Jurasüdfuss-Route
Overview
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Distance 41 km
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Ascent 360 m
Intro
From Yverdon through the Plaine de l’Orbe. Roman mosaics lie buried on the slopes, the Romanesque Abbey Church sits serenely in Romainmôtier, barely accessible the natural paradise of Marais de la Versoix, before sudden arrival in the metropolis of Genève.
Description
Neuchâtel, a lively university city, enjoys a fantastic location at the foot of the Jura mountains. The view over the roofs of the old town to the lake beyond and the Alps in the distance is by itself a reason to visit. Gentle cycle paths take you away from vibrant Neuchâtel and past the harbour and 18th- and 19th-century palaces formerly owned by the Prussian aristocracy and bourgeoisie.
Hugging the shoreline, the route stays flat as far as Colombier, from where it passes through industrial estates and villages. Shortly before Cortaillod, the cycle path crosses the Areuse, which is some 32 kilometres long and one of the most important rivers in the Canton of Neuchâtel. Near the harbour at Bevaix not far from the lake, you can learn just about everything there is to know about fish and fishing in Lake Neuchâtel at the «Ökomuseum der Fischerei». This «eco-museum», which is only open on Sunday afternoons, has set out to protect this ancient fishing region and raise awareness of the threats facing aquatic habitats.
There are great views of Lake Neuchâtel from Petit-Cortaillod onwards. The cycle path now winds its way through vineyards that are typical for the region, with a few beaches thrown in for variety. Chasselas is the main grape grown here. From the harbour at Bevaix, the route climbs up to the village and then into the woods of the Forêt de Charcotet. A tarmac road takes you through a wide expanse of fields to the 13th-century Château de Gorgier, which is now in private hands.
This is a fun stage with a lot of variety. The villages are cosy and pretty, the farmsteads are largely highly impressive and the motorway is only noisy on occasion. And then, of course, there are the hill slopes criss-crossed everywhere with vines. The stage passes a number of mediaeval villages such as Gorgier and St-Aubin, where the cycle path once again snakes through the vineyards with their views of Lake Neuchâtel. The route alternates between vineyards, fields and a short stretch on the main road.
From the 1960s onwards, the municipality of Concise developed into a centre of winemaking and alpine farming. You get the best views of the church at Concise close to the water. The cycle path soon picks up the lake shore again and continues to Grandson, where you can’t miss the Château de Grandson with its rich history. Standing proudly on a hill, the castle complex dates from the 11th to 14th centuries and boasts five circular towers. It’s now not much farther to the destination for this stage. The route runs on flat terrain through Les Tuileries-de-Grandson, crosses the La Thièle River and ends in Yverdon-les-Bains, which has been a popular spa resort since Roman times.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
| Start location |
Neuchâtel
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Yverdon-les-Bains
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| Ascent |
360 m
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| Descent |
360 m
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| Distance |
41 km
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| Distance on tarred ways |
40 km
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| Distance on natural surface |
1 km
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| Physical requirements |
Medium
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| Theme |
Along Water, Through a vineyard
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Quick Facts
Route number
