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The sweltering summer heat had receded and the rain storms were forecast for another day, so this pleasant summer day offered the ideal conditions for a GIN Bikers outing. The usual email went out seeking participants…. and what a response but most turning down the opportunity! GIN members seems to be very active these days, either with families or vacations or the occasional injury. So, only 2 positive replies were received out of a total of 11. In the event the positives were boosted by 50%, as one email had gone astray, the reply having been sent to a GIN member on the other side of the world and not to the BLeader.

Stephen, Richard, Mike and Mervyn congregated at the usual Everness Hotel at 09.30h. e-bikers once again outweighed the traditionalists 3 to 1, with only Stephen left to hopefully prove that determination can overcome adversity. In order to help force group togetherness, the BLeader had deliberately only given a rough outline of the route, indicating that we would eventually hit the old railway track, head to and past Gex, maybe circling the Maison Blanche golf course before descending to Versonnex for lunch at Sur l’Ardoise and a pleasant return through the Versoix woods.

Heading initially in the opposite direction to Crassier and the start of the old railway track, we looped through Commugny past the International School, on past God’s Crossing, by-passing Arnex and eventually to Crassier. However, the railway track was ignored and we progressed up towards the famous Bonmont 727m. At this stage batteries and legs were still strong. The e-bikers were kindly not making use of the full range of their assistance in order that we kept mostly within sight of each other up the hill. We allowed ourselves a short recovery at the top and decided that a coffee in Divonne would be a welcome reward. The downhill swoop was a welcome relief, both for the legs as well as air-cooling for the rest of the body. It was actually quite pleasantly fresh. Richard’s favourite coffee shop next to the covered market was closed so we settled instead for the Grand Rue, sitting out with other customers, watching the world go by. I, for one, learnt that a café au lait in France is not a direct translation for renversé. This coffee shop recognised that in a renversé the milk is first in the cup, whereas in a café au lait the milk is added after the coffee. We are still young enough to learn. Richard kindly sponsored our learning.

A gentle day out for the e-boys

Encouragement for the other

By this time, the initial route plan passing by Echenevex, would have resulted in a late lunch, so we resolved to curtail the extra loop from Gex and head straight towards Versonnex after the railway track. The railway cycle track was as pleasant as always, although for some reason the gentle uphill slope seemed longer and harder than normal….maybe the summer excesses and lack of usual regular exercise routine had something to do with this. Anyway, once Gex was reached the downhill run to Sur l’Ardoise was a satisfying way to arrive for lunch.

The restaurant did not disappoint. Between us, we sampled the entire menu du jour range of gazpacho or chevre cheese samosa with salad, swordfish or maigret de canard, tarte au fraise or myrtilles with fromage blanc. All excellent and the 3 courses for 26 Euro.

We got back on the bikes after lunch with some reluctance. The good food, increased warmth and humidity and already exercised and rested legs did not make a good motivational combination. However, with some of us on time pressure and others with thoughts of a proper siesta at the end of the route, we headed back through the delightful Versoix woods on the familiar route 50 track from Collex. At the Chavannes Shopping Centre we parted ways to make our individual ways home. Mike certainly had the furthest to go…..sufficient that he is now determined to update his 12 year old e-bike with a more distance-and-rough-track-friendly model, including suspension and wider tyres for greater comfort.

My Garmin indicted that the round trip from the Everness Hotel was 51kms, with an overall ascent of 785m and an average speed of ca. 20km/h. Of course we all added significantly to that in getting to and from the Everness. I snoozed well when I got home!

GIN 240 club zip line and lunch Col de La Faucille 5 August 2026

Back in the depths of winter, we were snowshoeing past the zip line departure point at the Col de La Faucille on our way to the Grand Montrond.  Someone had the idea that as three of us (Mark 2tts, Mervyn and Richard) were going to have our eightieth birthdays this year, it would be fun, and a bit of a challenge, to leap into the unknown and take the zip down to Mijoux.  We thought it would be something that perhaps some of the members of the hiking, biking and golfing groups that we are most involved with might be interested in doing too.  Maybe half a dozen of us?!  Well, there was a surprising response from members and their families and initially, twenty five brave souls signed up for the zip and lunch afterwards and thirteen more just for the lunch.

We had originally intended to have lunch at the Florimont restaurant, but as they are closed on Wednesday lunchtimes, we decided to eat at La Petite Chaumière which was just over 100 metres away from the zip.  This proved to be fortuitous as such a large group of jumpers could not be accommodated in the morning slots, so we had to split the take-offs pre- and post-prandial.   The restaurant needed menu choices so, after a certain amount of badgering, completed lists of entreés, mains and desserts were provided to them.  Unfortunately, there were subsequently a few cancellations due to various health and other issues, so we finished up with 19 zippers and a total of 31 lunchers.

Despite earlier gloomy weather forecasts, on the day the sun was shining and the whole Col area was buzzing with people.  There are so many activities up there – zip line, luge d’été, mini golf, accrobranche, etc, as well as good old-fashioned hiking and mountain biking.  Everybody turned up at their appointed times and the early birds made their way to the departure point.  Here they were weighed and measured before being fitted with full harnesses, very fetching hairnets, and helmets.  They also had to carry the attachments for the zip line which were quite heavy as can be seen in the photos. 

The screams (hopefully of delight) started to be heard at 11.30 as the first pair were belted up by the very efficient young men in charge and sent off into the void! The zip is purported to be the steepest in France descending 313 metres over a distance of 905 metres.   Various combinations of legs and arms flailing could be observed from the platform and explanations offered as to why one of each pair went faster than the other.  Obviously, nothing to do with the extra weight of the winner, more likely whoever was more streamlined!

All five initial double departures were completed safely and everyone returned to the Col by the pendular shuttles which were provided in good time for lunch.  Three large tables had been set for us in our private corner of the restaurant and as regrettably, no table plan had been prepared, it was decided that each table would contain one member of the “240” club.  The three of us had offered to cover the costs of all drinks consumed at the lunch, but the normal GIN hiking alcohol consumption amounts were quite restrained, possibly due to the presence of our female partners! 

We were served the three quite acceptable courses and towards the end, Mervyn suggested that we sing the very aptly-named “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay” from the 1946 Disney film “Song of the South”.  And as you know, 1946 was an exceptionally famous vintage year! There were several refrains sung and we earned rapturous applause from many of the fellow diners in the restaurant! 

Time rushed on and it was time to say goodbye to some, settle the bill and leave for the zip line again for the rest of us.  There was quite a large group of people awaiting being “saddled up”, but the kind gentleman there gave our group priority despite our arrival for 14.30 being a bit “juste”.  Nine of us were subjected to the same indignities as our predecessors and made our way along the long ramp to the take-off. 

Peter was the last to leave and went down solo.  We were already eight ready to take the shuttle back – nine was not an option, so Mark offered to wait to travel back with Peter who would have been left on his own.  Unfortunately, the intractable driver insisted that we be eight – not seven – in the van, but there was a beer waiting for Peter when he finally got back to the Col. 

Judging by everybody’s reactions, it was a successful event with no injuries or repercussions following the lunch!

We were reminded of what a great association GIN is as it celebrates its 20-year anniversary.   Fortunately, we had Mike Price with us for lunch, one of the original 20 or so members.  The membership list now shows 94 Gintlemen, so we are doing OK.  Most of us are in our seventh, eighth and ninth decades and looking around the restaurant, what a pretty healthy-looking group we are, helped undoubtedly by the physical and mental activities of the association!

Here’s the list of participants:

Thanks to all for coming and we missed our friends who couldn’t make it.

Another sunny, warm day beckoned and 5 GIN Bikers volunteered for an early 9 o’clock start to avoid the afternoon heat. A more balanced group of e-bikers and traditional than on the last outing but, as in now customary, the e-bikes were in the majority:
Stephen
PeterSO
e-Paul
e-David
e-Mervyn

It was good to have David Baddeley join us for his first excursion with us in Vaud. He has led us for the last couple of years up and down the Salève from his Geneva base.

The plan for the route had been circulated:

From Everness Hotel we’ll pedal in the direction of France via a now usual circuitous route but end up in Gex for a coffee at our newly found patisserie. After the caffeine boost we’ll aim up to Vesancy on the slow incline and then the downhill and undulating road to La Rippe. To earn our lunch we’ll conquer the 727m heights behind Bonmont before the reward of the downhill sweep to the Nyon tennis club for lunch. From there we can make our own plans for the quickest way home.

The BLeader kept his promise of a circuitous route to Gex. Starting off in the opposite direction to do a warm up loop taking in God’s Crossroads, a sometime meeting point, before returning to within a couple of hundred metres of the Everness Hotel to pedal the first part of Cycle Route 50 to the Versoix woods. We diverged from this route to head towards the Sauverny crossing into France. On the way we stopped at the Brocante in Chavannes de Bois where, on this occasion, the owner appeared and happily showed us his complete collection of bric-a-brac. Despite some encouragement to admire a valuable Chinese ice cooler and some less valuable guitars as well as a Vietnamese helmet we emerged empty handed, happy to use the excuse of small saddle bags (if any). However, Paul was not to be deterred to stop at the book exchange in Sauverny and find another tome to add to his reading.

Same old bric-a-brac

From Sauverny we cut across country on the cycle track to Grilly where we experienced a short but steep climb up to the old train track, favouring the e-bikes. On the (almost) flat track to Gex we powered along, as earlier trains would have done, until we arrived on the outskirts of Gex. We cycled directly to the patisserie just outside of Gex, on the Echenevex side, where Mervyn kindly paid for the full complement of drinks and croissants.

Beautiful views on the way

Tempting as it was to remain in the cool on the terrace, we knew we would not be satisfied unless we tackled the real challenges of the day. We reluctantly re-saddled and headed back up to Gex and on to the slow climb to Vesancy. The e-bikes again showed their advantage but Peter and Stephen manfully did their best not to fall too far behind. Regrouped in the town we could then enjoy the steep downhill before the so-described “undulating” road to La Rippe….which has more short steep ups than one would normally associate with undulations. Regrouped again at the base of the Bonmont climb, the traditionalist waved goodbye to the e-bikers until the famous 727m point. As is turned out, David and Paul slowed occasionally to encourage the muscular efforts of others, whilst Mervyn took the farewell seriously heading off into the distance. Despite a reminder not to head for the 888m point, a magnetic pull caused Paul to head in that direction before being recalled. Mervyn was already on his way up, deciding that additional effort was required to earn his lunch. By the time the rest of us had reached the 727m point, Mervyn was still en route so Paul followed the invisible force to head higher as well. Happily, the two returned shortly after satisfied in their efforts and ready to head for lunch.

What a joy the downhill to Nyon was! Only a short stop was needed on the way down for Paul to check the book exchange in Grens, which gained a gold star for it’s cleanliness and language ordering of the books. Could there be a new Paul Guide in the making? Arrival at the Nyon Tennis Club was only 5 minutes behind schedule, with our table ready and waiting and the first beers were in our hands within minutes. The food is always good and plentiful at the tennis club, serving the needs of sportive tennis players and cyclists alike. By the time we had finished and had coffees, a certain somnolence had set in helped by full stomachs, increasing heat and humidity and the fact that it was just that time of day. However, we all had return home journeys, some longer than others, some involving train transport but all requiring getting on the bike. This achieved, we all made our way back home.

Replenishment

I had recorded 57kms, 711m ascent and an average moving speed of 18.4 km/h, almost meeting the pre-ride expectations, but with the different starting points of the group there will be variations.

There was much enthusiasm when I suggested one of our classic outings to Franck’s, but unfortunately several of our stalwarts were otherwise engaged, often apparently engaged in zipping up and down ski slopes.  Anyway, in the end, nine of us met up at the large car park at the Crozet lift station at 10.00.  We were very pleased to welcome a new member, Michael Matthews from Arzier who fitted the GIN mold perfectly. 

After paying our €9 lift fee, we left the grey and rainy car park which is at about 600m and took the Fierney cable car up to the top station at 1300m into a completely different world.  No question about whether to use snowshoes or not, so everyone buckled up quickly and we set off in our usual Northerly direction across the bottom of the ski pistes. 

The route was somewhat indistinct, there were no previous footprints to follow, but we had a fairly good idea of where to go.  It was quite hard going (for some of us, mostly me) through the reasonably-deep snow and we wound our way upwards. There were a few tumbles in the powder, but no harm done, fortunately.

At one point Peter and Kobie decided to take a narrow path or ledge above us and it soon became evident that it was perhaps not the best choice.  Peter adopted a hybrid approach with one boot and one snowshoe but soon had to abandon even that innovation and slide down to us.

The team strung out but we gathered at the table d’orientation at the Col de Crozet (1485m) and consumed coffee and who knows what from a small flask! 

The clouds were lowering as we left the viewpoint, and landmarks were disappearing so there was some discussion about the direction to take towards the Catheline lift station.  Peter and Nathan seemed confident and led us unerringly to the said goal.  We crossed the wide ski slopes and entered the small track through the snow-laden trees to cover the 1km or so to La Loge. 

Franck, Cathy and Laos, their Australian sheepdog, were there to welcome us and he (Laos) and Kobie were pleased to rub noses.  After an assortment of drinks, we were offered a choice of croute au fromage and salad or saucisse and lentils.  The, as usual, hearty meals followed by brownies and crème anglaise were washed down by various liquids. 

Franck went to some lengths to excuse the fact that there was no tarte au myrtilles as the Catheline lift had been out of action due to variations in snow cover, so supplies were limited.  He said that one day, a metre of snow outside disappeared within 24 hours and all became green outside.  No such problems today as we could see that it was snowing quite hard outside.  Many interesting discussions took place, often involving a certain Mr T across the pond, whilst Kobie did the rounds to check on anything edible for him.  Cathy told us that he was in the rubbish bin in the kitchen at one point! 

Franck then brought out the shot glasses and served us the traditional génépi from a large container.  When the bill arrived, this was offered as well as the coffee and we all happily paid the princely sum of €25.

Snowshoes donned, we trudged back to the Catheline through an even more magical forest and then followed the direct route back to Fierney at the side of the ski pistes, only being warned once by an irate skier to keep well away from him. 

We arrived back at the top station with less than a quarter of an hour before it closed, thankful not to have to walk all the way down.

Everyone agreed that the hike had lived up to its reputation as one of our classics and we were blessed with copious amounts of snow.

Personally, I struggled with my fitness on the uphill stretches, possibly due to my treatment last year, but possibly because I seemed to have developed a chest cold in the evening.  Whatever, I am really indebted to everyone’s patience and caring which illustrates the wonderful camaraderie amongst our GIN members.  Long may it continue!

Our hike was carried out under the shadow of events in La Cure whereby Chez Mamac was burnt to the ground on Monday night and the perpetrator was fortunately prevented from doing the same to the Vermeilley later on.  One of our favourite lunch spots lost, but happily one saved.

Thanks to everyone who sent photos – the 2 Peters, Mark 2tts and Michael.

Present: Peters S and T, Marks 2rrs and 2tts, Andrew, Nathan, David, Michael and myself.

Distance by my Garmin watch: 6.25, Dénivellation: 298 metres.

Would we or wouldn’t we?  There was some speculation on Wednesday as to whether we should trust the everchanging weather forecasts and proceed with the annual LdeJ hike.  In the end, six of us showed up, three (Mervyn, Peter S and yours truly) in Divonne and Rob, Richard W and Andrew met us at the parking spot at the Geneva end of the lake.  We had a few spots of rain on the way up, but it was dry at the meeting place.  Noting that the weather was only 5 degrees up there, most opted for long trousers except for our hardy Scotsman who had decided to display his bare legs.  We set off in a clockwise direction on somewhat muddy paths until we reached a boardwalk that one of our number tested the slipperyness of, thankfully with no painful results.  Progress was swift but we resisted the temptation to stop at the Bellevue Hotel at Le Rocheray for a coffee and ploughed on admiring the views across the lake.

The lake level was high and we enjoyed the rocky path right by the clear water. 

Stops were made for comfort breaks and photo opportunities on sandspits and then we climbed to about 100 metres above the lake where the inevitable refreshment was proffered, a very acceptable nip of Glenmorangie, thanks Richard!   A phone call was made to the resto to confirm numbers and timing and we set off past some bungalows of the charmingly-named settlement of Le Lieu.  Two chamois in the road eyed us cautiously followed by two more and as we entered the woods, a group of six were meandering around on the path. 

A few minutes later, we encountered a herd of about 20 grazers and shortly after, a larger group of 40.  It was certainly a record to see 70 chamois which included several very young “bambis”!

Our rocky and rooty path dropped down steeply almost to lake level and I needed to take a breather on a convenient bench.  Then our shorts-wearing member arrived complaining about a pulled tendon, so various piggybacking options were considered, and rejected.  Anyway, he soldiered on with gritted teeth and we reached our goal which was the Brasserie des Combières.   

Locally-brewed ales were ordered as was the plat du jour which turned out to be a very large entrecôte with all the trimmings.  I haven’t fully regained my taste buds or full appetite but I was assured that the meal was a definite  improvement on last year’s offerings (the resto is under new management).  The steak was far too large for me but I’m sure Peter S’s hound benefited that evening.

As usual, there was an eclectic range of subjects discussed, including postprandial naps, US elections and misogyny, hearing tests, doggy diets, UK politics, phone contracts, rugby, beer and wine barrels, and of course, how could we not – Scottish Independence!

After desserts and coffees, some  more Glenmorangie (courtesy of Rob this time) and some nocino di Modena from my magic bottle which startled the palates of the participants, there was little appetite to continue walking around the lake for another two hours or more.  So we repaired to the gare in Le Pont and caught the little red and white train back to Le Solliat, about a kilometre from where the cars were parked.  Our whole hike had been without rain and indeed we enjoyed quite a lot of sunshine and eventually, a balmy 11 degrees!  As I write this on Friday morning, I hear that it’s snowing in St Cergue – snowshoeing may not be far away!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow hikers for their encouragement and concern on what was my first hike for over 4 months, and also to all my dear GIN friends whose good wishes have helped me get through a difficult period of my life.

Our hike was about 14kms and just over 200 metres dénivellation.

Robert, I can recommend Dr Berguiga at Vision Future Nyon. Regards, Drew Meek

Fellow GIN members,

I hope that you are well and enjoying the summer.

I was shocked recently to find that I have cataracts and that I need an operation.

I wonder if any of you can recommend an ophthalmologist in Suisse romande.

My optician informs me that the operation is swift ( 5-10 min.) (almost ) painless without anesthesia and will clear my myopia ( short sightedness).

Thank you for any recommendations,

Robert O Riordan

The itinerary suggested for this outing was partly in the forest and partly in open areas. The climb and distance were moderate from St. Cergue to the Barillette restaurant.

Eleven hardy souls met at the small car park in St. Cergue. Mervyn’s friend Stephen joined the walk but could not stay to enjoy lunch with us and Ross had to cancel at the last minute due to illness.

The weather forecast was good for the morning but slight rain was predicted for mid-afternoon. For once Météo-Suisse was spot on. The rain began as expected at 15:15 slightly before we reached the cars.

We had plenty of time, so we began the hike with a short detour along the path Balade de Béatrix to a picnic area with a lovely view of the lake and its surroundings.

After this short pause, Nathan started down a rather steep path toward the original itinerary. Stephen suggested a different path with a gentler slope which was immediately accepted by a unanimous group vote.

The walk proceeded with no notable incident through to our next stopping point where bottles of wine suddenly appeared accompanied with some nosherai. Many thanks to Mervyn and Larry for the liquid refreshments.

Afterwards we headed toward the last bit, just below the restaurant, which was the most challenging part of the climb. Everyone managed without a single complaint.

The lunch went well and the group seemed to really appreciate my enormous effort to have exactly 10 participants when the bill arrived.

We returned along the same path we had taken in the morning. About three quarters of the way down I was woefully derelict in my leader duties and did not ensure that everyone was following. A few of the group lost sight of the others and missed a turn. Happily technology saved the day. A quick phone call and we were reunited just in time for the rain.

It was a pleasant hike in spite of getting wet at the end.

We also bid farewell to Larry who will soon leave on his annual trip to Canada.

***********************

Participants: Mervyn Powell, David Colledge, Nicolas Ulmer, Mark Warren, Thatcher Shellaby, Peter Drew, Larry French, Mark Watts, Stephen Langton, Andrew Neivens and myself.

Walking distance: 8.2km
Climbing distance: 445m