In an earlier posting I described walking the first stage of the Aargauer Weg, that trail of 103 km that takes you through all that Aargau canton has to offer. The first stage took me through the hills from Frick to Aarau, the cantonal capital. This second stage starts where that one left off and goes from Aarau to Brugg. I walked it on September 2nd 2017.
When walking the first stage, I had no time to examine the sights of Aarau, so on this occasion, I was resolved that aside from walking the trail itself, I would also take some time to look at the town. Aarau was founded as a city in the 13th century, so I was hoping to find some remnants of the old city still there. So from the train station, my first steps were to the west, and then through the upper gate into the old town. I was not disappointed. The buildings don’t date back to the city’s origins, but they are old. It was early in the morning, so nothing was open. The market people were just setting up their stalls, and even the church was closed. But it was interesting to walk through the narrow streets and just feel the atmosphere.
So after that short detour, my route took me down to the river Aare. From there, I turned right, and followed the river. The trail is never far from the river as it goes downstream. It passes through a mixture of woodland and fields to come to the power station at Ruperswil. After that, the route goes across a bridge onto an island in the river. Further downstream, the route returns to the main riverbank by a pedestrian bridge. It is almost like one of the Hängebrücken, but more secure. After that, I continued along the riverbank to reach the small town of Wildegg.
Wildegg is dominated by its castle, Schloss Wildegg. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Hapsburg dynasty which ruled Austria and much of southern Germany had aspirations to rule all of what is now Switzerland as well. They held much of what is now northern Switzerland, and enforced their rule with a network of castles. Of course, many of the Swiss were not in favour of being ruled in this way, and their resistance is embodied in the legend of William Tell. The Swiss were successful, and these days it is their flag that flies over the castles. Schloss Wildegg is one of the best surviving examples of the Hapsburg Castles in Switzerland. It stands on a hill overlooking the town. The Aargauer Weg leaves the Aare and winds its way up the hill to castle gates, past the garden and into the forest behind.
My journey continued through the forest for several kilometers until I eventually emerged in sight of another castle. This one is beside the little village of Hapsburg. Unfortunately, by the time I had got that far, the weather had deteriorated, and as I emerged from the forest, it began to rain. By the time I reached the castle, it was raining heavily, but I always carry waterproof clothing so it was not a real problem. And after Hapsburg castle the route is downhill. As I approached the outskirts of Brugg, the rain stopped, and patches of blue sky were visible among the grey.
Brugg is an industrial town, with little to see, so I did not delay, but went straight to the railway station and the train home.
Altogether, I walked 42,000 steps that day.
Walkingman 