From Payerne to Moudon

Having walked in stages from Basel to Payerne, I just had one stage left to walk in order to meet up with the classic and official Via Jacobi that runs all the way from Lake Constanz to Geneva. And so I left Payerne on a cold December morning. This would be the easiest of all the stages; completely flat, and at 22.5km, not unreasonably long.
The route follows the river La Broye. There are levees built up along the sides of the river to prevent flooding, and the trail runs along the top of the levee. Gradually, I left Payerne town centre behind, and then the industrial edge of the town. Then I was into the countryside.

The route is pleasant, but relatively uninteresting. After a while, the riverbank is just the riverbank, and it continues on for mile after mile. After some time, I came to the village of Granges-pres-Marnand. But even that is almost entirely on the other side of the river, so unless I was willing to take a detour, I would pass it by. And I was unwilling to take that detour, so I passed it by, though I was treated to a pleasant view of the little settlement of Les Vuarennes on the southern edge of the village.

And then it was just more riverbank. Even Charly seemed bored.

Eventually I came to the little town of Lucens. The town has its industrial zone close to the river, with the older heart of the town close to the castle on the hill above.

Lucens’ claim to fame is that it is the home of a museum dedicated to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. Even though Switzerland is a relatively small country, and even though he is not a Swiss creation, it manages to host two museums dedicated to the fictional detective. One is in Meiringen, close to the Reichenbach Falls, and the other is in Lucens. It was set up by Adrian Conan Doyle, sone of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and is regarded as having the better replica of the rooms at 221B Baker Street. Alas, the museum was closed when I was passing, so perhaps I should come back another day.
After Lucens, the trail leaves the riverbank for a short distance to reach the village of Curtilles. I first came to the village church, and interesting building. There has been a church on that site since the 11th century. The current structure is less old, but is old enough to have several interesting features, including faded, but still colourful frescoes on the north wall.

It is at Curtilles that the route south from Basel joins the main Via Jacobi, the official route from Lake Constanz to Geneva. It winds through farmland to once again reach the riverbank beside La Broye.

I came this way before a few years ago. That was in sunshine, with the trees in leaf, but now the trees were bare. And so I came at last to Moudon, with its railway station and the train home to Basel. I have completed this less-than-official alternative Via Jacobi.
Finally, my step count for the day: 38892.