From Wasserfallen to Basel

Having reached Wasserfallen on my last outing, all that remained of my 2022 Swiss walking project was to get back to Basel. A review of the maps and the route recommended in the 2006 guidebook suggested that I could do that in one day. It would not be easy, but possible.

So it was that on the last weekend of October, I went back to Wasserfallen to walk this last piece of the way from Luzern. It had to be that weekend, because to get to Wasserfallen, I would use the cablecar. It runs on a summer schedule up to the end of October, starting at 9 o’clock each morning. In November, and through the winter, it does not start operating until 10 o’clock. With a long walk in prospect, that hour was important.

The bus dropped me in Reigoldswil, and from there it is a short walk to the cablecar station. Once the cablecar deposited me at Wasserfallen, my route was to go back down the hill again. The route twists and turns as it descends, mostly through the forest, but sometimes under the cableway, and in those places, it affords a good view of the valley below.

Once I reached Reigoldswil again, I went straight through the village and out to the west. My route from Wasserfallen was following regional route 32, the Via Surprise. I am not sure why it was given that name, but for me the only surprise was that having come down from Wasserfallen to Reigoldswil, I was once again heading uphill as soon as I left the village. I had descended 400m from Wasserfallen to Reigoldswil, and then I had to ascend 150m on leaving the village. That brought me to Bärsberg, and from there I could see a gradual descent ahead towards Eichenhof.

That gradual descent continues for a kilometre through open country before going into a forest. In the forest, I met a local. He told me I would come across his dog a little further on, that the dog was tied to a tree on a long lead, but not to worry, the dog was ten years old and would not stop anyone. As we fell to talking, he asked was I going to Seewen. Yes, I replied, and I told him I was going farther, to Dornach. He seemed surprised, telling me that would be a very long walk. So I told him I had already come from Wasserfallen. I was not really going to Dornach, but if I told him I was going even farther, all the way to Basel, he might think I was crazy. He commented on my rucksack, saying I must have provisions for the whole day. We both laughed, and then I was on my way again.

I went on, crossing the road at Weiherhof and passing the Baslerweier lake. The lake is artificial and was built in 1870 to provide a water reservoir for Basel. It is also a popular place for fishing. Just a short distance after the Baslerweier, I found myself coming into Seewen. The village had a gruesome episode in its recent past. In 1976, a small family group of five people gathered at their chalet to celebrate the Pentecost festival. All were shot on June 5^th. A walker found them the next day. There were many theories as to the motive for the murders, one  theory based on one of the victims’ Nazi past, while another theory focused on one victim who held a senior position in the company that is now Novartis. Eventually, the police focused on the nephew of one of the victims, and while there was circumstantial evidence, there was not enough evidence to bring the case to court. Another suspect was identified in 1996 after the murder weapon was found quite by chance, but that suspect could not be found. Switzerland has a 30-year statute of limitations for murder, and even after that expired in 2006, no one has been found responsible for the crime. It remains one of the worst unsolved crimes in recent Swiss history.

On a happier note, Seewen is better known today for having a museum of musical automata. It is part of the system Swiss federal museums. Someday, I must visit there, but I still had a significant distance still to go, so I did not stop in Seewen.

Going uphill again on the trail out of Seewen, I came across an elderly couple enjoying the late autumn sunshine. It’s tough going up that hill, the man said to me in German as I came near them. It is indeed, I replied back to him, and I am not getting any younger. We both laughed, and I went on.

The trail goes between the villages of Hochwald and Büren, reaching the Gempenplateau, before descending slightly into Gempen itself. On the way out of Gempen, the Via Surprise take a loop to the west for no apparent good reason. I, and several other people, took a trail that cut across the loop, going over a small hill. I came to a bench and stopped for rest and refreshments. By this time, the day was well advanced, and there were plenty of people out for their Sunday exercise. It was nice to sit and just watch the other walkers for a little while, but I was soon on my way again. The trail goes downhill a little to the cherry orchards at Stollenhäuser.

Just a little further on, my route left the Via Surprise, and took to lesser trails. At one stage, I found myself passing border marking stones. They dated from the seventeenth century. The map did not show a border at this point, so I am not sure what border they represented. Later as I walked through some fields, the first signs of Basel city were visible. The two Roche towers came into view. The increasing number of people out walking was another sign that I was getting near the city. And soon after that, I reached the Rüttihard Holzbrücke, one of very few wooden bridges in Basel Stadt and Basel Lanschaft cantons. The bridge was built originally by Swiss army engineers during the years 1914-1915. It need repair in the 1940s, and this was once again done by the Swiss army in 1947. Today, it is used almost entirely by walkers and cyclists.

After the Rüttihard bridge, me route took me along the banks of the Birs river, through some woods, and past the St. Jakob stadium. After that, the trail follows a flood margin alongside the river. I turned off that trail at Breite, and followed the streets towards the city centre, through the St. Albantor. I planned to go to the Münster as the official point of arrival in Basel, but with the crowds there for the annual Herbstmesse, I avoided that, and went on to Schifflände instead.

My walk was now officially completed, and my 2022 Swiss project realised. I had walked from Basel to Stans, and then back from Luzern by a different route. It is time to start thinking of projects for 2023.

My step count for the day 52,685.