Lake Hallwil is only 40 km from where we live, and as we had walked almost the entire West side of the lake a couple of years back, we decided to do the East side this time. At the North end of the lake is the Hallwyl Castle, one of the most significant moated castles in Switzerland, with a history of over 800 years. We started with a walk around the castle and the old mill next door, then headed South.
But for almost half of the 14-km trail, the narrow path─barely a meter wide─had to accommodate streams of folks headed in both directions, with no views of the lake due to a dense strip of reeds along the lakeshore. No benches and nowhere to sit for our thermos coffee except three lake accesses along the way, already packed with sun worshipers.
At about the 2/3 mark the landscape opened up to large fields and─FINALLY─the views of the Central Alps, which on this particular day loomed huge and clear. And the crowds were gone. I almost gave up before the halfway point.... never have the kilometers dragged like that .... but am glad I didn't. Those mountain views made it worth the effort.
**Interesting note: 80% of the lake belongs to Canton Aarau, the other 20% to Canton Lucerne. So we started in one "province" and ended in the other.
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| Our hike started in Boniswil, then we walked to the castle, and then South along the East side of the lake (total 14 km) |
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| On the way to the castle this was the view South. I was hoping for many such views, but only about halfway down the lake it opened up again. |
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| At the moated castle, "Schloss Hallwyl" |
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| At the moated castle, "Schloss Hallwyl", one of Switzerland's most significant moated castles. |
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| At the moated castle, "Schloss Hallwyl", one of Switzerland's most significant moated castles. |
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| The castle mill across the way |
This boat, dating from the 16th century, was found during renovations at the castle in 1911, buried under the mud and sludge of the river. The lack of oxygen caused the wood to be preserved, and there are few examples of such well-preserved boats from that era.
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| Self-timer photo before heading on our way South along the lake. |
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| This does not bode well. It got even worse. Was like this for about 2 hours. |
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| 800 m from the castle was the first of four wharves, the only place in the next hour where we had a view. |
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| 800 m from the castle was the first of four wharves, the only place in the next hour where we had a view. |
This replica of a Pile Dwelling in Seengen on Lake Hallwil was constructed based on evidence found in an ancient settlement near Lucerne, providing insight into agrarian society in the bronze and early stone ages (6000 years ago). Walls were built of woven sticks and built up with mud, and roofs were made of straw. (The post inside is to support the roof after flooding in 1999). 56 of the 111 sites that form part of the "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings of the Alps" UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located near lakes in Switzerland.
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| We found one tiny access to the lake (4 stone steps) where we had our thermos coffee and observed the birds. |
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| A Crested Grebe on Lake Hallwil (A common lake bird here) |
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| Eurasion Coot, the most abundant water breeding bird in Switzerland after the Mallard. |
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| After an hour's walk, a small peninsula gave us our second glimpse of the mountains |
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| Finally, after 2.5 hours walking, the trail moved away from the lake, so you could actually see the lake! |
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| For the final 5 km of the walk we were regaled with views like this, making up for the boring rest of the tour. |
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| In Mosen, the train took us back to Lucerne, with splendid mountain views the whole way. |
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| The train trip back to Lucerne offered us more views of the mountains than the hike along the lake did. |
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| Side note: Along the way, evidence of cherry crop damaged by the freezing temperatures. |
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