Sense–Glâne–Veveyse

Passing by the capital city of Bern to the east, you must take on the gentle curves of the Längenberg after Köniz. Some of the climbs will make you sweat, but the reward is right before your eyes; the view of the Bernese Alps from here is magnificent. Your path is lined by impressive farmhouses with large, protective roofs. After some more pedalling in the Schwarzwasser ravine, you can recuperate in the little town of Schwarzenburg with its shingled timber church tower.

It's a demanding, undulating world again between the Sensegraben and the Guggershörnli, sung about in the bitter-sweet love song «s'Vreneli ab em Guggisberg». Despite Zollhaus (customs post), no border between Bern and Fribourg and the waters of the Kalte and Warme Sense join forces. The hills in Fribourg stay green but the language changes. The Ärgera/La Gérine murmurs in Plasselb-Schlund, which also marks the «Röstigraben», the border and «rift» between German- and French-speaking Switzerland.

The route runs through rippled hay-making country. The silhouette of Fribourg appears occasionally in the distance. The waters of the Saane have been held back by the Rossens dam since 1948. The light mirror of the Lac de la Gruyère lends a cheery note to the once rugged gorge. Soon you reach the Glâne stream, the meadows get flatter, the hill town of Romont with its stained-glass museum beckons and the panorama of Alpine peaks becomes ever more awe-inspiring, for example from the gardens of Rue Castle. The hills don't get any smaller but the crests get flatter and views widen out. Clang clang, and a tiny train, accompanies you to Châtel-St-Denis, the link between Moléson and Lac Léman.