Jura Route
Overview
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Distance 57 km
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Ascent 1000 m
Intro
With the bustle of Basel still in your ears, climb the first Jura heights, find your stride along the richly wooded waters of La Lucelle, the Swiss-French border, and dive into the gently rolling Ajoie countryside.
Description
The first stage of the Jura Route starts at the Schifflände boat dock near Basel's oldest Rhine crossing. The Middle Bridge over the Rhine is regarded as the border between the High Rhine and the Upper Rhine. The bridge was built for the first time in the 13th century. Several centuries were to elapse before the second Rhine crossing was opened. It was not until 1879 that the Wettstein Bridge was built to keep the venerable "Middleri Brugg" company. Although the cycle tracks are good, concentration is called for: there is plenty to see here in this city on the Rhine Knee that is famed for its Fasnacht carnival – houses old and new, large and small, some grey, some in different shades. The green gardens are often peppered with a pleasing if chaotic mix of bright colours.
Most of the trams here are also green. Until you reach Flüh, the route keeps hugging the line of the No. 10 tram (or "Drämmli", to use the local word). At this point, where you finally reach the canton of Solothurn, you have definitely left the city behind you. The municipality of Hofstetten-Flüh is directly adjacent to the French border. As a cyclist, you can enjoy glimpses of young calves, meek horses, grunting pigs, chomping cows or even the illustrious ostrich. At Mariastein, the most renowned place of pilgrimage in north-western Switzerland, it is well worth visiting the Benedictine monastery. After the village of Metzerlen – famed for its pumpkins – you tackle a short climb to the Chall Pass (746 meters), giving you a first foretaste of the stages of the Jura Route that lie ahead. At the top, you can admire beautiful views of Basel in the distance, the Sundgau region and further into Alsace. The slightly bumpy but nevertheless pleasant route through the Challhöchi Forest makes you want to take a snooze somewhere in the forest, in a hammock slung between two trees.
The countryside along the banks of the river Lucelle – or Lützel – is also like something out of a fairytale. This river often switches its allegiance: it seems unable to decide clearly between the Haut-Rhin region on the French side and the cantons of Solothurn, Baselland and Jura on the Swiss side. The mill near the Moulin Neuf Restaurant harks back to a different era. On a broad stretch of meadowland, a herd of cows courteously follow the loud cries of their leader. Lucelle is also the name of the small village as well as the even smaller lake in the nature conservation zone here. In the distant past, Cistercian monks settled near Lake Lucelle and erected buildings here. The last section of this stage is extremely beautiful, with superb views across vast fields, finally taking you via Charmoille and Cornol to Courgenay rail station.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
Basel
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Courtemautruy
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| Ascent |
1000 m
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| Descent |
720 m
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| Distance |
57 km
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| Distance on tarred ways |
53 km
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| Distance on natural surface |
4 km
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| Physical requirements |
Difficult
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Quick Facts
Route number
