Seven of us ( Hubert, Mark Warren, Mark Watts, Norman, Philip, Tim and myself) set out to explore the banks of the Rhone (see the map below for the route). We started walking downstream at the Moulin des Frères. With a small parking area and a picnic zone this is a favourite spot for weekend sailors – there is also a stop for the pleasure boats that travel between the lake and the Verbois dam. As we left the area Norman pointed out the site of the old leper colony. This was one of the many ‘maladières’ administered by the diocese of Geneva (which covered a large area between the Jura and the Alps).
The first part of the walk was along the riverside – the sun filtering through the trees was very pleasant. The path, like those on the rest of the walk, is well maintained. Before long we saw signs of the Givaudan factory: boundary fences and (clean!) effluent flowing into the river. This factory, founded at the end of the 19th century is a world leader in the production of fragrances for products ranging from washing-up liquid to expensive perfumes.
Soon afterwards we crossed the Passerelle de Chèvres. This footbridge (which takes its name from the nearby village) passes over the remains of the dam of a former hydroelectric station. The plant, which was the first in the Canton de Geneve, functioned from 1898 to 1943, when it was superseded by the one at Verbois. The dam and the associated buildings can be made out quite clearly on the 1904 map. (By the way, I stole the maps from https://map.geo.admin.ch. You can find full set of modern and historical Swiss maps there.)
Turning left after the footbridge we continued upstream through wooded countryside crossing several small streams. At a point about halfway between the Passerelle de Chèvres and our starting point we turned right and, after a short, steep climb, headed inland. From this point we could see the massive buildings of Le Lignon. Constructed in the early 1960s Le Lignon is one of the largest apartment complexes in the world. In contrast, the area we were crossing, Deuxfonds, is surprisingly rural sandwiched as it is between the two arms of the Rhone and largely inaccessible to traffic.
We soon reached our second footbridge, the Passerelle du Lignon. This footbridge was built in the 1970s by Sappro, a pipeline operator. The footbridge supports a pipeline transporting petroleum products from France to the Vernier storage area.
Back in the woods we continued downstream towards our starting point. The weather gods, apart from bestowing a couple of showers on us, had been kind. We all agreed that the area is surprisingly rural and isolated despite being so close to the town.
After some further adventures we met back at the Auberge de Vernier for a very welcome beer and lunch.