Downhill all the way.... almost. The top of the pass was socked in with cloud as we left, but that didn't stop the two other couples in my dorm from getting up at 0530, rustling their plastic bags like rats trapped in a dumpster, and leaving in the pitch dark at 0600 to get ahead … Continue reading Day forty-four: Grand St Bernard to Aosta →

Yay! I made it half way. The Col Grand St. Bernard is generally recognized as halfway from Canterbury to Rome. By my reckoning, I've traveled 1,030 km and have 1,007 km to go. The weather forecast for today was not brilliant, calling for showers in the afternoon, so I left early from Orsieres to try … Continue reading Day forty-three: Orsieres to Grand St Bernard →

A day so short it almost felt like a rest day - a mere 18km from my hotel to the train station in Orsieres. I had to go to the train station, as that is also where the tourist office is. The is a pilgrim gite in Orsieres with three ways of getting the key: … Continue reading Day forty-two: Martigny to Orsieres →

More castles, ancient abbeys, incredible mountain vistas, and railways that vanish skyward. There is so much to see and do in Switzerland - all it takes is lots of money. The walk today is steeped in history, but I guess that applies to Europe in general. The vf path followed by Sigeric has been well … Continue reading Day forty-one: Ollon to Martigny →

I'm a day behind as I was in non wifi accommodation for the night stop, but you will need to read to the end for the juicy details. It wouldn't be a day hiking in Switzerland without a couple of castles, and the first showed up on the route before the caffeine buzz from breakfast … Continue reading Day forty: Montreux to Ollon →

A day so spectacular one hardly noticed the kms drifting by. Firstly a lakeside path for both bikes and pedestrians, which was very busy with uber-athletes on very nice bikes doing their training rides for this weekend's world triathlon final in Lausanne. Apparently there are 4,000 athletes taking part. I guess the other 3,972 were … Continue reading Day thirty-nine: Lausanne to Montreux →

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Lausanne youth hostel drinking a beer while I wait until I can get my key at 1500. This place has a bar and restaurant - not like the hostels of my youth! But at 50 Swiss Francs a night, what youth can afford to stay here. Whatever happened … Continue reading Day thirty-eight: Eclépens to Lausanne →

Now there are a couple of towns that are probably not on the normal vf schedule, but one has to go to where the beds are! A wonderful day of walking - mostly downhill, which helps. There is a big hill coming up in a few days so I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm for … Continue reading Day thirty-seven: Les Hôpital-Neufs to Eclépens →

I'm sitting at seemingly the only place in town open on a Sunday, so I'm hanging out with the locals at the brasserie having a beer and waiting for the BBQ to be ready. It's the only thing on the menu tonight! Some of the locals are pretty hard core. I swear I'm the only … Continue reading Day thirty-six: Pontarlier to Les Hôpitaux-Neufs →

Definitely a day of two halves. The first 20 odd km were a beautiful walk along the banks of the Loue river, as the valley evolved very quickly into a steep-sided gorge. The former railway soon gave way into actual trails, but not before it had passed through a couple of villages perched between the … Continue reading Day thirty-five: Ornans to Pontarlier →