Overview

Switzerland boasts 65,000km of marked walking trails. Among the many regional and local trails, there are seven iconic National Routes that traverse the entire country from east to west, north to south. 

Swiss National Route 5 (NR5), the Jura Crest, starts in the town of Dielsdorf outside of Zurich and transverses a sweeping arc northwestward and then southwestward along the entire length of the Swiss Jura before finishing in Nyon, not far from Geneva.

NR5 is broken into 15 stages with the logic being that a reasonably fit walker can complete one stage per day without too many worries.

The scenery is breathtaking and sometimes mundane. Both help us find our way back to who we are.

This Big Walk will start at the beginning of the 5th stage of NR5, in the Jura mountain town of Balsthal. We will progress over a 6-day period, starting on Sunday June 21st. The plan is to complete 7 of the 15 NR5 stages, ending with a traverse of the iconic Creux du Van on Friday June 26th.

Each night, we will stay in hotels, usually 3-star, but we wont book in advance.

The Route

 The Switzerland Mobility app maps all the NR5 stages. Here’s what it says about the overall route:

The Jura Crest Trail is considered the classic among national long-distance trails. Signalization of the route, starting at Zurich and ending just before Geneva, began as early as 1905. The Jura Crest Trail links Zurich and Geneva in a sweeping arc.

Running through two language regions, the long trail has extensive views and offers discovery of a varied landscape. A respite from everyday hustle and bustle and mass tourism. 

Here’s a summary of the proposed 6-day walk:

Total Distance:                                             135km

Total Elevation Gain:                                   6,530m

Total Descent:                                              5,910m

Average walking time per day:                  7:00 hours

Average walking distance per day:           22.5km

Average elevation gain per day:                1,090m

Average descent per day:                          985m

Logistics

More information to follow. 

Hotels 

As we progress along the route, we will book hotels as we arrive into each specific town each evening. There are many very nice 3-star hotels that are wonderfully comfortable, most family run and that have nice restaurants.

Costs 

The cost to participate in the 6-dayBig Walk comprises a Registration Fee and all transport, hotel, food and drink costs.

The total cost is: CHF2,400.

Participants are responsible for all their costs getting to the start of the walk and getting home again once the walk has concluded.

Medical & Insurance 

Medical insurance is compulsory for everyone who lives in Switzerland but if you don’t live in Switzerland, please do get some travel/medical insurance to cover the period of the walk. 

It's critical that everyone understands that everyone taking part in the walk does so at their own risk. I do not employ qualified guides on the walks. We will walk on the same basis as a group of friends who go out walking together and who invite others to join them. I assume no responsibility for anyone joining the walk and so will not be held responsible for any accident, injury or loss occurring as a result of anything that happens on the walk. By joining the walk, you indicate that you accept these conditions and accept that no legal liability is accepted by me or anyone in the group in the event of accident or injury, however caused. I do remind you that you need good equipment including boots, waterproofs etc. and that these are not supplied. You're all responsible for assessing your own risk and safety. While accepting no responsibility or liability for the walk, I do reserve the right to not admit anyone to join the walk if I think they're ill-equipped for the terrain or the weather conditions. 

Equipment & Things to Bring 

A list of suggested equipment will be sent out to each interested participant. The key will be to travel as light as possible.