On a cold, damp, grey autumnal day, many of the usual crowd had decided that an away break after the school vacations was a better way of spending the week. Hence, it was only the stay-at-home duo of Stephen and PeterT who met at the Chavannes Hotel, wrapped up in warm cycling gear and ready to face the elements (and any hills put in the way).
A gentle 3 hills “lite” ride was agreed upon, taking a route across into France at Grilly, along the disued railway track to Gex, up the back road to Vesancy (unfortunately, the Chateau was not open for a rest and a coffee) across to La Rippe before the required attack on the Bonmont hill. Half way up the hill, just as legs unused to such exercise were flagging, Peter spotted a dog walker with 4 Afghan dogs ahead and decided that he should introduce himself and Kobie (remotely by photo, in the latter’s case). The lady in question was somewhat aggressive initially, complaining about dog walkers who let their dogs off the lead and disturbed her troupe. Having reassured her that he would immediately attach Kobie to the lead in the event that they encountered each other, she took on a friendlier tone and became very chatty. At least 10 minutes later and with legs well recovered, the final ride to the top seemed unusually easy.
The wind-chilling descent via Gingins and Signy to Arnex was bracing but rapid and we parted company outside the floral balcony of Stephen’s apartment. We had earlier agreed to forgo the usual lunch in the interests of health and time.
Statistics: ca. 38km Chavannes Hotel to Chavannes Hotel, 1h56 saddle time, 19.9kmh average speed, 499 elevation, 0 beers.
A new activity started today. Dogging. Or walking with dogs. Four fellows with 5 dogs turned up for our inaugural outing. Rob, Mike, PeterT and Ed Giradet – potential new GINclub member. With dogs Syrah, Rocco, Kobie, Tess and Hope.
We set off in squally rain from the Genolier parking carrying flasks of coffee, croissants (thanks Rob), dog treats and with much barking from one of our members (happily scaring all fauna away). Once past the train-line we let slip the dogs and were off up Rob’s trail by the ruisseau in paw weather/heavy rain. We all seemed to get on well and the dogs did too, with much cavorting and with Rocco doing his usual thing.
Let slip the dogs in heavy rain
It was good to hear of Ed’s activities, in particular in the Med with an old boat and young folk studying the changes there to the environment and culture over the years. (website link). There was time for some dog talk too. At times though we were at risk of being bowled over by rampant playing dogs, not something I am used to.
Coffee stop – Kobie almost got my croissant
Much romping later, and after the long gully up, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We reached a clearing in the sun for our coffee stop with our canine chums making their presence felt in the treat-request department. There were some fine but limited views out over the Lac, and the fall colours were good but perhaps just past their best.
Peaceful amble downSyrah, Kobie and TessL to R : Rocco, Hope, Syrah, Kobie, Tess, RobDoggers : Rob, Ed, Mike, Peter
We wound our way doggedly back down on the wide tracks in the sun, solving the world’s problems (except Scotland’s), with our charges happily frolicking about and slightly older Tess remaining above the fray and deploying an overview position in the rear. Leashes were on well before the train-line. An enjoyable inaugural outing for all, with (some) good canine control (and no straying or lost animals). 270m and 5 or 6 km. 2 hours.
Dogs : Tess, Syrah and Rocco – Spaniels; Hope – Golden Retriever; Kobie – Australian Cobberdog.
Our logistics were somewhat simpler, we needed to get six of us to Col du Marchairuz to start the walk and get us home from St Cergue. Busses only run to the Col on Saturday and Sunday.
We met in 2 different car parks at Givrins (somebody could not read the instructions) and drove in 2 cars up to Col du Marchairuz. At the end of the walk we all descended by the little red train from St Cergue to Givrins whereupon 2 kept on the train to Nyon (something about a bar serving good beers) and the rest was easy.
The valley was foggy and cold but once we got up to the Col we were above all the cloud with brilliant sunshine and wonderful fall colours.
Today’s hike was one section of Swiss National Trail #5 which runs for 16 sections and 320 km between Zurich and Geneva. As such it’s a good path and well marked essentially all the way.
We set off at a sprightly pace and soon reached Crêt de la Neuve where we stopped to top up our fluids and admire the view across to Mont Blanc.
About 1:30 we decided we were about half way so it must be lunch time. Peter supplied a good red wine and we all socially distanced ourselves (actually we each found convenient rocks for seats). Lunch was finished off with coffee and 2 types of whisk(e)y provided by Scot Rob and Irish Richard. There was naturally much discussion over the relative merits but all other than the Scotsman and Irishman thought they were both good.
Eventually we had to continue the hike and went past the ruins of Oujon with hardly a pause to admire them and on into St Cergue where we saw the 16:02 train just as we were crossing the tracks. There was mad scrambling with mobile phones as we all tried to buy our tickets and we were off down the mountain.
A great day out with excellent company and weather to match. Just under 17 km with 450 m ascent and 850 m descent.
Three men on their bummels set off (again) on a sunny and breezy but not too cool day from Divonne. It was kind for the morning that the wind was from the south as we headed up north towards the hills, half-forgetting that the wind would be in our faces on the return from Gilly. Avoiding the purgatory of Bonmont we instead opted for a ride across to Givrins and our favourite bakery coffee stop. Sadly the oven was being changed and it was closed, but the local cafe was open 50 mtrs away, and it had seating on sunny terrace beating the bakery. Sadly for the same reason there were no croissants (thanks for the coffee Mark).
Having avoided purgatory we faced the hell of the Genolier hill below the Clinique, but because of the tailwind indeed we were blessed with an easier ride. That was needed because we were bound for Bassins and Le Vaud. Leaving my water bottle behind at the Le Vaud water fountain we rolled down to the restaurant at Gilly where they know Peter Drew’s middle name.
The plat de jour was deer and being half vegetarian I managed to be game for it. Good service, beers and company. Warm inside table. We toasted absent bikers.
The ride home was the come-uppence we deserved – into the keen wind and the wind came straight though my helmet onto a bald surface. The next day I had a fine cold that I had been struggling domestically to avoid.
Attending : Peter Drew, Mark Watts, Peter Taylor.
I (PT) logged 58.61 km and 630m deniv. But statistics are windless…
A GIN Club lunch was held at the Founex Tennis Club in warm conditions on their semi-outside, semi-inside terrace. Most opted for the Filets de Perche which at chf 38 is perhaps market rate but substantially more than the alternatives (eg lasagne at chf 23 – so it was made sure that the final bill was settled properly with each paying for what one had ordered). Both came with a salad, and all 17 of us seemed to enjoy the good food, beer, wine and convivial company. We were blessed by the occasional confetti of autumn leaves dropping through the gap in the rain cover. Early leavers (including golfers) meant we then mixed a bit and were able to chat with others down the table.
Attending were :
Alan Peters
Brian Allardyce
Brian Clark
Dave Gernandt
David Colledge
Hubert Pettingell
Mark Warren
Mark Watts
Michael Hempstead
Paul Socachewski
Peter Drew
Peter Taylor
Reinier Tervooren
Rob Pashley
Rudi Pluss
Sander Winckel
Terrence Gale
with a number of apologies for absence including Alan, John, David, and Trevor.
Table Pano – note the sky-scape through the wind screen – it gradually clouded over
I enjoyed it, I know Rudi did and others seemed to too.
A group of 11 (12, Paul can’t count) GIN E-Z Walkers took a stroll around the often-overlooked corners of Grand Saconnex. For some walkers it was a return to old stomping grounds, where their younger selves jogged and took children for nature walks.
The event began with mild chaos, as folks unused to the particularities of driving in an urban environment failed to find the entrance to the underground car park. The organizer had astutely removed the gates to the car park but the honest walkers nevertheless purchased parking tickets, fearful of the demonic Grand Saconnex Meter Maids.
The walk took us past a cute church, houses of the rich and famous, a few UN missions (India’s new mission, under construction, is huge, and led to discussions about that country’s geopolitical intentions), farms, a forest, a small nature reserve, WHO, and tunnel construction.
At the last section, a tour of the Domaine de Penthes, the group separated into three splinter groups.
A few hardy souls attempted a steep short cut that left them huffing, the main group went straight to Domaine de Penthes, and a third group elected to save their energy and not to make the descent and subsequent ascent at this park. They were instructed to wait at the chateau, but being of independent demeanor, returned straightaway to the restaurant and started drinking before others arrived. This independence might be a violation of GIN etiquette, but on the other hand, it might be the new normal and their initiative should be applauded and emulated in the future. Time will tell.
In the Domaine de Penthes, Richard pointed out the exploding sequoia (too dramatic a tale to recount here). One walker sighted what he swore was the famous (and elusive) Grand Saconnex yeti, but admitted it might have been a large squirrel.
Domain des Penthes
Lunch ensued, at which point Paul’s sloppy organizational skills were revealed, when the eight walkers who stayed for lunch were told that the plat du jour was finished and people had to order from the (more expensive than planned) menu. There were some grumbles, alleviated by beer and good food. Lunch conversation included such earth-shattering topics such as Tim’s career-highlight as Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore, whether Monty Don knows best how to grow a wildflower meadow, whether Colin Powell should have resigned rather than tell lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction, and how print-on-demand is changing the publishing industry.
Distance, about 7.2 km, time, almost three hours. Some walkers suggested this walk was on the hard end of the E-Z walking scale.
Richard Saynor, John Burley, Mike Price, Marks (2Rs & 2Ts), Norman Eatough, Tim Goodyear, Brian Allardyce, Philippe Jenkins, Wouter van Ginneken, Hubert Pettingell, Paul S.
There were two car loads of Gintlemen, one from France and one from Switzerland, signed up for this iconic hike up the Môle that was clearly described in Janet Norton’s book. When collecting his two “French” colleagues, the leader of the hike (Mark 2R) immediately asked them how to get to the start point and renamed his title as organiser.
In fact, getting to the start point was the biggest challenge for both parties as neither Chez Béroud, Bovère or even St Jean de Tholome were recognised by the car satnavs.
Thanks to Phillip’s paper map, the French group arrived at the start point just before 10h00 and noted a new restaurant had been built and was open for coffee, which was most welcome since it was cold and cloudy (4°C) outside.
The Swiss group arrived a few minutes later having mistakenly inserted Bogève instead of Bogère in their satnav. Sadly this was below a different mountain (echoes of Rum Doodle) but happily only 23 minutes distant from Bogère. Nevertheless they had to resort to Google Maps on a phone after finding the same finding Bogère problem as the French party, but who were better prepared with a paper map.
Shortly after croissants aux chocolate provided by le organiser had been devoured (merci Mark, Ed.), we (Richard, Phillip, Peter, Stephen, David, Mervyn and Mark) set off for the 720m ascent of the Môle. A fine day had been promised so the leader/organiser was relieved when the sun was seen to be penetrating through the cloud and it wasn’t long before we had a clear blue sky with views of the mountains showing above the clouds.
Approaching the col 300m below the summitThe Organiser with his Navigator
Stephen, Richard, Mervyn and David at the col with summit behind.Stephen with the summit behind himThe lower summit of the Cross.
We made the sun-drenched top of the Môle (1863m) in good time for our traditional picnic lunch starting with a champagne toast to Mervyn on his 75th birthday. The table/bar and bench combination was taken over for our relaxed break and fellow hikers were welcomed with the offer of a glass of wine. The views over the mountains were now a fantastic 360° of mostly clear summits, including the Mont Blanc range – and ever reducing cloud cover at the lower altitudes.
Summit Champagne – toasting barman Mervyn’s xxth birthdaySummit bench barNotice shorts have appeared on some of the partyGIN summit hospitality – wine for all – Jura behind
Summit Bar Lunch
View from the Cross lower summit with Granges below
Mervyn read us a poem about That Try from a carton of Welsh whisky, which can be seen here
and explained herewith :-
Penderyn « That Try » Bottling Note
Unveiled in 2015 as part of Penderyn’s Icons of Wales series, That Try honours the spectacular try scored by the Barbarians against the All-Blacks in January 1973 at Cardiff Arms Park. It’s a peated Welsh single malt whisky from Penderyn, with elegant notes of coastal breeze, orange peels and a hint of smoke. This comes presented in a black bottle featuring an illustration of Gareth Edwards (who famously ended the great passage of play with an incredible diving try) and a presentation box with black and white stripes to match the Barbarian F.C. kit.
Much refreshed and after grappa and That Try Welsh whisky (we perhaps wisely abstained from Paul’s ambulatory absinthe again) we wended our way down towards the Petit Môle, including a rocky and steep part that was the only slight difficulty of the hike.
Looking back up the steep and tricky descent ridge.
The two youngsters took the optional trail to the Granges and back but were still amongst the first to reach the restaurant for beers on the sunny terrace.
View back from Granges View over Cluses from Granges
Signposting for the return home was no easier than the outward journey, but at least we knew where we wanted to go!
Thanks everyone for a most enjoyable day out. (Actually a stunning day out in fantastic weather, with a fine celebration of Mervyn’s birthday. Ed.)
Mike, Tim, Mark (2ts), Hubert, Norman, Philip (Photographer: Mark (2rs))
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.
Norman and Philip about to cross the Passerelle du Lignon.
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.
Mark (2ts), Mark (2rs), Tim, Philip, Norman, Huber (Photographer: Mike)
After some further adventures we met back at the Auberge de Vernier for a very welcome beer and lunch.
With Stephen playing up in the hills this promised an easier day, and the e-bikers were sadly absent too, only three men were on the bummel on a windy but sunny and cool-ish day setting out from Everness. Peter D, Mark 2ts and Peter T.
We lurched off into the wind for ravitaillement at the plage at Prangins, now sheltered from the Bise and with a number of ladies taking the plunge for us to admire while dipping croissants into our coffees.
A pleasant refuelling Merci to Peter D for the c&c’s.A tough bike ride needs an easy start – here the peloton tucks in
All to soon we were forced to face the fact that this was not a GINclub sunbathers event, so we set off up past Prangins Airfield, through Trelex, and Gingins to Bonmont (where else if Peter T is leading?), with the wind now in our sails.
At the Bonmont top – all downhill from here
After almost losing the peloton on the descent (they lost me!) we arrived in Divonne and settled upon La Truite for lunch. It was busy so not a fast service but the beer was good and so was the food. Three fine courses for Eu 19.50 (our coffees replaced the dessert course). Recommendable.
Colin Another tough ride
A very pleasant short day out, but some of us had errands to run. I clocked 45 km and 490 m deniv (from Coppet).
After our somewhat wet outing two weeks ago, it was a relief to awake to clear skies and importantly, a favourable weather forecast for the day. Assembly points had been arranged at Divonne and Val Thoiry and we all met up in the church car park in Farges on time at 09.30 (five out of nine of us in shorts). Three early birds had managed to grab a quick coffee and pain au chocolat before we all headed off up the forest roads to our starting point at 1,254m. We hadn’t got far before the lead car had to stop whilst Andrew removed a tree trunk and branches that had fallen across the road. Our cars survived the potholes over the 12km and we set off in good spirits up a jeep track taking advantage of a couple of shortcuts.
Once we had cleared the forest at about 1,400m, we started enjoying the wonderful countryside and views along the Jura. Shortly after passing the Chalet du Sac, we espied the Dent d’Oche peeping above the morning clouds across the Léman basin. Our path was not too clearly defined and despite the dearth of signposts, we attained our first summit – the Crêt du Miroir. This merited a small celebration so a nip of grappa was offered to all. There were still a few clouds around and a cool wind and we were grateful that the sun’s warmth cancelled out the low temperatures.
Mont Blanc in all its glory
Another unnamed summit beckoned which gave us a view over the not-so-beautiful town of Bellegarde and the more attractive rolling hills of the Jura westwards. We then headed for the Crêt du Milieu and we tried to resist the temptation for more celebratory drinks as we could see that our lunch spot was not too far away. However, a bottle of vin blanc miraculously appeared and quite quickly, the contents disappeared! As is becoming our custom, any fellow travellers on a mountain-top are offered a glass of wine and three delightful ladies from Paris were duly supplied. We were later thanked with a large piece of local Tomme cheese.
Rest stop
Our next stop, the Crêt de la Goutte, is the highest point of the Crêt d’Eau complex at 1,621m and the orientation table there made an excellent bar on which to place the various bottles that had been kindly provided. As usual, the orientation table showed all the peaks through 360 degrees, as well as distances to various famous cities.
Useful orientation table
However, the only explanation offered as to why Brighton was the only town in the UK mentioned was that it was Mark 2rrs’ birthplace! On such a clear day, we had wonderful views and according to Wikipedia, we could see: la haute chaîne du Jura, le lac Léman, le lac du Bourget ainsi que le lac d’Annecy, et les massifs du Mont-Blanc, des Aravis, des aiguilles Rouges, de la Chartreuse, du Vercors,
des Écrins, des Alpes bernoises, et de Belledone.
Temperance moment
Lunch and a number of excellent Italian reds were consumed and what – more excellent grappa! Somehow, the Absinthe provided by Paul earlier was untouched and lives on for another day. We then swarmed down the mountainside reaching the strangely-named “Pierre à Fromage” which just seemed to be a fadedwooden signpost
Peter at Pierre à fromage
After that, maybe because of a strange lassitude, the route instructions became somewhat vague and with no discernable paths, we decided to go cross-country in the general direction of the cars. After reaching the ski installations that rise from Menthieres, we descended on a long ski slope that could be classified as red, or possibly black, finally reaching the Chalet du Sac where we rested a while in the warm sun with some of us in T-shirts.
And another rest
We retraced our steps back to the parking spot taking the two shortcuts we had taken on the way up, although David and Mark 2rrs took an additional one which took them below the cars. A few phone calls and whistles later they appeared just as Mervyn discovered thathe had lost his fleece with his car keys and credit cards. After much discussion, it was thought that he had left it at the Chalet, so David kindly offered to ignore the no-entry sign on the rough jeep track and drive him back in his 4×4. We were extremely relieved to receive a triumphant call to say that said garment had been found intact!
It was a splendid hike of some 12 ½ kms and 760m with magnificent views, visiting an area that few of us knew well. There was much evidence of diggings by wild boar, but no fauna was spotted other than other hikers enjoying the area. However, the famous Jura nudist, seen a couple of times previously by one member, failed to make his presence felt. Many subjects were discussed as usual and a unanimous vote was taken on a certain independence issue. We lamented the absence of some of our regular hiking camarades.
Attendees: Peter, Mervyn, Marks 2rrs and 2tts, David, Stephen, Thatcher, Andrew and Richard
(leader)
Next Hike – 14 October 2021 – Le Salève (weather permitting) -leader Mark 2tts.
