The alternative for stage 5 is considerably longer, but it avoids several hundred altitude meters of cycling uphill. When the weather is bad and the ground is wet, you may be better off following this route. The Schratteflue is conveniently bypassed over a wide area and you can take a look at the wild karst formations in Entlebuch’s UNESCO biosphere reserve. The Entlebuch house in Schüpfheim is another great place to visit. The local history museum provides insight into the life of the farmers and the regional craftsmanship. The exceptional collection of Flühli’s glass art is another highlight. The Entlebuch is known for charcoal burning. In the area of the Napf mountain, Switzerland’s last charcoal makers are practicing the old craft on a professional basis, but generally part-time. In a charcoal kiln, a covered pile of wood, the wood is left smouldering and about two weeks later, the charcoal is finished.

In and around Escholzmatt there is no scarcity of restaurants and pubs or May poles. The young lads take pleasure in setting up an elaborate May pole at night and subsequently celebrate with a few drinks at the local pub. If the chosen girl is pleased with their May pole the next morning, nothing stands in the way of happiness. Now the tour continues swiftly along paved roads with the Ilfis River on the right, running in the direction of Langnau, then the Hilfere which joins the Ilfis.

In Marbach you may ask yourself why the cloudless sky suddenly darkens for just a moment. Looking up quickly answers the puzzle: paragliders. They fearlessly throw themselves from Marbachegg and thus block the sun for a few seconds. Beat Feuz, world champion in downhill skiing, does much the same, but in the snow. The extremely popular skier was born in Schangnau and his picture is ever-present in this area, but he probably prefers plummeting down the famous Streif or Lauberhorn ski slopes rather than the Marbachegg or even the Schratteflue…