The Confident Hiker

January 2024

Sometimes choosing a hike is not an easy task. There are so many options to choose from. From official marked long distance hikes to the many many smaller “yellow hiking path lines” on the map. The possibilities are almost infinite. So I do what I usually do when I have to choose an outfit: I pick one key piece and build the rest oft the outfit around that key piece. Sam’s wish to see a castle or ruin was a perfect start to get the planning going.

From a Google search on castles in Switzerland, the “Château de Löwenbourg” stood out to us. Located in the municipality of Pleigne in the canton Jura, it consists of a castle ruin as well as an old priory, which has been included in the cantonal and federal register of monuments. And just like that we found the key piece, the “heart of our hike”.

Ederswiler to Asuel

Ederswiler is a 30 minute bus drive from Delémont and is a small municipality with about 112 citizens. When getting out of the bus we stepped right into the rain. But having prepared ourselves for the weather conditions, it didn’t bother us at all – according to the motto: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”.

Following the hiking sign to Löwenburg, we left the little village behind us over an asphalt road, with the sun ahead of us trying to break through the clouds and raindrops dripping onto the hood of our rain jackets. It was for the both of us a completely new region to discover (I am always surprised that this is still possible so close to home) and we were instantly captivated by the mystical atmosphere and the far-reaching views over meadows, forests and rough rock formations.

Passing by a farm with a herd of curious cows we got our first glimpse of the ruins nestled in the forest. As the sky opened up, sunbeams lit up the old ruin walls. It was truly a magical sight and felt, as if nature prepared this spectacle just for us, right in time. Passing through the forest, the hiking path lead directly to the entry of the ruin after about 40 minutes of walking and could be accessed over a small wooden bridge. The view was absolutely breathtaking and with the rain having stopped and the sky opening up, it was the perfect time, to take a first little rest and have a “second breakfast” with a delicious “chausson au pommes” from my favorite bakery in Delémont, “Chez Werth”.

We tried to retrace the structure of the ruins and imagine how it must have looked like, when still inhabited in the 13th and 14th century. We pictured the entrance hall, the kitchen, where a warm meal was being cooked and the hall where joyful festivals were held and it felt as though the ghosts of the castles inhabitants were still lingering around. It is in those moments, that I wish, I could travel back in time – just for a moment. But for now, we enjoyed the solitude within those ruins, filled with its rich history, and the truly fascinating view over the Alsace.

After another 10 minutes of walking we reached the old priory Le Löwenburg, which is well maintained, inhabited and owned by the “Christoph Merian Foundation” of Basel. It is a biological Agricultural business specialized in suckler cow husbandry, which also organizes educative programs as well as various activities to protect and promote plant and animal biodiversity. There is even a little museum, which we sadly didn’t visit owing to a shortage of time. It is open from Monday to Sunday from 8h-18h. I was intrigued by the place and the calm welcoming energy I felt surrounding it.

The path continued on a gravel road with a slight and gentle ascend, continuing to offer us breathtaking views. The rain and the gusts of wind didn’t really bother us; if anything they made the atmosphere that much more special. Passing by the Grosswald, we reached the Moulin de Bavalier after half an hour and a short descent into the valley. Walking besides the little river Ruisseau de Bavalier, we made it to La Lucelle, the river between Switzerland and France that we would be following for a large section of the remaining hike to Lucelle.

Although the hiking path not only follows the river but also the car road, it was hardly noticed. In total we heard about 5 cars driving by so it doesn’t seem to be a very busy road. The hiking trail was at times – owing to the rainy and stormy weather of the past days – rather muddy and slippery. So we proceeded with care. Apart from this though it is a very comfortable simple path to walk on; it stays very even and I can imagine it is especially on a hot summers day a welcome cooling section to enjoy with it’s moss covered trees and stones and the gurgling calm river.

After about 1 hour 15 we reached the hamlet of Lucelle at the french border. Lucelle doesn’t offer much to see. But the old abbey (situated in the french part) is an impressive first sight upon exiting the forest and the reservoir is a nice spot for a lunch break, which is what we did. Even though it was very windy, we enjoyed the view and the serenity at the lake. There would even be a restaurant, that I would have loved to visit for a hot chocolate but it was closed (a theme that ran through both hiking days – beware of early January in the Jura it seems).

From Lucelle we started our ascent to the highest point of todays section at only 743 meters, heading direction Pleujouse.

We slowly climbed up the flanks of the range of hills Les Aidjolats from where we were offered yet another stunning view over rolling hills and countless treetops, bathed in warm afternoon sunlight against the backdrop of a sky that was unsure whether it wants to be gray or blue which resulted in a beautiful light play of various shades of gray and blue.

We must have been so amazed by the atmosphere, that we missed the junction of the hiking trail and only noticed it about 5 minutes later. So what you will see on my map is the path we took instead for a small portion of the way. I can’t speak to the original hiking path but I enjoyed our little unintentional alternative.

From here it was a short descent through the forest to Pleujouse, where we payed a visit to another castle, which also is a restaurant; sadly it was closed and we were again denied the pleasure of a hot chocolate or a cold beer. But being so beautifully located, we both promised ourselves to once come back for a dinner as well as to revisit our new four legged friend that welcomed us to the castle 😊

As often are the rules of hiking, there is a final challenge before arriving at your destination. Here it presented itself in the form of an unexpectedly steep ascent out of the village. Having arrived at the top, it was as good a reason as any to make a final stop, eat something and enjoy the sunbeams and the absolute silence apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind. It must have been so peaceful, that we both almost fell asleep on each others shoulders…

But as serene as the moment was, we also grew eager to arrive at our little BnB, take off the shoes and enjoy a warm shower. So we marched on. After another half hour we arrived in Asuel, a little village nestled in the valley. Our hopes of getting our hot chocolate in the “Cheval Blanc“, which we presumed to be a Restaurant were crushed yet again, as the place was closed. Being too early for our Check In and having nowhere else to go for a drink, we decided to visit our last castle for today. The castle Hasenburg, now a ruin, on a 667 meter high hill right above the village was destroyed in 1374 but was later rebuilt. The ascent is short but rather steep; sadly the ruins are no longer accessible for safety reasons. But we still got a glimpse of the ruins over the fence.

After heading back down, we made our way to the BnB, conveniently located at the main street. We got a warm welcome and a nice cozy studio room. The host Janine prepared us a delicious Fondue, after which we fell into bed and a deep sleep.

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Asuel to Delémont

The next morning started with a carefully prepared breakfast, some cat cuddling, a little chat with Janine and a very grey, rainy sky. We left Asuel behind us, following the river Ruisseau de l’ Erveratte towards the starting point of what we knew to be a long ascent towards the mountain top of Le Gyps. The path is very comfortable, being a wide gravel road and there was luckily no challenge for me whatsoever in terms of height or exposedness.

After having put about 300 meters in elevation behind us, our path ended up on the “Chemin du Jura” (a 5 section hike from Delémont to Saignelégier) which we would follow for the remainder of the hike.

We now walked the first bit on the ridge before entering a big field at the farm of Plaimbois. This marked the start of todays section that I was a bit concerned about. I came to learn, that walks on “the ridge” can mean different things and that they are quite often not labelled as T2 sections but are still frequently very exposed and therefore challenging for me. This first roughly 20 meters luckily weren’t. From the field at the farm we enjoyed the view even though it was quite obstructed by the low hanging clouds and fog. But impressive nonetheless.

From here the path lead back up on the ridge and this part I experienced to be a bit more challenging than the first one. It is important to note, that on one side there is space next to the path to “fall on” if it gets too scary. And on the other side there are lots of trees, that somewhat obscure the view downwards. So those roughly 50 meters were feasible and also worth the effort: because the path in itself is very nice and had a special atmosphere to it.

The path now led out of the forest down from the ridge over a hilly meadow where we were again offered another amazing view. Much like the path and the landscape the weather was very “up and down”. After a dry 20 minutes the raindrops now slowly started falling down again. Luckily after having passed the highest point of todays section, Les Ordons, we reached a public cabin right in time. And although we couldn’t enter it, the sheltered tables outside were enough for us to make a break for lunch. Since it was still another 2 hours and 45 minutes, we didn’t stay too long and made our way back on the road.

The next long section led over a long straight asphalt road; which, once again, I am sure that with a clearer sky the view from up here would have a lot to offer. But we enjoyed our walk nonetheless with the rhythmic trickle of rain on our hoods paired with Sams “walking stick stomp” – Hiking Score Volume 1😄.

At La Ventolière the hiking path branched off and after a short section over a grassy field, we crossed the main car road over to a wide gravel road, that we would be following in an almost straight line for about 2.5 km until La haute Borne. Here the path started to lead us downhill towards Delémont through the dense forest before guiding us to an asphalt road via the Pâturage de Gentie-Pran, which we followed before getting back on a very muddy path.

Descents are always challenging (sometimes almost more so than ascents) but especially after having already hiked for a couple of hours and starting to feel slightly tired. Add to that the very muddy, wet and slippery path and it is a recipe for occasional slip and-almost- falls and annoyed grunts. So we took our time with going down and still enjoyed the calm atmosphere of the forest and shelter under the tall trees. The descent did luckily not prove challenging in any way in terms of height.

After another section through the forest, we ended up on the same asphalt road from earlier. Over pastures we headed towards Delémont, which was drenched in an ocean of fog. Shortly thereafter we reached the first streets and houses of the Jura capital.

The path leads directly through the old village and to the trainstation. We were very happy, that we had parked our car in Delémont the day before and could without any rush make our way downhill.

Arriving home, we were greeted by a very happy and longing Yuki, smelling every inch of our muddy shoes and not leaving our sight for the rest of the evening. What a nice way to return home after a rainy but beautiful adventure😊.

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Our hopes of visiting one castle were exceeded by a total of 3 castles in one day; so already by that standard alone the hiking route was a success. But also apart from that, this hike provided so many of my favorite elements; lush forests, vast views, a big diversity in terms of path and trail sections and a great amount of enchantment and mysticism. I am eager to repeat both sections again at a later time in the year – I am sure, Summer will be a wonderful time to hike in that area. But for now, I treasure the magical January atmosphere we got to experience.

I often forget the merit of hikes that lead you right through history like this hike did on our first day. Sure, everywhere we walk there is history to it – every tree, every meadow, every mountain has a story to tell that goes a lot further back than the time I have lived; but those places, those ruins, ancient roads, old farmhouses – they allow us to transport ourselves back in time and remind us, that we are just another stop in a history that will (hopefully) reach far beyond our existence.

Day 1: Ederswiler to Asuel	Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) Length: 18.11 km Duration: 4:53 h Ascent/Descent: 577m/557m
Day 2: Asuel to Delémont	Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) Length: 15.26 km Duration: 4:21 h Ascent/Descent: 528m/663m

Some more useful facts about this hike

• Between Ederswiler and Asuel there are no shops, bakeries etc. So it is worth it to stack up on some provisions in Delémont for the road. You’d pass some restaurants, but as written above: there is a chance that none of them are open😉
• In Asuel itself there are no shops neither, so technically you also have to be prepared for day 2 in terms of food as you don’t really pass through any villages during the hike from Asuel to Delémont.
• It is good to plan the travel to Ederswiler ahead of time, since the buses drive very rarely.