Barefoot hiking trail: endurance test on the Sentier Pieds Nus

-This post contains advertisements for the Swiss Mountain Aid-

For the fact that they always carry me reliably through the history of the world, my feet would have deserved a pampering program from time to time. But unfortunately, this is neglected in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Therefore, my interest was immediately piqued when I discovered the Sentier Pieds Nus on the list of 44 Berghilfetrophy projects; expose your feet to the fresh air for once and refresh your senses while walking over different surfaces. Walking barefoot strengthens the foot muscles and activates the venous pumps, which in turn has a positive effect on the immune system. A round on the barefoot hiking trail is not only wellness for the feet, but also stimulates body and mind. And so, after visiting the Leiternweide suspension bridge on the Sentier Pieds Nus in Rebeuvelier, I went in search of the Berghilfetrophy board with the competition code for a second time.

Warm-up: from Moutiers to Mont Raimeux

Rebeuvelier is located between Delémont and Moutier in the canton of Jura. The barefoot hiking trail with Kneipp facility is directly accessible by public transport as well as by car. But we don’t want to make it that easy for ourselves. My feet are still challenged at first. As with the Leiternweide suspension bridge, a visit to the Sentier Pieds Nus can also be easily combined with a hike.

We start our tour at the Moutier train station and after a few minutes we are at the foot of a steep, densely wooded hill. “Up there!”, I sigh and march off bravely. We are early and the gentle morning sun provides magical moments in the sparse beech forest. Inspired by this magical atmosphere, I hike briskly uphill. The constantly ascending path leads in many hairpin bends through the forest reserve until we reach the plateau of Mont Raimeux after just under an hour. Shortly before we leave the forest, a slightly hidden viewpoint beckons on the left with a magnificent view of the deeply cut Gorge de Moutier. The trail then leads through typical Jura landscapes to the highest point of the tour in Raimeux de Grandval. This route doesn’t seem to be much frequented. We don’t meet a soul on the way. Even the cows are so astonished from our appearance that they gallop away head over heels.

The highest point of the hike not only offers an unobstructed view towards the Rebeuvelier, but also forms the cantonal border between the cantons of Bern and Jura. While our ascent took place in the canton of Bern, we are now hiking downhill in the canton of Jura.

I can’t resist the bright pink wild raspberries on the side of the road and put a handful of juicy sweet berries in my mouth. Simply delicious!

Endurance test barefoot hiking trail: mud, straw and other pricking companions

Faster than expected – which is due to my energy boost during the ascent – we reach the Moulin restaurant at the entrance to Rebeuvelier. This is where you will find the “Aventure Jura Parc” with its rope park and barefoot hiking trail. We free our feet from the tight corset of our hiking boots and set off on the two-kilometre-long Sentier Pieds Nus, which is designed as a circular route. Basically, I challenge my feet far too little with barefoot walking and accordingly the barefoot hiking trail offers one or the other challenge. Along the way, boards provide information about Sebastian Kneipp’s health teachings and give tips about Kneipp.

I walk over tickling pine cones, sun-warmed wooden planks and soft grass, wade through deep mud pools, refresh my feet in the babbling brook and grit my teeth at the coarse-grained stone sections. The round is really fun and shows me once again that my feet are mimosas. In two or three places, I “secretly” swerved onto the smooth wooden planks at the edge – including a guilty conscience. And that’s why I’ve decided to put my feet in front of naked facts more often in the future.

Practical information about the Sentier Pieds Nus in Rebeuvelier

The Sentier Pieds Nus is located in the Aventure Jura Park, about a 10-minute walk from the centre of the village of Rebeuvelier. Right in front of the entrance to the Aventure Jura Parc, there is a bus stop (Rebeuvelier, Rest. du Moulin) with hourly connections towards Moutier and Delémont. For adults and children aged 8 and over, admission to the trail costs 5 CHF. In addition to the barefoot hiking trail, the Aventure Jura Parc has a restaurant and a rope park. More information can be found on the website of Aventure Jura Park.

To get from Moutier to Rebeuvelier on foot, we followed the Chemin de Raimeux to Raimeux de Grandval and then turned onto the Via Jura (stage 4 Delàmont-Moutier). The route of our tour can be found on the map below. The distance from Moutier to the Aventure Jura Parc in Rebeuvelier is around 13 kilometres. Up to Mont Raimeux, there is an ascent of 800 meters in altitude to overcome. The descent to Rebeuvelier is 700 meters in altitude. Calculate a good four hours for the pure runtime. In some places, the hiking trail is not optimally signposted. We missed a junction twice and thus did an extra lap each time.

[alert color=”FFFFFF” icon=”Select an Icon” title=”Information about the Berghilfe Trophy“] This year, Swiss Mountain Aid is presenting 44 projects spread across Switzerland that could be realized thanks to Mountain Aid. If you visit three projects, find the respective code and enter it on the Swiss Mountain Aid website, you can win great prizes with a bit of luck. All information about the Trophy and the 44 projects can be found on the website of the Swiss Mountain Aid. [/alert]

Note: As part of a collaboration with Swiss Mountain Aid, I am visiting three different projects supported by Mountain Aid this summer and will introduce them to you here on the blog.