It is a beautiful mountain hiking destination that I suggest here. It is even more beautiful as it passes by emblematic and surprising places. As usual, I favor the use of public transport as much as possible and this hike is no exception to the rule.
From Le Locle station, one first must reach the bottom of the Combe Girard. For this, I recommend not to follow the main street, which is much too busy. Instead, it is worth following Grande-Rue and Rue du Crêt Vaillant. In doing so, one crosses a magnificent old district of the city.
Shortly after entering the Combe Girard, one must take a steep starting path (the educational path, in fact). After climbing the hill and as one arrives in sight of the Joux Pélichet district, one must follow a good forest path to the left. It does not take long then to reach a curious construction in the middle of the forest. This is the inrun tower of the former Combe Girard ski jump. This jump has seen the passes of internationally renowned competitions, such as the Tournée des 4 Tremplins. Built in 1932, it no longer met the standards of modern jumps and saw the last competition take place in 1987 (it should be remembered that Engelberg had to invest massively to bring the jump up to standard).
After the jump tower, follow another forest path leading to the campsite and the sports grounds of Le Locle (including the ice rink which is reputed to be the coldest in the region). Beyond the sports field, one reaches the marked trail which splits into two higher up: the left branch goes towards La Sagne and the right branch goes up to Sommartel. It is the latter that must be followed.
After a climb one crosses the pastures of Jean-d’Hôtaux to reach another forest on a ridge overlooking the basin of Entre Deux Monts. Further on, one passes under a ski lift and it doesn’t take long to pass near the Petit Sommartel farm-restaurant, very popular for its various specialties, as well as for the next Petite Joux farm-restaurant.
La Petite Joux passed, follow along the ridge for a while before descending more and more steeply into Pouette Combe. The course of this vale, even if its name is not very inviting (Pouët meaning “rotten”) is worth the effort because one then passes under “balmes” of impressive dimensions. Lower down, at the end of the vale, a tower has been built to provide an unobstructed view of the village of Ponts de Martel. In the background, one will not fail to notice the rocks of the Creux du Van.
Itinerary: Le Locle – Tower of the Combe Girard ski jump – Ice rink in Le Locle – Jean d’Hotaux – Petit Sommartel – Petite Joux – Pouette Combe – The Bridges of Martel
Distance: 11.5km
Altitude difference: 450m
Duration: 4 hours
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