Iam proposing a few small hikes of varying
degrees of difficulty, to let you see new things, get
some fresh air and relax a bit. Don’t forget: doing
nothing is bad for your health. Here’s hoping you
have fun hiking in pleasant and sunny weather.
Take the autoroute towards the Valais, and exit
at Chexbres. The starting-point is at the train-station
parking lot. Head west, and bear right along
the paths to La Chapelle, Puidoux and Lac de Bret.
At the 676 point on map 1243 (see below) of the
hike, at the end of the lake, there is a very pleasant
spot to have a little snack. Follow along to the end
of the lake, cross the road and head in the direction
of Corbessière (point 792), Gourze and,
finally, Tour de Gourze. To arrive at this tower,
after a fairly steep climb over the last kilometre,
you need to climb 43 more steps to arrive at the
base of the tower and then 50 to reach the top (I
counted them!). This offers a superb view of the
lake to the south and, to the north, of the Vaud
countryside.
Return by way of l’Arabie and le Crotet. Once
you have reached the autoroute and the train, take
the set of stairs that pass underneath and – careful! – take the stairs to the left that follow the train
tracks. The vineyards are beautiful in the fall.
Head towards Signal, then Chexbres.
The first part of this route is through fields and
woods until the tower; the return is through the
vineyards.
The hike lasts about 3 hours, 45 minutes, for a
change in altitude of 365 metres. You can eat at
the tower.
For more details, see Randonnées en Suisse
romande, Kummerly/Coop Presse.
Also indispensable, official map No. 1243 of the
Fédération suisse de tourisme pédestre (Office
fédéral de topographie).
Don’t forget to wear good hiking boots and
weather-suitable clothing.
Good trekking!
(English translation by David Winch)
