Hiking in Switzerland – Gabrielle and Urs: March 2015

March 14, 2015

From Saint-Blais to Saint-Ursanne in Western Switzerland

(This post created and published on January 8, 2026)

Saturday March 14, 2015 -- We don't get out to the French part of Switzerland often, but the 12-km hike from the top of the ridge near St.Blais down into the valley of the Doubs River (pronounced "Doo") in Canton Jura was what we wanted to try out today. (After both of us still battling colds, we didn't want anything too strenuous). There was still a lot of snow in this part of the country near the French border except for right in this valley, which was great, but the North wind was cold. Our destination was the pretty little medieval town of St.Ursanne, which Urs had never seen [also his namesake, as (according to legend) it was named after Saint Ursicinus, a seventh-century monk who lived as a hermit here.] Most of the buildings in this quaint village date from the 14th to 16th Century.

From 1793 to 1815 Saint-Ursanne belonged to France. http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/st-ursanne-clos-du-doubs.html

We started at about noon up on the ridge at St.Blais where we were going to have lunch but the only restaurant was out of business. The total ca.13-km walk took us 3½ hours and the 530m descent was hard on my knee. By 5 p.m. we were back on the train for the 3-hour trip home.

We started in a town called St.Blais where we had planned to have lunch in a restaurant we found on the Internet, but which turned out to have long been out of business. Then we walked for about two hours always slightly downhill along a crest mostly through the forest. This is the first view of the viaduct in St. Ursanne and the valley bottom where we are headed.

After the first 2 hours of pretty slight downhill we reach the point where we descend into the Doubs Valley. The descent was hard on my knee.

About halfway down and the river is still way down there.

There's the ridge we walked and came down from. It doesn't look as high from here as it really was.

Finally down at the valley bottom, we approach the Doubs River.

Finally down at the valley bottom, we cross the "Pont des Ravines" (Bridge of the Gorges) over the river Doubs.

Sheep are weird. Their baas actually sound like they are burping really loud.

VIDEO:

The burping sheep!

The train viaduct into St. Ursanne

On the south side of the river we pass along the main road of a small "suburb". Looking up the road to the northeast we can see the location of the train station next to that factory building, quite a long way out of town. We got here at 3:45 p.m. after walking for almost four hours.

Our first view of the town as we approach from the other side of the river. Most of these buildings date from 14th through 16th century

Remains of the old town wall.

Medieval town of St.Ursanne, named after a monk who lived here as a hermit (Saint Ursicinus) in the 7th Century.

To get to the main part of the old town, you have to cross Pont St.Jean over the Doubs River.

The statue on the bridge is of St. John of Nepomuk, patron saint of bridges.

Collegiate church that was built between the 12th and the 14th century. Of course we went to have a look inside.

Details of the Collegiate Church in St.Ursanne. There was a cool crypt in the lower part of the building.

The cloisters, built over the grave of Saint Ursicinus in the 9th century.

We didn't want to walk all the way to the train station, but as there is a bus that stops here in the village, we walked around the town while waiting for the bus.

Walking around the village of St.Ursanne while waiting for the bus to the train station.

Before leaving town we stopped in to buy local bread.

A look westward along the river toward the Pont St.Jean bridge.

And a closer view of the old city wall past the roofs of the houses.

By 5 p.m. we were on the train heading across that large viaduct we had seen earlier as we arrived down at the river. A hazy look down at Pont St.Jean. From here it's a three-hour trip home.

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. We started in St.Blais and walked along a crest, mostly through forest, and then descended to the Doubs River, and into St.Ursanne.

Where St.Ursanne is located within Swizerland.

March 8, 2015

Short Walk on the Schützenried Winter Walking Trails at Lake Sihlsee

(This post published on December 31, 2024)

Sunday March 8, 2015 -- Urs had ordered a model train online, and was planning to pick it up from the seller at a Model Train Exhibition which was taking place on March 8th in Einsiedeln in Canton Schwyz, an exhibit he was also looking forward to visiting. But he was very sick this weekend, so I offered to travel there to pick up his locomotive, and I decided to combine the trip with a short walk along Lake Sihlsee nearby, on prepared winter walking trails across the large moor called Schützenried, also a very popular cross-country skiing area.

It was decent weather with good visibility, and ended up being a 5-kilometer walk for me, starting at about 11 a.m., and then getting back onto a bus in Unteriberg some time around 12:30 for the trip back to Einsiedeln to pick up Urs' train.

Starting on my walk at Steinbach at 11 a.m. on the west side of Lake Sihlsee, heading south toward the Ybrig Region.

The lake is frozen and covered in snow.

There is a walking path along the Minster Canal

This large plain is a moor (Schützenreid) and is popular with cross-country skiers.

Panorama view of the Schützenried moor.

I followed the walking trail along the Minster River to the bridge at the four-way junction. I could head to the right toward Unteriberg, but I decided to continue straight along the Minster River on a trail that would take me to Unteriberg as well, slightly more quickly.

After a walk of about 90 minutes, I headed back to Einsiedeln. This is a view southwards from the bus as we pass across Lake Sihlsee from east to west.

This is the walk I did this day, starting in Steinbach on the west side of the lake, and walking to Unteriberg. It was about 6 kilometers and 90 minutes of walking.