Author: Wouter van Ginneken

We were a football team – 11 people – setting off this morning at the “Ecuries du Bois Clos” in Grilly in the “Pays de Gex”.  It was a glorious, sunny day – with clear skies illuminating the lush green fields and horses grazing peacefully between the Jura and the Alps.

Our journey first led us to the Bridge of Grilly (see photo) – on the border between France and Switzerland. Just over the border we observed the early stages of the land fill operation.  This project has attracted significant criticism, and, as of our visit, the final decision regarding its future had not yet been reached.

We continued along our route to the Mill of Grilly (see photo), a charming spot situated beside the Divonne/Versoix river. The walk was both refreshing and scenic, allowing us to take in the natural beauty of the area.

Our excursion concluded at the “Taverne des Ecuries”, where we sat outside under the high roof, shielded from the sun (see photo), and enjoyed a delicious meal. For many of us, the highlight was finishing with a classic Tarte Tatin.

We walked almost 6km – with an estimated 40m height difference.

Our participants were: Brian Allardyce, John Broadbridge, John Burly, Philip Jenkins, Mike Miller, Robert O’Riordan, Thatcher Shellaby, Paul Sochaczewski, Rudolph Staehelin, and Mark Warren.

On exactly 10am 16 GIN walkers set off on the “wild side” (expression from Alan Baker) of the Divonne river – direction Crassier. After some time (see the two pictures on the bridge – taken by Tim Goodyear). Norman Eatough gave us an interesting explanation of the origin of the area, notably the Canal de Crans which we walked along, and which supplied water to the Château de Coppet.

He also told us that he went to the Divonne Tourist Office two years ago saying that the path was very muddy. The Office took his advice and now the muddy parts are covered with splendid wooden decking. According to Norman this must have cost them a small fortune, which Divonne taxpayers, such as Mark Warren, John Burley and myself, have helped financing. We also visited the viewpoint of the “Marais des Bidonnes” (see map) and even saw one cow (see picture) of the “aurochs” herd that lives there.

Our group then split in two: one going on to Crassier and visiting a local pond (see picture) and the other returning to Divonne on a path next to the old railway track, which is now converted into a bicycle-cum-walking road. This stretch of track had continued to Nyon, but was not paying for itself and when the Geneva-Lausanne autoroute cut through it, that was the end of it.

At about 12:30 everybody met up for our lunch (see picture) at “Le Bon Accueil”, which provided us with a delicious and well-presented three-course meal. At 14:30 we all went home – after an enjoyable walk and lunch, which gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better and to benefit from the Divonne environment.

Wouter van Ginneken (with help from Tim Goodyear and Norman Eatough).