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We set off from home by train to Pontarlier, and had a look around the town as we waited for the
Tourist Office to open. We did get a pilgrim stamp, but very little other information!
Pontarlier occupies the ancient Roman station of Ariolica, on the road from Urba (modern Orbe,)
to Vesontio (modern Besançon).
We visited the church of Saint Bénigne, whose origins are unknown, but was certainly an important
transit point in the 11th century.
Afterwards we sat next to one of the town gates (it was being renovated and covered in scaffolding)
and ate some delicious pastries we had bought from a local bakery.
We set off through the town, across the river and up into the hillside, where we discovered
a notice board describing the route along the Jura from Mandeure to Culoz, the GTJ,
which we were going to cross, and we in fact joined a section of the GR5 for a few kilometers.
We walked through the forest on fairly steep and stony forest tracks to a spectacular viewpoint,
the Belvédère du Fer à Cheval, looking out on the Chateau de Joux.
After enjoying the view and sharing it by video call to a grandchild,
we continued on up through the forest until we joined the much wider and better made route of the GR5,
part of the Jura Route. This led us to Fort Mahler, where we saw a few other walkers,
including a German going to Barcelona, and a family of cyclists.
From there, it was gently widing down to the Eglise Saint-Pierre de la cluse et Mijoux,
where Sue got a stamp from the Mairie, and the information that no one knew the bus times to Switzerland.
After consulting the on-line SBB App, we decided to take several busses and trains back to Bern.
We got some sandwiches from a local café/bakery, and waited at the bus stop for the bus to Switzerland,
which arrived on time. The trip back went without a hitch, giving us a scenic tour of the valley of Travers
