When we finished the section between Schwarzenburg and Fribourg on the St. James Way, we noticed this very narrow valley of the Gottéron. We then looked to see if a hike in this valley would be interesting and we found out that a loop was possible.
From Fribourg station, you first must cross the city towards the cathedral, then head down to the Saane. You then find yourself in the Bolzes neighborhood, a neighborhood that was not very wealthy at the time and whose inhabitants spoke a mixture of Swiss German and French. As we are both bilingual, we find this sweet mixture of two cultures charming.
Once in the small neighborhood of La Palme, we followed the Gottéron through this valley that looks more like a gorge. You then pass the famous Pinte des Trois Canards while walking on a tarmac road. A little further up, you pass a fish farm that supplies, among other things, the Pinte mentioned above with trout. After the last houses, old mills, the road turns into a carriage path, then into a footpath. Walking between the sandstone walls gives this hike a very special atmosphere.
The environment becomes a little wilder and the path winds its way between the right and left banks of the Gottéron. The valley remains quite narrow, and it is only at the Ameismüli that it becomes wider. At this point, we turned back along the path that crosses fields and forests before reaching the neighborhood of Bourguillon. From this neighborhood, you head back down towards the Sarine and cross the magnificent wooden bridge leading to the Petit Saint-Jean neighborhood. A steep climb then leads you back to the cathedral and, further on, to the station.
Route: Fribourg (station) – La Palme – Pinte des Trois Canards – Ameismüli – Schürmatt – Bourguillon – Petit Saint-Jean – Fribourg (station)
Distance: 12.3km
Elevation gain: 410m
Duration: 4h
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