I haven’t hiked since last summer. During my Welsh residency, I bought a couple of hiking books, tried to follow them, and still got lost more often than not. Since I feared I wasn’t strong enough for a long hike, I decided to hike part of Switzerland’s Toblerone Trail.
No, it isn’t a trail constructed from chocolate bars. In fact, the chocolate got its name from the trail. The Swiss built a series of tank-repelling fortifications during World War II. These concrete dragons teeth weigh 9 tons each (source: Wikipedia) and were designed to thwart a German tank invasion. At roughly five feet tall, no tanks could power over them.
Today, the line starts near Lake Geneva in Gland and goes up to Bassins in the Swiss Jura, almost 14 kilometers one way. I didn’t hike the whole thing, because by the time I found the first set of teeth, I was about to collapse. My map claimed the line started at the train station in Nyon, 5 kilometers away from Gland. I wandered along the rail line, through apartment blocks, across a soccer field, past a castle and public swimming hole, through a golf course, and FINALLY found the dang toblerones.
Enjoy the photos of the Toblerone Trail. I almost fainted to get them!!
The Swiss allowed the Toblerone Line to return to nature after the war. Spur trails lead from the main path for those who want to get up close.
World War II bunkers also stand sentinel near the Toblerone Line. Most are abandoned, like this one.
Signs like this are abundant along the Toblerone route. Still, I almost went the wrong way here.
Have you been to see the Toblerone Trail? What’s a hard trail that you have hiked?
P.S. Wondering what I’m doing in Switzerland? I’m at a The Trelex Residency in Maison Binet!
5 Comments
Has it cooled off any?
thanks for sacrificing your comfort for the actual shots of these – i’d never heard of this before, how interesting.
That is excellent. I want to go visit so badly! On a more practical, and less chocolaty notion, what kind of hiking shoes do you wear these days? Can’t be the same as your Natchez Trace hiking shoes, are they?
When I was younger we hiked up to Ice Lake in the Wallowa Mountains. We had 30 pound packs on and once we got up there we pitched our tent. It was the most beautiful hike but there were parts of it that you had to hold onto the grass as you climbed because it was so steep. One of my favorite memories.
Wonderful photos, Andra! Keep safe!
Comments are closed.