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Twice I walked on hikes that had portions of the Francigena and now I am curious to try this hiking trail. It goes from Cantebury to Rome but I don’t think I would do the first half, or if I did I could easily pop home when around Montreux.

The Francigena is a hiking trail that goes from England to Rome, passing through several European countries, of which Switzerland is one.

I am tempted by this walk because it’s “local” if I want to stretch my definition of local but also because after seeing images taken from drones, it looks nice. Another thing that appeals to me is that this hike could be quieter than those such as the various Camino routes, and doesn’t require a visa like US Thru-Hikes would.

The [Swiss section](https://schweizmobil.ch/en/hiking-in-switzerland/route-70) is 195km with 5600m of climbing and 4000m of descent. It starts near Vallorbe and ends at the Col Du St Bernard if you just want to do the Swiss route. Some stages are 19km and others are 26km days.

## And Finally

The more I hike, and see signs, the more curious I become to attempt a variety of hikes over the coming months and years.

https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/the-swiss-via-francigena-route/

#francigena #hiking #linearWalks #switzerland

Reading Time: 2 minutes

For a while I have wanted to go on linear walks but I had no groups to do that with. Now I have the opposite issue. I have groups that only do linear walks so I’m missing circular walks.

I like linear walks. I like taking the train to the start of a walk, and then walking for a day or two, and then taking the train home. As you can tell from the context I like linear walks that last more than one day. The issue with linear day hikes is that they cost 60 CHF or more per walk whereas with a car they cost a few francs, especially if you car share.

In recent weeks I have been on three linear walks, one of which was a loop anyway, because I walked from home to the start of the walk, and back, meeting a group at the half way point.

This week I could do a linear walk on Saturday but it’s going from Les Paccots Les Rosalys to Gruyère and that’s another 60 CHF trip excluding other costs. I’d be happy to do that but I think I need this weekend to be logistically more simple.

I know that I can walk up 900 meters and down 1200 meters but this will be in snow, with the possible need for crampons. My instinct tells me that the snow will be soft and melting, so the walk will not be that pleasant.

If I had the half fare travelcard I would feel warmer about the idea of doing this specific walk. Spending 60 CHF per week, 240 per month, is a lot just to go for a walk. If and when I have the half fare the decision will be simpler. It’s nice to walk from one valley to the next, and the next after that. I just need to get the half fare card next month.

## And Finally

There is a chance that it will be rainy on Sunday. If that is the case then it makes sense to do something on Saturday, and rest on Sunday.

https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/the-lazy-weekend/

#hiking #linearWalks #publicTransport