Switzerland Jura - Ridereport

A tour into the unknown

Background/preparations

It all started when I published my tour report "3000 km Switzerland" on the homepage and also posted it in various Swiss motorcycle forums.
Among other things I wrote in the report:
"For me, Switzerland as a whole is the most beautiful thing the Alps have to offer!
My personal highlights there are:
1. the Bernese Oberland - clearly number 1!!!
2. the Valais - simply beautiful and of course not to forget
3. the area around Lake Lucerne"
To this I received various answers that the most beautiful thing in Switzerland was the Jura and that I had never been there before!
Since I had never really been to the Jura, this part of Switzerland was now on my wish list!

Then last year I asked our "Dieter_N" from the Alpenbiker-Forum if he could put together some nice routes and be available as a tour guide. He agreed and so I could consider the Jura as the destination of the next Alpenbiker-Forum tour!
Then it was all about finding a decent accommodation at an acceptable price - not so easy at all!
After internet research I found about six/seven hotels/pensions, which were suitable because of their size and price. I then sent an inquiry for a motorcycle group with about 15 - 20 persons to these houses with the request for a corresponding offer. Result: NO ANSWER!
Then I have tried the same with the help of google translator also in French - again NO ANSWER!
After this unsuccessful attempt I asked some members of the Alpenbiker-Forum, who either live in the Jura themselves or live close by for hotel tips.
The best tip then came from Géraldine "phila", who recommended the Hotel Balsthal - KreuzRössliKornhaus and had already negotiated a very reasonable price.

So the starting point of the tours was also fixed and it was possible to go over to the detailed planning.
Herbert "anomai", who lives only 5 km from Balsthal and knew the hotel very well, managed to round off the price once again, he said "I don't like crooked amounts!
At the next forum meeting the whole thing was discussed with the participants and then the trip to the Jura for Whitsun 2011 was fixed.
So from 10 (arrival) to 13 (return) June 2011 to the Hotel Balsthal!
By the beginning of May, 26 people with 19 motorcycles had finally registered!
Herbert was willing to act as a tour guide for a second group and we were already thinking about possibly even forming a third group.

Realization:

In the last days before Pentecost some participants cancelled for different reasons, so that we finally could start our tours in Balsthal with 18 persons and 14 motorcycles (the motorbike of Franz "Aquarius" was unfortunately cancelled on the outward journey in Konstanz and he could not go on).

Friday, June 10th

The weather forecast was rather mixed and so Petra and I started at 07:30 am with mixed feelings in Sonthofen to meet with some other "alpine bikers" in Kressbronn to ride from there together towards the Jura. During the night it had rained heavily and the roads were wet. But the further we went to the west the better the weather became! The roads were dry and the sky already showed one or the other bruise. With 8 motorcycles we went via Friedrichshafen directly to Meersburg, with the ferry to Konstanz and from there - after we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Franz - on partly very narrow roads across Switzerland.
Already the trip there was a lot of fun and the anticipation for the next days grew.

Already the trip there was a lot of fun and the anticipation for the next days grew.

In the late afternoon we arrived in Balsthal and moved into our rooms.
At dinner we got a friendly welcome and the cosy evening could start with a good meal - starter, main course, dessert (!).
The last participants arrived shortly after 8 pm and we were complete.

Saturday, June 11th

Today the "Juratour 1" was on the program.

After breakfast we started at 9 am.
We rode in two groups of seven and six motorcycles respectively (Inge didn't ride along herself today, but as a Sozia).
The route led us first over the Passwang towards Beinwil. In the downhill section - hardly visible between two houses standing on the right side of the road - a small but fine road branched off to the north, which we followed until Nunningen. We continued via Erschwil and Bärschwil - always on the smallest side roads. Via Kleinlützel we reached Roggenburg and via Ederswiler, Movelier and Pleigne we reached the Col de Rangiers, where we made the first longer stop - a coffee break.

From there down into the valley to St. Ursanne - a very beautiful place, which we visited on the way back. From here we drove along the idyllic Doubs to St.-Hippolyte and then about 15 km along the Dessoubre.

Then we left this picturesque valley and turned south over a small narrow bridge. Via Battenans-Varin and Trevillers, we reached the Col de la Vierge. The descent to Goumois brought some very nice views down to the Doubs.

After the lunch break in Goumois, the last part of the day had to be tackled. Via Saignelégier and Montfaucon we drove back north via Soubey down to St. Ursanne.

Here we took the opportunity to have a closer look at this medieval picturesque place.

The further way led us over the Col de la Croix (beautiful view of the Vosges mountains on the horizon!) to Courgenai and via Charmoille, Lucelle and Kiffis to Welschwiller. Further on via Laufen, Wahlen, Büsserach and Zullwil to Beinwil (again an extremely narrow and beautiful road!). From there it was not far back over the Passwang to Balsthal.
Because of the length of the route (295 km) and the many small roads we did not return from our tour until around 6 pm - but it was worth it! A really great round.
At the common dinner and the following cosy round the impressions of this beautiful day could be processed. The weather had played along well and only once or twice there were a few drops from above. Apart from that the blue sky often looked through the clouds - it was nice!
The division into two groups had proved itself. We were often right behind each other, but if there were stagnations, the second group led by Herbert could follow the others without having to catch up.

forward to the 2nd part of the ridereport

Unterkunftsempfehlung:
Italien: Hotel Cristallo (Levico Terme)