The Baselbieter Chirsiweg (Cherry Way) is an 11 km trail with 400 m ascent and 260 m decent that officially goes from the Sommerau train station to the Oltingen, Post bus stop. On Easter Sunday, we hiked it in the opposite direction (Oltingen to Sommerau) and had a very lovely time even though the cherry trees that give this trail its name weren’t quite in bloom yet. Happily, there was one orchard in bloom, and there was also an interesting cave to peek into and a charming waterfall to admire along the way. All in all, a very enjoyable hike.
Detail Summary
| Where: | Oltingen to Somerau Canton Base Landschaft, Switzerland |
| Train: | Zürich HB -> Oltingen, Post – x hr x mins Somerau – > Zurich HB – x hr x min |
| What: | Baselbieter Chirsiweg (Cherry Way) (SwissMobility) Yellow trail markers route 471 Baselbieter Chirsiweg |
| Skill: | Easy – About 3 hrs Length 11 km, Ascent 260 m, Descent 400 m |
Additional Info
| Baselbieter Chirsiweg (Cherry Way) (SwissMobility) Trail Map (SwissMobility) Baselbieter Chirsiweg (Baselland Tourism) Baselland Blossem tracker (Baselland Tourism) Look at the Wenslingen report for this hike. Other cherry blossom walks in the area (Baselland Tourism) |
Getting There
This is a point-to-point hike, so best done with public transportation. SwissMobility has this trail going from Somerau to Oltingen, but we decided to hike it in the opposite direction. I think this was a good choice for two reasons: one – it made the trail more relaxing (there is more down than up) and two – the cherry trees weren’t blooming so we saved the best feature (the waterfall) for near the end of the hike. Anyway, to get to the start of the hike, we took the bus to the Oltingen, Postplatz stop.
Then, after a short walk down the street, we were at the trail. Officially, the trail starts about a few hundred meters further towards Oltingen Kirche, but we just started the trail here, heading down the street behind where my husband is standing (picture two) going in the direction of Wenslingen.
The Trail
Once on the trail, we enjoyed the views even though the trees weren’t blossoming. But, you can imagine how pretty it will be in a few weeks with the orchards dotting the hills.
This trail is on the Jura table land, which is fairly flat with wide open fields. On the day we hiked, it was warm and also very windy. We had hoped to get some additional water at the fountains when we reached Wenslingen, the next small town along the way, but sadly most of the fountains were labeled “Kein Trinkwasser” – not drinking water. Fortunately, we did find a fountain that was good.
After Wenslingen, the trail dipped into a ravine with a small stream that we followed into the Eital valley. When we came to the cave in picture two below, we stopped to take a peek. Inside, a ladder was set up so you could look into the top part of the cave. It was not that exciting, though, as it just looked like rocks. According to SwissMobility, the bones and teeth of cave bears have been found in nearby caves, so maybe they once lived in this cave too.
After leaving the cave, it was a fairly steep descent to the floor of the Eital valley, and then a steep ascent back out of the valley.
After leaving the Eital valley, we were headed towards the town of Rünerberg. And here, at last, were the blossoming trees we had hoped to see! So pretty!
On our way through Rünerberg, we stopped at a farm kiosk and bought some interesting looking mustards and a blueberry vinegar. Then, we were quickly back out of town and into fields and forests.
The last part of the hike was through the forested Chrindeltal valley, and here we passed another highlight of the hike – the 18 m tall Rünenberger Giessen waterfall. We stopped for a while to relax, have a snack, and enjoy the view.
My husband took a picture of me with the waterfall before we left and then I took a picture of him peeking out from behind a smaller waterfall further downstream.
We then followed the stream the rest of the way down the valley.
And at the very end, we followed the train tracks to the station.
Getting Back
The Sommerau station is a country station without any other services. The train runs once an hour and we had a 40 minute wait. Fortunately, we had nice weather, a bench to sit on, and snacks in our backpacks.
I picked this hike because I want to do at least one hike in every canton and I still needed to do one in Canton Basel-Landschaft. I am happy to say this was a really enjoyable hike and I definitely recommend it. I might even do this one again but try to time it better with the blossoms (See the Wenslingen report for this hike). Or maybe, I’ll try a different cherry blossom walk in the area as the trees bloom at different time at the different elevations.
Leave a Reply