Distance walked: 18 miles
The second day and another long stretch which took us through the lakeside town of Montreux, home of the famous annual jazz festival and into the beginning of the alps.
Keen to make another early start we met at 07.00, left the hotel and walked for 5 minutes in search of a bakery for breakfast. After a substantial pot of bircher with berries and a coffee we were on our way.
We had each purchased a large ciabatta which was filled with mozzarella and tomatos and these were tucked away into our backpacks for lunch later.
We made our way back to the waterfront to begin today’s stage of the VF.
This morning wasn’t as sunny as the previous day and the clouds gave a dramatic appearance over the lake.
Chairs which are fixed to the rocks are dotted around and these were put to good use last night by couples and friends who enjoyed sitting on them to watch the sunsetting over Lake Geneva.
Still in Vevey we walked along the promanade passing the lake to our right and well kept parks to our left.
The path left the lake for a short time and as we walked towards Montreux we noticed the large and exclusive lakeside dwellings of the weathy.
Back by the lake.
Once in Montreux sculptures and colourful and well maintained flowers and plants lined the entire 3.5 km walkway. We felt that we were walking alongside a long botanical garden!
The Montreux Palace is a luxury 5 star hotel where the rich and famous stay, especially for the annual jazz festival which takes place in early July each year.
We came across a bronze statue of Freddie Mercury who lived in Montreux. This was the place where Queen recorded several albums in nearby studios.
The sun broke through the clouds as we left Montreux and walked into Chillon.
The 11th century Chillon castle is popular with tourists and visits and guided tours can be booked. The castle is located on a tiny limestone island called Chillon.
It was here that we obtained our first pilgrim passport stamp of the trip! 🙂 We each had an official Via Francigena Credential document which shows proof of our journey and identifies us as official pilgrims!
Further around Lake Geneva, we walked past a grassy picnic area and next we arrived in Villeneuve. Here we ventured slightly away from the official route in search of a coffee shop. Villeneuve was the last lakeside town of the VF and from here we turned towards the mountains.
By now it was 11.20 but most cafes seem to close between 11.00 – 14.00! Thankfully the above coffee shop was open so the 4 of us had a drink each and Chris and I shared a few sneaky bites of the ciabatta (from the bakery this morning) between us.
Following the signs, the official VF route took us away from the lake and through a residential area of Villeneuve.
Prior to the trip, while doing some research, guidance strongly recommended the use of trekking poles particularly for the forthcoming descent from the Great St Bernard Pass into the Aosta Valley in a few days time.
Research also suggested that trekking poles are not permitted as aircraft carry-on luggage. I didn’t want to risk my newish and expensive Black Diamond poles being confiscated meaning I didn’t take them and therefore had no poles with me.
Thankfully a large Decathlon store was located in a retail park next to our VF route so Chris and I called in and purchased budget trekking poles at a cost of £14.50 per pair. Cheap enough for potentially temporary usage but hopefully good enough for the rest of this trip!
Straight after Decathlon we left Villeneuve and were in the countryside. Or not quite. While it looks idyllic, this next stretch was adjacent to smelly sewerage treatment plant.
The small villlage of Roche was up next but we didn’t stop here.
We left Roche and continued along next to the railway line for a few more kilometres.
We stopped at this grassy bank to have a break and finish off the second half of our ciabattas.
We walked up a hill and ended todays walk in a small village called Yvorne. The official end of this stage is Aigle but Russell had been unable to find any accommodation there so we finished this stage about 25 minutes early.
Entry to this auberge wasn’t immediately apparent so Russelll called them and was given an access code.Our en-suite room was bright and airy and we had a pleasant view of the small hamlet below.
As there were no restaurants in Yvorne, after checking in, settling into our rooms, having showers, doing some washing etc we met up again with Russell and Roza and at 5.30 pm walked down a hill for 25 minutes into Aigle. (So technically, we did finish the official stage today :-))
We found an Italian restaurant called ‘Nonna’s’ where I had an amazing aubergine, courgette and pepper pasta dish. This was huge and contained good carbs in preparation for tomorrows hike!
Together with the meal, I had some local Aigle house wine 20 cl was about £8 and tasted good.
The market town of Aigle (which is French for ‘eagle’) is located in the scenic Rhone valley and is on the road into the Alps. It was the last stop of todays stage. Aigle is surrounded by vineyards of the Chablais wine region.
I noticed several bike features around the town and found that Aigle is the World Cycling Centre with the headquarters of the International Cycling Union being located there.
Following dinner, the four of us walked back for 25 minutes to our auberge in Yvorne.
Another great day and thanks to the ongoing perfect walking weather, our waterproofs stayed firmly in our packs again.
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