From La Neuveville to St. Imier via Chasseral

The Chasseral has been described many times here, so I will not bore you with too many details. On a clear day (supposedly) one can enjoy a great view from up there, but even on a cloudy day like I experienced it, it is worth visiting.

I started my hike in La Neuveville, a nice town on the Lake Biel. I first walked westwards to the beginning of the Combe du Pilouvi, where the river Ruisseau de Vaux comes down in a narrow valley with lots of nice waterfalls. This stretch of the hike is part of a theme walk about a witch: La balade de la Sorciere. It is probably interesting for kids and families.

I walked up the Combe du Pilouvi until after the wooden stairs. In order to enjoy the view down to the Lake Biel, I then followed the path towards “Pavillon”, however the view to the lake is rather limited since the trees block most of it even in the winter when there are no leaves. I followed the street called “Italiens” to get to the farm “la Neuve Métairie” and down to the farm “Les Saignes”, then crossing the Diesse plain to get to the village Nods.

From Nods I then took the diretissima up to the Chasseral. Even though there is still snow here and there – sometimes knee-deep – it was no problem to walk up to the peak without snowshoes. Unfortunately the view wasn’t the best and the top of Chasseral was in the fog. The fog and strong cold wind made me leave quickly.

I walked along the street to the Hotel Chasseral and then hiked down to St. Imier via Plan à l'Egasse – Savagnière Dessous and La Baville. There was more snow on the northern side to Savagnière Dessous then on the way up, but again it was no big problem without snowshoes.