To the Southernmost Point in Switzerland: Pedrinato near Chiasso

July 26, 2017 -- After three weeks of hot, dry weather in the Okanagan Valley in BC, Canada, with a fair share of smoke-filled days from the massive wildfires in the Cariboo and an additional fire much too close to home, I came back to Switzerland to this:

Before heading back to work we had a free day, and our choice to visit the most southern point in Switzerland was based on both getting away from the rain and on something short and simple to get our hiking legs back in gear (and getting over jet lag). 

We did a little 8-km loop along the Swiss/Italian border starting in the little village of Seseglio South of Chiasso, through some small vineyards but mostly through forests. The "Most Southern Point" (Punto estremo Sud della Svizzera) is hidden in a dense forest along an unusual fence of metal posts which would not keep anyone from crossing the border. And if you ask around, most Swiss people won't even know where this place is....
 

An easy 8-km walk around the vineyards of Pedrinate in the Southernmost part of Switzerland

We got to the village of Seseglio at 11:30, and started with a look at the town's church.

Checking out the menu of the local inn and restaurant. The owner is from Genoa in Italy.

Heading out now to the southernmost geographical point in Switzerland. 

Our walk alternated between vineyards and forests

  

It's always lovely to watch the butterflies

Shortly before reaching the border, this view is across the villages of Italy and back to the Monte Rosa Massif in Switzerland (highest peak of the Swiss Alps)

This unusual fence forms the border between Italy and Switzerland near the Southernmost Point

This unusual fence between Italy and Switzerland will hardly keep anyone out

Urs is walking in Switzerland and I am walking in Italy

This is what it looks like at the southernmost point in Switzerland

Tourist photo at the southernmost point in Switzerland. There's not even a view, it's in the middle of the forest.

Heading back along our loop toward Pedrinate. In the back is a small hill with a church on top, San Stefano, and part of the plan is to go up there for a view North. We didn't walk into the village of Pedrinate, but skirted it on roads to the north. 

 

View North from the vineyards of Pedrinate across Chiasso to Monte Generoso

View North into the Muggio Valley to Monte Generoso

A very zoomed view of the summit of Monte Generoso to the north. 

Closer look into the Muggio Valley

And this view is across the major city of Chiasso, from where the train crosses the border to Como in Italy. You can just make out Lake Como in the back. 

We reached the mountaintop church of San Stefano at shortly after 3 p.m., but it was locked, so we could not see the inside. 

View down to the church in Seseglio, as we head back down there again to catch the bus back to Chiasso. 

What our hike looks like on Google Satellite Maps. 

The most Southern Point of Switzerland is among the vineyards of Pedrinate

Wilderness Reserve "Chaltbrunnental" in Canton Basel Land

June 25, 2017 -- In a heavy downpour we headed off to the train station to go West, because if it was going to be nice today, it was coming from the West.

Back in 1986-1988 I lived in the far NW corner of Switzerland in a "suburb" of the city of Basel, and that was the area we picked for this excursion, mostly because there is a very lovely wilderness reserve called the "Chaltbrunnental", a piece of forest left to nature to do its own work. The idea was, if it would get hot again, we'd be in a cool area.

Indeed it was a lovely walk in the lush and almost tropical gorge/ravine, along the Ibach stream, lots of ferns (especially hart's-tongue), many impressive lime-stone formations and natural caves. Unfortunately also a favourite Sunday afternoon picnic area for city-dwellers, so we were mostly accompanied by the smell of campfires. But it was a magical romantic promenade, about 1.5 hours on this stretch.

After emerging from the gorge on the North end at the Birs River (tributary to the Rhine River at Basel) there is a landmark of historical value called "Chessiloch", a rock face covered in insignias of various Swiss military divisions stationed in the area during WWI (to guard the strategically important railway bridge here). On their time off the soldiers used to gather here and they handpainted the designs to commemorate their presence.

After another hot and rather boring hour's walk to Zwingen, we took the train to Basel with a stop at both my old apartment and place of work (Aesch/Reinach), both almost totally unrecognizable, due to expansion and just plain memory loss.....

Impressions of Canton Basel-Land on the bus ride from Liestal to Meltingen

We were surprised to see that the trail we were walking was called the "Via Surprise"

We walked about 2 hours to Chessiloch through the Wilderness reserve, then another boring hour to Zwingen. From there we took the train to Aesch to see my old apartment building and work-place one town over, and from there took the tram into the city of Basel.

Walking along the stream called Ibach, in the Kaltbrunnen Valley

It was lush and green and tropical and messy in the Kaltbrunnen Valley

Wild-Romantic Kaltbrunnen Valley

There was a clearing next to the stream where we stopped for a coffee break.

Wild-Romantic Kaltbrunnen Valley

Wild-Romantic Kaltbrunnen Valley

Loads of ferns everywhere

Also, it is an area of limestone cliffs and natural caves

Very popular Sunday Afternoon picnic area for the city dwellers....

Loads of fun for the kids to discover the caves in the limestone cliffs.

Wild-Romantic Kaltbrunnen Valley

Wild-Romantic Kaltbrunnen Valley

After coming out of the valley you reach the Chessiloch "monument"

In WWI soldiers were stationed here to guard the strategically-placed railway bridge.

We headed South along the Birs River to Zwingen. This is a view of the Basel-Land region to the North.

At Basel we traveled on the high-speed TGV to Zurich, except in Switzerland it doesn't travel at high speeds.

"Col de Bretaye" to "Col de la Croix"

Sunday June 18, 2017 -- After our Saturday hike along the steep cliff face on the Irrigation Trail "Bisse-du-Torrent-Neuf" above Sion, we spent the night in a B&B room near the train station and were off early to meet friends from Belgium who are vacationing on Lake Geneva.

We met in Bex to ride a special cogwheel train (Bex-Villars-Bretaye) up the mountain to the pass called Col de Bretaye. Both Urs and Etienne are fans of the railway, so excursions with them revolve around.... railways. The little train shares the road with vehicles through the little residential areas (mostly vacation getaways) on its way up to the pass. Up in the lush green hills of Canton Vaud we had a yummy lunch and a lovely, too short, time to visit.

But with the weather as nice as it was, I let the others ride back down the mountain without me, and I did a short 1.5-hour level hike from the Bretaye Pass to the Col-de-la-Croix Pass, only 6 km, but fairly level, with great views of the Dents-du-Midi mountains and Mont Blanc (located in France near Chamonix), which at 4,808 m above sea level is the highest mountain in the Alps. From there I took a bus back to Villars-sur-Ollon and rode the cogwheel train back to the Rhone Valley.

Our excursion started in Bex with a cogwheel train to Villars, then another to the Bretaye Pass

A dream come true: Etienne gets to ride up front with the locomotive driver.

View from Gryon

In Gryon is an old tram (from Zurich?) which has been standing here since at least 1980!

Looks like everyone is enjoying this train ride.

At the Pass, the train takes off again while I am trying to get a photo for Etienne!

View South toward the French Alps. Bretaye is a popular ski area for this region.

The train heads back down the mountain. Stunning Mont Blanc looms in the background. (4808m)

Before lunch we went for a short walk to Lac de Bretaye

Lac de Bretaye

Fancy (and yummy) lunch at Hotel du Lac

Salty and Sweet (I had yummy thick fries)

Etienne, Françoise and Urs went back down by train, and I did a little hike, because the weather was so great.

It was 13:30 when I started. The bus at Col-de-la-Croix was due to leave at 14:51. I walked fast and just made it to the bus!

My hike from Col de Bretaye to Col de la Croix. 6 km in 1 hour 20 mins. From here I took the bus back to Villars-sur-Ollon

First I had to navigate through this cow herd.

This was my view for most of the hike: Mont Blanc at the center back, Les Dents du Midi the prominent ridge in the forefront.

View eastward in the direction I was walking.

The first Alp Roses

There were several of these newts in a water trough where I refilled my water bottle.

Some vacation cabins along the way.

Last view South before arriving at the pass

Zoomed view of Mont Blanc.

Col de la Croix. I made it to the pass with about 5 minutes to spare before the bus came.

After taking the bus back to Villars-sur-Ollon, I had to wait for the little train to come up from Bex

On the way back down into the Rhone valley, this is another glimpse of the view at Gryon.