Bicycle tours by water in Bern Region

A rattling goods train carrying Napf gravel, evidence of backbreaking work on the land at Burgrain, the shimmer of the Sempachersee lake, the early Romanesque church at Chilchbüehl, cherry trees alternating with dairy farming, pig breeding and farm dogs.

Interlaken, a trendy meeting point, descended on by masses of Asian tourists and protected by the majestic Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau. Clear, silent and deep, the Brienzersee, encircled by steep slopes, the Giessbach plunging into the depths (waterfalls).

Perfect trio at Wohlensee: bird paradise, power station and nuclear reactor. Follow the Aare into Seeland, a giant vegetable garden thanks to the Hagneckkanal. Behind reeds and woodland, the Bielersee hints at the happy hustle and bustle in bilingual Biel-Bienne.

Lac de Neuchâtel: chirping in the reeds, waves lapping at the gentle shore, the Jura shimmering in the distance. Over 100 species of birds breed in the Grande Cariçaie, the 40-km-long marsh and reed belt along the southern shores of the lake.

The deep Brienzersee, clear, quiet and sombre. The Thunersee, shallower, open and lively. In the middle, Interlaken, a trendy tourist centre, dominated by those icy icons, the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau. Picture-postcard perfect, get ready to rub your eyes!

The tour begins in the medieval Zähringer town of Murten with its historic Old Town of national importance and numerous arcades. The wall encircling the town was built between the 13th and 17th centuries and is one of the best-preserved fortifications in Switzerland.

«Child» of the Jura waters correction: the Nidau-Büren canal and the Häftli loop. The Witi, dry, where hares and storks gather. Nearby, the sluggish meandering Aare, in the distance, the St. Ursen tower announces the baroque town of Solothurn.

It is at Lake Biel where the German and French-speaking Switzerland meet.

After Thun, the gateway to the Oberland, the wide Aaretal: large villages, industry, open fields and a powerful river in lush water meadows. Enter the capital city of Bern, UNESCO World Heritage with arcades teeming with shoppers.

Once again Bern’s picture-postcard panorama with the old town and distant snowy summits, then the usually peaceful Emme in riverside woodland, the staid farming region of Emmental, where Gotthelf read the riot act to farmers and justice was spoken in Trachselwald Castle.