Ascent to Jaman

Having gone to bed rather late, I didn't get the early start I could have done with. It was nearly noon by the time I left the house. The sun was no longer shining and low cloud had moved in. Even so, I took the funicular railway from behind Church House 300m uphill to Glion for the train cremaillère and ascend as far as the station at the Col de Jaman. I decided not to go right to the top to Rochers de Naye at 2,000m, not knowing for sure how deep the cloud layer would be. Last time I went to the top, a long time ago, we saw nothing. We arrived in cloud, and it was snowing.

By the time the train reached 1,000 Caux, we were above the cloud and the sky was endlessly blue, and the higher we went, the more complete was the coverage of snow, although it didn't look all that deep to me. The railways halt at Jaman has a snack bar, but opens only when the single ski lift is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. I imagine it's open more regularly at other times of year when the Col is a paradise for walkers.

It was a sheer delight to walk on the snow under bright blue skies in the sun. There was no wind, so it didn't feel cold, but I had the mountainside to myself! It was rather strange to be so alone in this fast space. I felt a little vulnerable, and was very careful, climbing up on to the ski slope to get a broader view for photos.

A railway worker had also boarded the train at Glion, having carried half a dozen steel girders across from the railway siding, and placed them in the baggage truck at the front of the train, whose main job is to carry skis, and supplies for the restaurant at the very top. The train stopped for him at the end of a roofed cutting on the line 50m from the halt. The girders were unloaded there and placed on a rack attached to a snowmobile parked nearby. By the time I got off the train, he was starting up the snowmobile and drove off down the hill.

I walked for about half an hour above the halt, then headed back to wait for the returning train. Soon the railway worker reappeared and sat at one of the picnic tables outside the snack bar, and started eating his lunch. The distinctive sound of the cog wheel train coming out of the tunnel that links the the Col to the summit announced its approach. We boarded about ten minutes later, and descended at much the same pace as we ascended, enabling me to catch some views of the mountainside that I missed on the way up, before going back into the cloud layer at 800m.

These weather conditions are typical of what we lived with at the other end of the lake for much of the winter. We were fortunate to be able to drive up into the Jura and do ski de fond in blue skies above the cloud. Happy days - and such a lovely memory of today to take home with me.

Ascent to Glion

Late this morning we took a ride on the funicular railway up to Glion, ascending 300 metres on a very steep track over which the road and motorway snake on high bridges. The trip only takes a few minutes and your ears pop as you ascend. It's a single track with a passing place in the middle for the two carriages which make up the train to pass each other. There's also a small station halt at Collonges, near the crossover point. None of this is visible from below, so this few minutes ascent was a journey of discoveries and wonderful views of Lac Leman and the French Alpes beyond.

The train which goes from Montreux to Rochers de Naye has a station at Glion, which it shares with the funicular railway, so you can book a ticket to go all the way from Territet to the top at 1900m. It's a trip we've promised ourselves to make in coming weeks. Near the station there's a large hotel building of the mid nineteenth century, standing in its own manicured gardens overlooking the lake, with superb views. Formerly the Hotel du Righi Vaudois, it's been closed and empty for over fifteen years, so passers by can enjoy the private view once enjoyed by its clients. the gardens are still being maintained, perhaps by the Commune.

We had lunch on the leafy terrace of Cafe de Jaman near the station. Clare had Roesti with goats cheese and I had a generous plate of Spaghetti Carbonara. We were both taken aback by how costly this simple repast turned out to be, but never mind, this is a rare experience to relish. Afterwards we found the Temple de Glion, which has a plain whitewashed interior. It looks far older on the outside, although it was built just before the first World War. It has a fine arcaded terrace overlooking the lake, resembling a cloister, an unusual and attractive feature. 

We decided to walk down from Glion on a route which had flights of steps as well as footpaths. It took far longer than we imagined. Heaven knows how long it would take to climb up! We were both tired and with wobbly legs when we finally reached St John's. We'll pay for this tomorrow with stiff legs I'm afraid.