Bicycle Ride along the Doubs River

The upper reaches of the Doubs form the border between Switzerland and France. The source of the river is in the Jurassic Mountains of Switzerland where the river winds its way through limestone cliffs, beautiful forests and some small towns. We cycled, rock climbed, walked, cruised and ate our way along the river with my sister and her family.

A gaggle of six bicycles getting ready... a bit like herding cats.

Some scenery along the way...

Le Pont on the Lac de Joux. The Doubs is said to start here but if first flows underground through a limestone range into the next valley, which of course meant that our ride started with a mountain pass!

Lac Saint-Point.

Lac des Brenets was formed when a large rock fell into the valley and blocked the flow of the river.

Vegetation along the Doubs. The steep cliffs and regular flooding of the river provide a very moist and unique environment for flora and fauna.

Even the farm houses are rotting...

..and somehow these locals don't like to sit in the wet grass either. This bench is definitely not for tourists!

The area is famous for watch making. We visited a museum with an excellent 3D movie and some high-tech interactive animations.

A picnic with a beautiful view in Malbuisson on the French side.

There is definitely a skill to eating Escargot. Julia Roberts was not the only one having trouble.

"Les echelles de la mort" (the death ladders) were originally installed by smugglers but have now been upgraded into a Via Ferrata for rock climbing. The beginning was ok...

 ... but then it got very steep (here's me looking straight down at my sister),...

... and very exposed, (here's my sister in an overhang)...

 ... and our reduced team of three dwindled to two! Here's Nico looking totally relaxed.

The cute town of St. Ursanne in Switzerland was our last stop along the route.

The monastery is now a museum.

Another weird shower! This time it provided automatic disco light, changing from blue to red to green with combinations in between.