Berne is lovely! Still, let’s leave the city behind and head out to the Bremgartenwald forest. The bicycle path there is paved and closed to cars. A delightfully refreshing descent leads to Lake Wohlen, which is traversed by the Aare River and then dammed at Mühleberg. Countless swans gently glide across this “Swan Lake.” Tchaikovsky would rejoice at this stunning view, which is shared by the residents in their idyllic farmhouses and chalets along the shores of Lake Wohlen. Some of them offer direct sales on the farm. However, don’t have your head in the clouds when traversing the Truftgraben, as it involves a steep climb, and you may even want to push your bicycle.

The Mühleberg hydraulic power station was built 1917-1920. Commissioned in 1972, the Mühleberg nuclear power plant has shut down permanently. Today it’s the Niederriet Oltigenmatt nature reserve’s time to shine. At Saanesteg, groups of cyclists and hikers have made themselves comfortable. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the mouth where the Saane River flows into the Aare River. The Three-Lake-Country is getting closer and closer. Workers are busy in the vegetable fields. The view from the small lookout in the Mülau – Radelfingenau nature reserve makes a stop worthwhile. Nevertheless, climbing the metal steps requires a little bit of skill.

Aarberg welcomes you in style. The city of sugar beets, known all over the country for its sugar mill, features a large town square, stately patrician houses and restaurants, and a covered wooden bridge dating from 1568. The Aare-Hagneck Canal, which is a critical section of the Jura Water Correction project, starts here. Looking along the canal, you can make out the Chasseral (1,606 metres above sea level), the highest elevation in the Bernese Jura. It’s always delightful to watch a river flow into a lake. That is no different at the Hagneck hydraulic power station, where the Aare River flows into Lake Biel. The last section is something to look forward to. Cycling slightly above lake level, for the most part, you reach the Rütte-Gut, the last one of what were once 30 Bernese patrician farming and wine-growing estates. Filled with new impressions, you “land” in the city of bilinguals. In Biel, French-speaking and German-speaking Swiss come together in a culturally diverse, laid-back atmosphere…