The Confident Hiker

October 2023

Our hike together with my mother Sibylle on this warm and sunny October Sunday started at the trainstation of Le Bollement. With our first destination being the little village of St. Brais at a slightly higher altitude of 967m, naturally the first part was an ascent. First leading on the small asphalt road, the pathway soon branched off into the forest, before crossing the same asphalt road a bit further up and then following a wider stone road, covered in leaves. We wondered about the history of the road, imagining it to be very old and passed by many riders back in the day.

Close to La Plaignat we exited the forest and ended up on the asphalt road again, that led us directly to the village of St. Brais. Despite it being a short ascent of about 25 minutes, arriving on the open fields with a first broad view of the surroundings felt already so rewarding.

The village of St. Brais extends on a Jura ridge in the northeastern Franches Montagnes. It has already as a kid fascinated me. I remember thinking, that this is where I will live – once I am older. In a nice little house with a big view. Entering the quiet peaceful little village, I could still relate to this childhood dream.

After a short break and a failed attempt of my mother to enter the locked church, we continued our hike on the main road, direction the hamlet Le Chésal. Here we branched off of the noisy main road (bikers on a Sunday are very common in this area) and walked next to the impressive rock formations, simply and aptly named Les Rochers de St. Brais. There is a pathway leading up to the top of the rocks, which will certainly give you an impressive and even vaster view of the area, including the Clos du Doubs. We skipped this (but maybe it is a challenge for another time? I keep you posted 😉).

After a short walk at the edge of a forest, we reached Ban-Dessus and unexpectedly ended up on a beautiful big open field. We passed through a tree avenue and felt as if we were three knights, entering a magic kingdom reminiscent of Narnia. It left me -and those who know me, know this to be rarely the case- speechless for a moment.

The views didn’t end and got only more impressive as we walked on. The peaceful silence was absolutely wonderful and I caught myself lowering my voice on several occasions as to not disturb the serenity we found ourselves in. I envied the horses and cows we encountered for their home with a view.

Soon after we entered another patch of forest, leaving the sight of the Clos du Doubs and the Ajoie behind, while passing by Sceut Dessus, a charming little hamlet, that overlooks the Combe Tabeillon and the valleys of Delémont.

Soon thereafter our path crossed the “Chemin du Jura”, a long distance trail from Delémont to Saignelégier through the canton of Jura. For the remainder of our hike we walked on the section Nr. 4 that leads from St. Ursanne to Glovelier.

It was a mild warm October afternoon and there was an enticing smell of flowers in the air; my mother being the detective that she is tried to figure out what it was but it remains a mystery to this day…

While wading through a field of high grass we slowly became aware that we were not all alone up here as two black dots could frequently be seen scurrying through the grass. While sadly not ready to be petted by us, the two curious black cats followed us all the way to the little gate at the end of the field, where we soon after entered the forest ridge of the Montagne de glacenal.

A short section lead out of the forest and over green pastures, where we were able to see the village of Glovelier for the first time. Were it not for the haze, I guess one could have seen even further into the valley. The cows stood still on their meadow like proud guardians of the valley, letting us pass, but following us closely with their gaze.

We entered the forest again and were this time fully surrounded by tall trees; the pathways were covered with leaves, big rocks of an old wall on the side of the path covered in juicy green moss and the autumn sun broke through the branches and leaves. While it looked like a ridge walk on the map, it was actually a very gentle hillside on our right with many trees that would catch my fall so there were no worries and I could fully immerse myself in this Forest-bathing-like experience. And while I am a big fan of vast views, this intimate encounter in this forest home might just have been my favorite part of the hike; apart from the tree alley at Ban-Dessus.

After another short section on the open meadows facing the valley towards Glovelier, we entered the one section of the hike that did pose a challenge for me in terms of exposedness and hight. It is short and I do find, that -if you can- it is worth it to challenge yourself to do it. Because you would miss a lot of beautiful scenery and pathways if not. If in the future I should find another pathway from here on, I will share it!

The path is narrow and is exposed on the left side towards the Clos du Doubs. I am sure the views are beautiful but I kept my eyes steady on my feet and the path ahead. Sadly it got slightly more uncomfortable, when we had to walk next to a busy carroad, while still sort of on the ridge for the last 12 meters. After that challenging bit, we walked for a short while on the road, which is always slightly stressful but was doable. Further down we came by a little stone bench, where we made a short rest and I could after all still admire the view of the Clos du Doubs behind the safety of a stonewall.

Luckily the part on the main road is relatively short and we soon branched off to our right into the valley at Moebrai. We encountered some more grazing cows, before entering the Combe du Bé, a refreshingly cool valley, through which we descended on a wide gravelroad all the way to Glovelier where we enjoyed some well deserved rest and a cold drink at the trainstation.

Click here to see the hike on SchweizMobil

---

This was a truly beautiful and in a way a surprisingly varied hike. It has very few ascents and yet many beautiful vistas.

I time and again understand why the Franches Montagnes hold such a magic to me. The vastness up here is so special and unique in my eyes and it is not easy to pinpoint exactly what makes it so special. The untouched mythical nature and the promise of another fascinating path around every corner are reasons, why I never get bored of hiking up here.

Sadly that little exposure at the end can be challenging. It was for me. But worth it nonetheless, especially if you have company that helps you through it. And isn’t that something we all sometimes need?😉 While I deeply enjoy the solitude while hiking, it is in those moments that I am glad to have reassuring company of people that know me and who I trust fully. And though the silence on a Solo Hike is truly appreciated by me, I cherish the unique and inspiring conversations that come up while walking with other people. They are built on an often deeper process of thoughts that maybe can only appear to oneself in this setting and in union with nature, so that a little group of hikers becomes a little group of philosophers – even if only for a couple of hours😊

Bollement to St. Brais to Glovelier

Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) With a T2 adjacent section Length: 12.57 km Duration: 3:19 h

Some more useful facts about this hike

• The challenging exposed section starts around the 8 km mark and lasts for about 30 meters
• There is a little shop in St. Brais, if you would want to buy some snacks; it is however not always open. The next options for food and drinks are in Glovelier, where you can also take the train.
• The stop in Bollement is a “stop on demand”.