Emmental–Entlebuch
Overview
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Distance 41 km
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Ascent 440 m
Intro
Along the Nidau-Büren canal and the winding Alte Aare, up to rolling rural landscape with small villages and modest farmhouses, an easy ride through forests and fields. Spot the courtship ritual of black and white lapwings at Fraubrunnenmoos.
Detour / Closure
There are detours or closures along this route, for more information see https://schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland/route-24/stage-1
Description
Pedalling happily along the Schüss Canal near the Omega premises – that's how you leave the watch-making town on Lake Biel. Lively, bilingual Biel/Bienne is known for its innovative approach to cycling and boasts a pretty, little old town. Soon after leaving the hometown of Swiss writer Robert Walser, you get to the next canal: the Nidau-Büren Canal, too, is the result of the Jura waters correction, which turned the once swampy, often flooded Seeland region into an intensively utilized living and economic environment.
The riparian zone of national importance near Dotzigen has changed very little. "Old Aare" is the name of the unspoilt section of the original river course between Aarberg and Büren an der Aare. The Grien (opening) near Dotzigen is particularly idyllic. You may spot a kingfisher or long-eared owl in the riparian zone, while on the fields of the windy plain near Diessbach, buzzards and crows are a common sight. The Jura chain is almost always in plain view, as long as you're not pedalling hard to "conquer" the Scheunenberg.
A short ascent follows after the plain in the Limpachtal valley. The route then continues up and down between Zimlisberg and Fraubrunnen. Not far from the cycling path, at Fraubrunnenmoos, there is a lapwing reserve. During the springtime breeding season, a fence aims to prevent foxes from eating the eggs and endangered young birds. Once the short forest section after Kernenried is behind you, the Lyssach Shopping Mile follows on your right. And after cycling over the three-dimensional railway, motorway and Emme River hub outside Kirchberg, one feels to be back in civilization.
Speaking of water: the last section from Kirchberg to Burgdorf leads mainly along the Emme River. To make the slow-traffic network more attractive, an additional wooden bridge across the river was built near the indoor ice rink in 2013. That same year, "Sempach Mättu" defeated "Stucki Chrigu" at the Federal Alpine Wrestling Festival. The image of the two Alpine wrestling legends next to the bridge will put a smile on your face. After an exceptionally scenic bike ride, you arrive in Burgdorf. At the "Gate to the Emmen Valley", a wholly preserved Zähringen castle towers over the town, which could awaken the beautiful historic centre from its sleeping beauty slumber very soon.
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 |
Biel/Bienne
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|---|---|
| Destination |
Burgdorf
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| Ascent |
440 m
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| Descent |
320 m
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| Distance |
41 km
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| Distance on tarred ways |
36 km
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| Distance on natural surface |
5 km
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| Physical requirements |
Medium
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| More information | https://schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland/... |
Quick Facts
Route number
