Gempen - Ruins Dorneck - Ermitage Arlesheim - Stollenhauser

Gempen is a good start for lot of hikes in the area. You can go in any direction and make beautiful loops in the area. Forest trails are magnificient. You can't get enough from the stunning sceneries. We first went up to a viewpoint on a cliff overlooking Dornach before starting our descent to Dorneck ruins. Dorneck Castle is a castle in the municipality of Dornach of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. Unfortunately, the ruins main door was closed (winter closing) but we had a walk around. Our next visit was to Ermitage Arlesheim, a beautiful place with ponds. We finally closed the loop to come back to Gempen.
Below info are from the Internet:

"The Hermitage in Arlesheim is a place of peace and quiet, reflection and strength. It is the largest English landscaped garden in Switzerland. Its natural and cultural features were lovingly laid out in the 18th century, and its caves, cliffs, grottos, the Birseck Castle and its ponds set the stage for a romantic experience of nature. A walk through the gardens evokes a variety of moods, impressions, and associations with mythology, devotional life and medieval romanticism. The park's oldest archaeological finds date back to the middle Stone Age. The Ermitage in Arlesheim can look back on a colourful history spanning more than 200 years. It is the largest landscaped English garden in Switzerland. Ponds, caves, winding paths and idyllic nature enchant walkers and transport them to a mystical world full of secrets. A walk through the English garden at the Ermitage is like walking into another world. It is a very special place filled with mysticism and tranquillity. Numerous small natural caverns with romantic names serve as points of interest along the way: the Diana grotto, Apollo grotto, Proserpina grotto and Hermit’s grotto. The Apollo grotto was so named because of its topographical similarity to the area around Delphi and thus with the legend of the Oracle of Delphi. The Ermitage Arlesheim, with Birseck Castle once sitting atop the hill, was opened in 1785 and dubbed “Solitude romantique près d’Arlesheim” (romantic solitude close to Arlesheim). Its guestbooks show that the Ermitage attracted a large number of distinguished travellers from all over Europe and even Russia shortly after it opened. The buildings have been listed as historical monuments since 1999, and the grounds have also been made into a nature reserve. In addition to being a landscaped garden, the Ermitage is an important spiritual site. The heart of the power spot is just below the castle ruins near the “Temple rustique”.
It is also a place of peace and quiet, of relaxation and reflection."