The beginning already shows what it takes: from Hauts-Geneveys at 954 m – the highest village in Val de Ruz with fantastic views – the route climbs relatively steeply. First on a small road, later on a forest trail, it continues up to just 1300 m. The good news is that the challenging part is over now. The rest is gravy – and plenty of it!

First, the trail leads clockwise around the knob of the Tête de Ran. After a short ride on a road the trail offers views in the direction of Mont Racine, the Alps and all the way to Mont Blanc. A technical descent to Les Neigeux is followed by a wider, relatively flat trail to the former hotel and restaurant at the foot of the domed peak. You may park your mountain bike here and climb to the top of the Tête de Ran in about 15 minutes. The ridge of the mountain drops steeply to the north. From the top there is an open view in northern direction of the high valley of La Chaux-de-Fonds and the city’s chessboard architecture. On the other side you can see Val-de-Ruz, Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Murten and the Alps in the background.

After the Tête-de Ran and Les Gümmenen the trail continues through meadows for a while, offering views of the other side with the entire Jura massif all the way to France and the Vosges Mountains and down again to the watchmaking cities of La-Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. A short passage leads across La Vue des Alpes, the pass between Mittelland and Jura with the Alps looming ahead. It is a popular tourist destination, summer and winter. The route then continues through lush meadows to the edge of the forest where the descent begins, first on a forest road and for the last couple of kilometres on a small paved road, back to the starting point.