurt. The path down, which keeps a view of the Versoix on the right, was new to several of the walkers making this a journey of exploration.

Several sections of this walk follow Swiss National hike #3, Alpine Panorama Trail, which runs for 510 km from Rorschach beside Bodensee to Geneva. So these sections were well signposted. However the leader insisted on following smaller paths where possible with the result that we nearly lost part of the party.

After about an hour we came to a decision. The path straight ahead was know to contain a large boulder which would be difficult to scramble over, especially if wet, so several of us took a short cut, up a steep bank and through a field we later learnt was out of bounds and onto the main footpath through the woods. The other part of the group continued on beside the river to pont de Bossy and then caught us up.

We then returned along good paths through the woods, before joining our original path beside the river and returning to the parking. Overall about 6.5 km.

*The team after the walk, from left Wouter, John, Thatcher, Richard, Mark 2Rs, Dave,* Drew, Mike, Rob, Tim, Bryan, Alan, Paul, Bill, Gerry. Mark 2Ts behind the camera.

This was probably the largest GIN gathering since the start of the lockdown in March 2020. Long live the freedom!

Fourteen of us then went to the Vieux Bois in Divonne for a convivial, and unbelievably cheap, meal. An added bonus: this was the first day that France allowed more than 6 people at a table in a restaurant.

Four members volunteered to lead future walks as follows

July 14	Rob Mackenzie
July 28	John Burley
Aug 11	Mike Price
Aug 25	Gerry Swart

They should share their plans with Alan Baker, the walking group coordinator.

Participants: Alan Baker, Bill Westermeyer, Bryan Clark, David Gwilliam, Drew Meek, Gerry Swart, John Burley, Mark Warren, Mark Watts, Mike Price, Paul Sochaczewski, Richard Saynor, Rob Mackenzie, Thatcher Shellaby, Tim Goodyear, Wouter van Ginneken.

Click here for map of our route

Social bridge, June 22, 2021, “Yarborough”

Five of us played a very pleasant few hands at Dave’s house. We welcomed new member Jerry Swart who has just moved to Divonne from Florida. Ken celebrated returning from Portugal by receiving a yarborough which, the internet informs me, has an expected frequency of 1 in 1828 hands.

I had the misfortune to be partnering Ken and played 3 clubs which only went down by 1.

Participants Dave Gwilliam (host), Richard Wiley, Ken Forrester, Jerry Swart, Mark Watts.

Hiking group to Creux de Van, 2021-06-10

Following the walking group’s expedition to the Gorges de l’Areuse, Mark 2”r”s decided to take the hiking group to the same starting point but to head off in a different direction and visit the Creux de Van, Switzerland’s Grand Canyon. Mark had given careful thought to the location of a suitable restaurant for lunch and decided that we needed to leave Divonne at 08:00, a restaurant closer to the end of the walk would have entailed an earlier start and potential mutiny.

Accordingly 7 of us gathered in Divonne at 8 a.m. and decamped into 2 cars for the roughly 90 minute drive to Noiraigue railway station, alt 729m according to several GPSs and the signpost, where we had a coffee and ate the pains aux chocolate that Mark had kindly provided (hope no precedence was being set!). Then Captain Bligh announced that we were already 30 minutes behind schedule so we hurriedly donned boots and set off.

We had a reasonably gentle climb over the first couple of kilometres to les Oillons at 1015m.

Team at les Oillons: Rob, Mark, Richard, Mervyn, Philip, David. Other Mark behind camera.

Then the path started to get steeper and zig-zagged up through countless contours until we came out to the spectacular view at 1374m. There was much ooohing and aaahing and taking of photographs, including one of the whole team.

Our illustrious leader, aka Slartibartfast, surveying his handywork

The old railway station got in the way of a good photo so the team had to move it

Moved, that’s better, Philip directing and taking the photo.

So tame it almost appeared to be a model.

After the excitement of the rim and moving the railway station and the bouquetin it was time to move to the restaurant for lunch. This was the real excitement with Mark wondering if we should have turned left at the bouquetin and imagining the abuse he was going to get if we were late for lunch. However we arrived at the charming la Grand ‘Vy for well deserved beers and a great lunch. We were supposed to socially distance at 2 ends of a long table but somehow failed that test – maybe it was the absinthe.

Ice cream with a pool of absinthe, local speciality

Reluctantly we eventually continued with Mark encouraging us by announcing that it was all downhill from here on. True but much harder on old knees. We got back to the cars just after 4 for the drive home.

A great day out, thanks to t’other Mark for arranging the route, the weather and the pains aux chocolate. Click this link for a load of other photos, including a panoramic video taken at the rim.

14.2 km, 774m. Richard S, Mervyn, David C, Rob, Philip, 2 Marks.

More detailed map (can be used for future hike)Download

Gins conquer Crêt de la Neuve, May 13, 2021

The metéo promised coolth, rain and generally miserable weather. The restauranteur at Col du Marchairuz firmly said that he would not be serving food or drinks and implied that anyone wanting such must be mad. So with all this encouragement 10 intrepid hikers plus Kobie met in sleet in the parking at St George aiming to saunter to Col du Marchairuz and back. This was a GIN hike 3 of us (Pete, Mervyn, Mark) had done with Jonathan Harle back in 2017. In fact March 17 and we had then eaten out in warm sunshine at the Col.

Just before departure, Pete behind the camera, Mike??

Mark had selected and was leading this hike and it soon became apparent that he couldn’t really remember it. Fortunately Rob and Peter are very familiar with this part of the Jura and provided expert assistance, including suggesting that there was no real purpose in going to the Col since it was shut so we went instead to Crêt de la Neuve, where we stopped for lunch.

On the way up we passed a brown bear posing by the roadside, waiting for fellow poseurs, so we helped him out. Then we saw a couple of birds nesting in the rock face. The jury was out on whether they were crows or ravens. They were certainly black birds but not blackbirds, Cravens?

And again with the bear, this one by Richard

Lunch was cold, colder than the previous time when we were snowshoeing but there was an abundance of wine and spirits including several nationalities of whisky. The world was put to rights about Scottish independence, Irish vs Scotch whisky, the Lions touring party and other similarly momentous subjects on which we were all experts.

After lunch Peter found a paved road that had been specially prepared to take us directly back to our cars. The sun came out on the way down and we even saw the lake and the jet d’eau. We got back to the cars at Chinese dentist time just as it started to rain again.

A great day out. 14km and 580m uppsy-downsy.

Participants: Peter T and Coby, 2 Richards, Steve, Mike, Rob, Mervyn, Philip, 2 Marks.

Our route, 1st loop anticlockwise, smaller loop clockwise

GINs at Arboretum, April 14

We were lucky with the weather. The morning was bright and clear but with a cold Bise blowing. Sixteen of us assembled before 10:00 in the Arboretum car park for a coffee and chat before setting out on the walk.

Unfortunately all the magnolia blossom was killed off by the hard frost the previous week, which nullified the declared intent, but we still enjoyed a very pleasant stroll of about 5km through this beautiful park. The total denivelation was about 200m, more than usual for the walking group, which led to some grumbles which were completely ignored by the leader.

Map-of-route

We all got back to the cars and set off home by 12:30. Some of us apparently enjoyed the route so much that they then tried to retrace it by car!! They know who they are!!

The team

Left to right: Rob Mackenzie, John Burley, Philip Jenkins, Richard Saynor, Paul Sochaczewski, Dave Gernandt, Bryan Clark, Alan Baker, Thatcher Shellaby, Michael Hempstead, Tim Goodyear, Drew Meek, Brian Allardyce, John Webb, Mark Warren, Mark Watts (behind the camera).

GIN skiers to Veysonnaz, March 30

Tuesday March 30 was bright and clear so Mervyn and Mark set off to Veysonnaz for possibly the season’s last outing. All other skiers had cried off with wimpy excuses involving various combinations of missing skis, warm snow, dogs…, so there were only just enough of us to pluralise(?) the title.

When we arrived after a very easy drive we found no queue at the ticket office and were soon on the slopes.

Mervyn expertly led us over a wide area including finding a suitable rock for lunch and a bar at the end where the beer is delivered to tables by télépherique and the dogs wear face masks. Is there any ski station where Mervyn cannot guide?

Mark was so impressed by the “Long manoeuvre” last week that he tried to emulate it. However only his rucksack succeeded. In a separate incident he demonstrated a face plant that was so effective it had Mervyn concerned for the integrity of his brain cell.

The snow was perfect, there were no clouds and nobody else on the slopes so we (I) were exhausted by 3:30 and in need of a cold beer before a very simple and uneventful drive home. A great day out, shame the others could not come.

4th annual Dave Knewstubb memorial ski outing, Jan 19, 2021

Four of us converged on the Swiss side of Portes de Soleil for the first outing of the season: David, Mervyn, Steve, Mark.

The sky was clear and the weather and snow were great. We had to keep to the Swiss side but Mervyn and Steve navigated us expertly and made at least one of us realise that a morning’s skiing at Basseruche with his 4 year old granddaughter is not adequate training.

The French side looked strange being so deserted. All that wonderful powder and no lifts open.

Steve managed to find us a cosy little restaurant for lunch and Mervyn provided wine so that we could raise our glasses to absent friends.

A great day out for the start of a very strange season

Mark attempted to capture the full group in a selfie but obviously needs some lessons from Pete the puppy owner.

GINs pack food bags for Covid impacted, Nov 12, 2020

A group of GIN members assembled at Palexpo halle 7 on Thursday November 11 to assist Gary with his volunteer work. We were there to pack food into supermarket bags which will then be distributed to people in Geneva who are going hungry as a result of Covid.

The first thing we learnt was that we were not supposed to be there at all – all volunteers had been stood down due to the increased Covid incidence in Geneva. Gary had not go the message. So we went ahead and filled supermarket trolleys with shopping bags and filed past piles of food picking up an item of each for each bag. At the end of the line we unloaded the bags where other volunteers closed them and placed them in crates where they will be taken to 5 distribution centres in the city.

We actually did very little work and finished by 10 but we felt very virtuous. This was only the second time the GINs turned out for this, poor Gary does it most days.

Richard Wiley, his son Nial, Andrew Nievens, Gary Vannater, Paul Sochaczewski, Mark

The food stations, we start at the shopping trolleys at the far end

Sailing last day of September

There were 4 of us: Dave, Trevor, Gary and me, on a very still day. The weather forecast had been for a sunny day but had changed its mind at the last moment.

We motored across almost to the other side of the lake and somehow managed to sail back almost to Crans while all on board thought we were still heading for the French side. Maybe this is a reflection of how soporific it all became.

We still had a good time and got back to Port shortly after 4 to sort the boat and have a beer.

Greatest excitement was when Mark tried to turn the boat around so that Trevor could get on easily. Manoeuvre would have gone perfectly if I hadn’t forgotten to untie the rope to the mooring buoy. I was wondering why the boat behaved so strangely and managed to drag the buoy about a metre out of position. Oops!

GIN sailing, September 16

It should have been Dave, Rudi, Peter D and myself but I’d suggested a late start time and Dave had an engagement at 18:00 and didn’t trust me to get him back in time. He knows me too well!

Slightly better breeze than last week, still only top end of force 2 but enough for a pleasant sail. Again 2 tacks to Prangins and then hoisted the spinnaker for the return. Hoisted it inside the forestay – whoops. Easily corrected since not much wind and then a pleasant run almost back to Crans.