On a sunny day, BRA members joined the paddle steamer at different ports from Lausanne to Chillon.
By paying a few francs extra to upgrade to 1st class, we escaped the crowded 2nd class deck and took over a cabin at the front of the upper deck.
There, sheltered from the wind and with a clear view on 3 sides, we enjoyed a chat and a snack together during the crossing to Le Bouveret.
The return by ramble from Le Bouveret to Villeneuve took us past marinas with hundreds of small boats, past camp sites, past the Swiss Vapour Park with miniature trains and across footbridges over the Stockalper Canal, the river Rhône and a navigable drainage canal.
Passing the Grangettes nature reserve, we saw many herons and we stopped to share our picnics on the grass in the shade.
The path through woods continued close to the lake, following earth tracks at near water level and crossing marshes on duckboards (which keep away cyclists), until we reached Villeneuve and parted at the end of a very enjoyable day.
Andrew Bushnell
