Jura Route
Overview
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Distance 40 km
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Ascent 460 m
Intro
Neuchâtel Jura: the remote resilience of sturdy stone dwellings, droning dragonflies in the Les Ponts-des-Martel high moorland, the secret of the Green Fairy (absinth) in Val-de-Travers - all permeated by mysterious water courses.
Description
At the International Watchmaking Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, you can trace the history of chronometry from ancient Egypt through to the very latest achievements. With so many timepieces around, it's easy to forget that this city in the Jura Mountains was home to several celebrities: the automobile manufacturer Louis Chevrolet, the author Blaise Cendrars, the legendary architect Le Corbusier and Nicole Petignat, the football referee – to name but a few. Leaving the city centre, you traverse a few residential areas and quickly reach the countryside, where swallows soar around Jura farms.
The Jura drystone walls that traditionally line the paths have more or less become an integral feature of the landscape. Even though they are "cobbled together" without cement or mortar, they are stable and they offer a protected habitat for rare plant and animal species. The "Vallée de la Sagne et des Ponts" bids you a warm welcome. The high moorland terrain of Les Ponts-de-Martel is magnificent. You can walk along signed paths and footbridges to enjoy this unique district, and you can learn how peat used to be extracted as a fuel. Until well into the 20th century, peat was cut for use as a garden soil amendment or for heating purposes. Fortunately, high moorlands are now protected areas. Countless animals, plants and mellow stretches of forest with alders, pines, birches and rowan trees coexist peacefully here. Since the 13th century, Gruyère cheese has been produced on a cooperative basis in Les Ponts-de-Martel. This is also the terminus of the meter-gauge railway line that links La Chaux-de-Fonds and La Sagne with Les Ponts-de-Martel.
The Vallée des Ponts also provides a link to the Val-de-Travers. The river Areuse flows through this valley, which is renowned for the asphalt mines that were still in use until 1986. They have now been closed down, but some parts are still accessible as a museum. The Café des Mines advertises a speciality that is probably unique in the world: ham cooked in asphalt with potato gratin and salad. It is said that the miners used to prepare this dish in honour of St. Barbara. The Green Fairy – absinthe from Val-de-Travers – might have given them effective help with digesting this treat. Once you reach Fleurier, you may well cherish lasting memories of gentle hills, valleys, grazing animals, tangy cheese and sparkling streams that drain underground, only to resurface somewhere in the middle of nowhere as gurgling karst springs.
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 |
La Chaux-de-Fonds
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Fleurier
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| Ascent |
460 m
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| Descent |
720 m
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| Distance |
40 km
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| Distance on tarred ways |
40 km
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| Physical requirements |
Medium
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Quick Facts
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