Since I moved to La Chaux-de-Fonds, I have been intrigued by the red lights in the distance that I see from my house. These are beacons located at the top of the Mont Soleil and Mont Crosin wind turbines. Having heard a lot about wind turbines, I wondered how it felt when one was at the foot of these giants. And as a change of weather was announced for that day, but I had a little time, I set off to go for a walk near of Mont Soleil.
To get there, I drove up from Saint-Imier. It is not the shortest route, but it allowed me to see what the road was like going up from this village towards Mont Soleil. The road is narrow, and one must anticipate the possibility of having to cross on the climb: the possibilities of avoiding are not numerous. I parked not far from the astronomical observatory, at the foot of the first wind turbine.
At the start, I passed near the observatory and the solar power plant. In doing so, I passed by the foot of the first wind turbines, where I could notice that the noise was not as deafening as some claim. Admittedly, the wind was not very strong at the time, but the only noise that I could distinguish by listening was the hum of the generator. From time to time, I could also hear the squeaking of metal parts “working”. Next to the astronomical observatory, a platform provides a view of the solar power plant.
As I wanted to make a loop, I left in the direction of Mont Crosin to cross over the Combe Aubert. Further on, I left the marked trail to descend into the Combe des Fosses. In the descent, one has a view of the village of Breuleux. After the Combe des Fosses, I followed the forest path which crosses the hillside overlooking Cerneux-Veusil-Dessus. In doing so, one comes back further on the marked path leading to the Combe à la Biche.
From this restaurant, simply followed the marked path up to Mont Soleil.
The wind had meanwhile picked up a little, and I could then hear a slightly louder noise, a noise like the one made by an airplane passing at a high altitude above, but cyclical.
In my opinion, I prefer wind turbines to solar panels. Admittedly, the latter are less visible from afar and make absolutely no noise. On the other hand, they greatly degrade the landscape by covering almost the entire terrain.
Itinerary: Mont Soleil – Combe Aubert – Combe des Fosses – La Combe à la Biche – Mont Soleil
Distance: 9.5km
Altitude gain: 290m
Duration: 2h30