Herzschlaufe Wil

Head south from Wil railway station through the quiet neighbourhoods, then cycle through the wide open fields. The valley of the river Altbach gradually narrows and you will be immersed by a landscape of secluded, forested hills. After a stretch along wide woodland paths, unsurfaced roads follow the slope of the Schönauer Halde. The view sweeps over remote hamlets. Undulating along the ridge, the wine tavern (Besenbeiz in Swiss German) in Ötwil is a great place to stop for a while.

Expansive orchards and meadows accompany you along the route that follows. After the hamlet of Buomberg comes the descent to Fischingen. The area surrounding the southernmost municipality in Thurgau is also referred to as “Tannzapfenland” (“pine cone territory”) due to its vast spruce forests. The narrow valley of the river Murg, which lies before the eponymous one-street village, is dominated by the imposing monastery complex with its baroque church. The Benedictine monastery was founded in 1135. Nowadays, two worlds coexist side by side: Verein Kloster Fischingen (Fischingen Monastery Association) runs a seminar hotel with a restaurant, a carpenter’s workshop and a school. Since 1977, a small Benedictine order has also been living in the monastery, which is the destination of a leg of the Way of St. James. The monastery even houses a brewery in one of its adjoining buildings.

Moving on from the monastery, you will pass by old houses and inns, where the route leaves the valley of the river Murg. There follows a very steep section of road, covering around 200 metres in elevation until you reach the scenic ridge. Luckily, there is not much traffic on the roads and tracks. Downhill from the Chrinenbüel hill, there is a lovely spot to rest. If visibility is good, you will have panoramic views from the Glarner to the Alps of Central Switzerland. Soon you will pass through the little settlement of Sitzberg and therefore the cantonal border with Zurich.

Further along the range of hills, you will pass through some settlements with handsome half-timbered houses. After the descent passing by Wila in the Tösstal valley, you will be back on little-used roads in the hilly landscape. The final, longer descent ends in Rikon, your destination for this leg. As you cycle along, the prayer flags of the Tibet Institute come into view on a hill. Founded in 1968, it was the first Buddhist monastery to be opened outside of Asia. Rikon is an important meeting place for Tibetans living in exile in Switzerland. On the valley floor, the route leads on past the factories of the Kuhn Rikon cookware manufacturer where the famous pressure cooker was invented. This area itself has no hotels, but if you want to spend the night in historical lodgings, cycle on to Gyrenbad.