Chalet du Pré-aux-Veaux: gourmet fare at the end of the road

Except for the bread produced by an artisan baker of the region, the products offered by Alain Duclos and his family are homemade. The owners of this mountain chalet produce their own meat themselves, the pork and beef found on the menu in the form of bacon, sausages or roast beef. No mystery either about the origin of the cakes, preserves and syrups prepared on the spot. And then there are these little specialities from behind the wood pile for which one is ready to cross the whole of the Jura: pear or herb bassinettes, gruyère and high-mountain-pasture cream or its delicious mutant, pastureland butter carrying a hint of the woodland flavour of the high mountain pasture countryside. And it's even better after a long ramble!

Chalet du Pré-aux-Veaux 1261 Le Vaud Combe des Amburnets / 1km on the left after Marchairuz in the direction of Vallée de Joux, then 6 km. Tél. + 41 (0) 21 845 52 96 - Port. +41 (0) 79 449 07 46. Closed Monday and Tuesday - open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am Reservations 24 hrs in advance. Altitude of 1342m

Photo : Monique Grange-Haehl

Suggested walks:

Parc Jurassien Vaudois - here, you are in the heart of the Parc Jurassien Vaudois. Located between the Col de la Givrine Pass and that of Marchairuz, this protected area was created in 1973 by an agreement signed by Pro Natura Vaud, the commune (local authority), and private owners. 75 km2 of Nature where deer, boar and even lynx roam, with several enjoyable and educational pathways similar to the ant road.

To see our editor's report on the ants, click here
See also the site of the Parc Jurassien Vaudois http://www.parc-jurassien.ch/

The world of the « combes » and the « croupes »  - A result of the tectonic folds typical of the limestone lanscapes of the Jura, the synclinal valleys and the anticlinal mountain tops alternate, one after the other. Comprised of layers of porous limestone, the soil of the Jura facilitates the infiltration of water. Dolina and sinkholes mark the entrance of water into a vast subterranean hydrological network. A rare impermeable zone, for it is carpeted with deposits of clay, the valley of the Amburnex, in which the high mountain pasture of Pré-aux-Veaux is located, permitted the formation of a bog from a former glacial lake. There we can see strange calcareous formations typical of the Jura, the lapiez, on which an area covered with a very dense turf establishes itself, a thick lawn which is designated by specialists by the term « acidophil nardaie ».

Viewing point on the Alps - another high mountain pasture which offers a stunning view of the whole range of the Alps and the basin of Lake Geneva. Here, one must take the peak route and pass via the Crêt de la Neuve. At the top, a viewpoint indicator helps us identify the alpine summits.