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Finally, a sunny break in the weather allowed us to undertake our annual hike by the Lac de Joux, our previous attempt a fortnight ago having been aborted.  Eleven GINhikers had signed up with six indicating that they would meet us at the parking spot at the Southern end of the lake and five of us meeting in Divonne.  Whilst the former group, mostly driving directly from Vaud, had no difficulties in reaching the lake at the appointed time, the knock-on effects of an accident on the autoroute led to Divonne being paralysed by traffic.  Access to the autoroute was impossible and attempts to pass through Crassier were thwarted by long queues.  No alternative but for our noble driver Ralph to do a u-turn and double back via Gex and the Faucille.  Needless to say, our arrival was predicted to be delayed by half an hour, so team A with three impatient doggies sensibly set off around the lake to Le Rocheray where they enjoyed a coffee in the bright sunshine.  Team B arrived and although thoroughly caffeine-starved, elected to press on to try to keep to our schedule.  

The water level in the lake, like many others in the region, was high but with no wind and blue skies, the surface was smooth and afforded wonderful reflections of the opposite bank.  

Photo stops were made on much-reduced spits of shingle and the path close to the lakeside was much appreciated.  

After the only significant climb of the hike, a brief pit stop was made where alcoholic refreshment was made available, outer garments were discarded and telephone calls made.  Shortly after setting off again past the town of Le Lieu, we entered the forest and immediately, to the delight of our four-legged companions, we met a 16-strong herd of chamois. 

 A respectful distance was maintained on both sides and the wild bunch made their exits down a steep bank.  The dogs were once again let free to roam until we were accosted by an irate amateur photographer who insisted that they be leashed as we were on a reserve, despite a complete lack of warning signs.  Kobie, Rocco and Onyx were duly tethered and we continued through the forest.  Twenty minutes later, we espied another smaller group of chamois, with almost as many photographers equipped with massive telephoto lenses.  These were probably unnecessary as the animals were quite unperturbed by human presence and could be approached quite closely.

We dropped down some steep rocky paths until the picturesque sight of Le Pont lay before us at the end of the lake.  

A brisk stroll along the promenade led us to our lunch stop, the Brasserie des Combières, who had been pre-warned of our delayed arrival.  Unfortunately, Nathan had to avail himself of the train at 13.00 back to his car as he had an appointment to maintain in Geneva, but the remaining ten were seated at a very (almost too) sunny inside table.  After what seemed like an age, thirsts were quenched by large jugs of beer and other beverages.  Conversations reached their usual heady intellectual heights and covered a wide range of subjects, with the mandatory nod to Scottish Independence.  Plats de jour, pizzas and hamburgers were dutifully devoured, coffee was consumed and then a decision had to be made about our return.  

A gap in the bus timetable at that time of the day restricted our choices to either continuing around the lake for 10 kms or so, taking two hours or more, or returning to the train station.  Our gastronomic appetites had been sated, but our physical appetites weren’t so strong as to persuade us to complete the Full Monty, so we trudged back through Le Pont and awaited the little red and white train back to Le Solliat.  Tickets were purchased and on the otherwise pleasant 15 minute trip, we were “entertained” by some extremely rowdy and chanting students and led someone to suggest that they were Millwall (sorry) fans!

A fifteen-minute stroll from the train stop brought us back to cars and we left for our various destinations.   We had hiked about 15 kms and climbed 200 metres.

The big question is, can Peter relax now and hand over the reins to Mark for snowshoeing in 2 week’s time?

Participants:  Peter T, Nicholas, Mark 2tts, Peter S, Nathan, Mervyn, David C, Andrew, Ralph, Mike H, Richard S.  

Thanks to Peters S and T and Ralph for contributing photos.

Rain was forecast, but only seriously after midday. Cancel or what ? Mike H indicated his preference to stop after lunch gave me the idea to ascend to St Cergue and return by train after lunch. There seemed to be a small dry window between 9 am and noon so a flyer went out expecting little response.

With Himalayan returnees doing their washing and with others including Rob, Nicolas, Rudi, RichardS, MikeM and Stephen providing reasonable excuses for absence, I was pleased in the event that seven signed up.

Attending :- Mike H, Peter D, Peter S, Mark 2rs, Nathan, Andrew, Philip and me Peter T. No dogs, but heck – 3 Peters !

We assembled at the parking at 585m above Genolier station, which in W3W is greet.wiser.sailors (something to do with our sailing contingent ?). Setting out at 10.15 am, with the dry window seeming to hold, we were in good cheer. It was almost T-shirt weather, and in fact one participant eventually did strip down to just that.

Heading over the train tracks the route turns sharp left for a kilometre before a right turn up a steeper forest trail at 690m taking us through the Côtes de Genolier.

This trail takes one to the upper track at 830m from which it is almost a direct if slightly winding line to St Cergue. The pace was such that there was much time for chatting and a serious discussion of how to cultivate leeks ensued.

Stopping for a breather at the Parapente Seat to take in the view we could see misty swathes of rain approaching from the south west.

Philip managed to identify a leafy lambs-ear plant as mallain, with internet assistance. We duly contiuned happy with the knowledge that we had already covered 360m of the 470m for the planned hike. After the pleasant traverse across the cliff with steep drops on the left we chanced upon a herd of unfazed chamois in the forest, the St Cergue mafia.

It was not long before we arrived, still in the dry, in St Cergue, 1044m. I had hoped to book a table at the restaurant Les Cytises but, a little worringly, it had not been accessible by phone. The reason was found to be that it had permanently closed in June after failing. So eight hungry hikers marched into St Cergue looking for lunch. Despite not booking a table, the Cafe Restaurant du Jura took us in warmly and provide a 4 a-side table for 8 in a nook of its main salle.

After a small beer apero, we enjoyed a rather fine meal – the plats du jour being either lasagne or pork with fettuccine, with good service. Comfortingly the expected rain had arrived and was tumbling down outside. We toasted absent friends and ourselves, and the conversation roamed between, inter-alia, the changing zeitgeist, Trump, vegetable growing, Garsington opera and the fact that in 100 years from now everyone alive today will be dead.

All too soon coffee then the bill arrived and we had to depart for the 2.03 pm train, which left from the station a five minute stroll in the light rain away.

Snoozing in the luxury of the warm carriage it was hard to get up after La Joie Clinique to press the button for the Sus Châtel stop.

We made it back to the cars without any serious wetness. A pleasant short and dry hike of 450m and 6km with a fine warm lunch and a good chance to chat and chew the fat. With my thanks to all who joined.

Next GIN hike Thursday 9 November. I will be travelling. Please would someone come forward to lead that day, Merçi.

Eleven hikers and three dogs met at the Fort l’Ecluse parking at 10am. Present were Peter T with Kobie, Nicolas with Onyx, Michael with Rocco, Stephen, Robert, David, Rudi, Richard S, Andrew, Nathan and Peter S who led the walk. 

Immediately after leaving the car park, the group had to navigate a hazardous crossing of the D984 with cars speeding around the corner on the left and appearing out of the dark tunnel on the right. This was followed by a steep uphill climb on the lefthand side of the lower fort

to reach the ‘Fort Supérieur’. Onyx decided to go exploring above the fort which gave the group a chance to appreciate the views to the west and east of the Rhone valley.

From the fort the route tracked gently downwards to Longeray and then headed back upwards for following signs to Les Marais. 

After about 30 minutes of ascent just before the path exited the woodland there was a long overdue water break. Richard provided the lubrication for a lively discussion about the merits of generic drugs championed by Michael and an update from Robert on the latest opinion poll on Scottish independence.  

The next section of the hike provided expansive views of Le Vuache on the left and the Plateau de Retord on the right with rolling countryside stretching towards the French Alps in the distance.

The path continued downwards towards Lèaz with the dogs happily exploring the now cow free pastures. The second crossing of route D984 was surprisingly easy with the driver of a large truck with Lithuanian license plates stopping to let hikers and dogs cross safely. Passing through the village of Lèaz there was a brief stop at the memorial to “Les enfant du village” who had died in the great wars of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. The picnic was enjoyed, with the dogs in close attendance, on top of a hill in the shade of ruins of an old chateau topped by a statue of the Madonna. From this “Belvédére de Leaz” there were fine views across the Rhone valley back towards the forts and the narrow passage between the Jura and Le Vuache mountains. 

After lunch, the path descended quite steeply through beech forests towards the Rhone.

Kobie, Onyx and Rocco made a short excursion for a swim in the river.

The trail passed the ruins of the Moulins de Condière and then crossed the TGV rail line at the hamlet of Lavaux. The warm afternoon sun prompted a final repose in the shade with the dogs happily clambering over drowsy hikers.

The car park was reached around 3:30pm to complete a walk of 12km with 620m denivelation.  

Nathan initially proposed a hike that he knew well from the Col de la Faucille to the Colomby de Gex. During a subsequent discussion, Mark Warren indicated that there was an alternative itinerary beginning/ending at the Pailly car-park. The advantage of this route is that it is a loop rather than an up/down. The disadvantage is that it requires a bit more climbing/distance.

A compromise hike starting from the Col de la Faucille and ending at the Pailly car-park was proposed to the group. However, the 9 hardy participants (David C., 2 X Mark W., Mervyn P., Nathan F., Peter T., Peter S., Philip J. and Richard S.) unanimously preferred the longer route beginning/ending at the Pailly car-park. It was an excellent choice providing some splendid views of the Leman basin and the Alps. The weather fully cooperated with moderate temperatures and clear skies.

The hike began with a 40 minute rather steep but well marked path through the forest. Richard was not feeling well and unfortunately about halfway through the forest he decided to bail out. It was certainly a wise but painful choice for him. He managed to get back to the car-park where Carol came to fetch him. He was missed during the rest of the hike. We all felt very guilty that we did not offer to lighten his back-pack to ease his return (notably the heavy refreshment flask😂).

We enjoyed a brief pause after the steep climb.

We then followed various paths leading to the Montrond for another short pause. There, a waypost indicated 55 minutes to the Colomby. We could see the derrick in the distance, estimated that it was over 3 km from us and concluded that the waypost was somewhat optimistic.

1.5 hours later we were gathered in front of the Colomby de Gex derrick enjoying the view and beginning our well earned lunch.

While we were lunching we encountered a few hikers from the north of France who were impressed that our group of very mature men was able to hike all the way up to the Colomby, some even carrying the full weight of bottles of wine. Accepting their compliment, we shared some of our wine with them which they gladly accepted.

When the local colony of Colomby flies discovered us, we packed up for the long descent that began through a high plateau with a couple of successfully managed dodgy bits along the way.

The downward path took us through open areas with nice views of the Leman basin & the Alps, valleys, narrow & wide trails and forests.

The downward path terminated just below our starting point and a short climb on the “paved” road brought us back to the car-park.

From the start of the descent, the group split into 2 smaller groups. The faster one (Mervyn and the 2 Peters) completely abandoned us about halfway down, racing ahead because of personal engagements at 17:30.
They arrived at the car-park at 16:45 and were able to make their appointments.

The other group arrived at the car-park at 17:45.

Accumulated climb: 900 m
Distance: 16 km
Picture credits: David Colledge, Peter Taylor & Mark Warren.