The next stage of my journey on the Via Jura followed the walk I had taken back in January. But while the terrain was the same, the walk was completely different. Naturally, in early May, there was no snow. And even though it was early morning, the sun was already shining when I stepped of the train in Delémont. I went out of town on the same route, once again crossing the Birs, and going on out into the countryside. Trees that had been white back in January were now in leaf, no longer skeletal in their form. Where there had been Christmas decorations in the village of Courroux back in January, now there were Easter decorations.
And with the pleasant weather, I was going quicker as well. I was soon through Courroux and Vicques and going up the hill to Rebeuvelier. The trail is on a small road out of Vicques, but soon goes onto a forest track going up the hill to Rebeuvelier. There, it comes back out onto a road again to go through that little village. Even after Rebeuvelier, it continues on tarred roads as it starts to gain height.
But the road runs out eventually, and then I was on track for forestry vehicles, and getting steeper. That track could take forestry vehicles, but as the ground got steeper, the trail leaves it to go through the trees, emerging into mountain meadows on higher ground later. I kept going, with the trail zig-zagging upwards until it comes to Mont Raimeux. At 1302m in height, Mont Raimeux is considered the highest point in Jura canton. It is actually on the border with Bern canton, and is somewhat disappointing, as the summit is almost flat. There are no grand peaks in Jura canton. Just below the summit, on the southern side, I came to the little settlement of Raimeux de Grandval, where there are good views of the land to the south. On a good day, you can see the Alps clearly from there.
After that, I had a steep descent through forestry to Grandval. The trail threads its way backwards and forwards to avoid the rocks and cliffy of the Forêt du Droit. Back in January, I had stopped in Grandval, but this time, I was going farther. In Grandval, I took a right turn to go through the fields just below the cliffs until I came to Belprahon.
This area is part of the Moutier district and is currently in Bern canton. The popular image of the Swiss is a combination of happy mountain dwellers along with industrious townspeople. But this can hide dissatisfaction in some places. Dissatisfaction with Bern led Jura to break away as a separate canton. Individual districts can sometimes be choosy in the allegiance as well. I have already recounted how it took two referenda for Laufen to finally decide on joining Basel-Landschaft. And in the Moutier area, there has also been dissatisfaction and referenda.
In 2017, the Moutier district held a referendum to leave Bern canton and to join Jura. For administrative reasons, the referendum was considered invalid. Another referendum was held in 2021, and with a margin of 374 votes from a total population of around 7000 people, the area decided to leave Bern. After negotiations between the two cantons, the district of Moutier will be part of Jura canton from January 2026. Interestingly, Bern also has to pay Jura 76 million Francs over a six-year period. And it is unlikely that the saga will end there. Bern has been a bilingual canton and guarantees a certain level of representation to its Jura region in the cantonal parliament. Whether it can afford to continue with the costs of bilingualism, and whether it will continue its Jura representation in parliament are open questions.
But when I came to the village of Belprahon, the local allegiance was clear. I saw several flags of Jura canton in the village, but none of Bern. For this village, it is as if psychologically, they have already switched.
I kept on going as far as Moutier itself. In Moutier, there was less evidence of the cantonal change. Moutier was the end of my journey for the day. Looking at the train timetable, I realised I had time for a beer before catching the train back to Basel. I was able to enjoy my refreshment in the afternoon sunshine before starting the train journey.
My total step count for the day was 43,543.
Walkingman 