Highlights: Avenches, Murten/Morat, Laupen
Route 99-Section 2 (Romont 780m – Laupen 489m)
Stats from SwitzerlandMobility.ch: : 63 km (10km unpaved). Height Difference: R-L 900m, L-R 1100m. Their site has the full profile.
May 2016 (1-day trip)
What a beautiful day this was!!! And perfect weather!
Although I was supposed to do only this section, I actually extended it of about 10km into Section 3, so that my total mileage for the day ended up being 80km. The reason was two-fold: 1) shave off some mileage from Section 3, which looks to be quite challenging; and 2) look for a more convenient train station (I returned from Flamatt, a few Km off route 99).
I started Section 2 by taking the train to Romont (780m), and began biking from where I left off (at about 10am). The great thing about Swiss trains is that they have a coach where one can enter with the bike and secure it (the coach has a bike sign). The downside is that Swiss trains are VERY expensive and one must purchase a ticket also for the bike (same as the passenger ticket). However, the train website (sbb.ch) or its smartphone app (and sometimes the ticket machine at the station) have a special 1-day bike ticket for 12-18 CHF (in 2016); and there is also an annual bike pass.
Aside from Romont, which I described in my previous post, the trip brought me to 3 charming villages/towns: Avenches, Murten, Laupen. Murten was by far the jewel of this section.
The path/road from Romont (780m) to Avenches (480m) (about 30km) is calm, along farming fields, pastures, and at times through forests. In the area on Montagny, the path passes near an imposing Roman Aqueduct. It was built around the 1st century AD to furnish water to the Roman town of Aventicum (now Avenches) 15km away.
AVENCHES (the Roman Aventicus of 2nd cent. AD) (avenches.ch) is a quiet village where one can explore both the medieval town and the ancient Roman sites. The well preserved castle, dating from the XIII century, is typical of this area and period: it is perched on a hill overlooking the valley, and has round towers, red conic roofs, and covered wall-walks. A medieval church, built in the XI century, is found in the center of the village.
The Roman site includes a well preserved Amphitheater within the town limits, and several Roman ruins and majestic walls located in the countryside around Avenches. The amphitheater is still used for performances.
Needless to say that I spent a couple of precious hours in Avenches, between a picnic lunch and sightseeing.
After another 10km of biking, in part through a forested path, I reached MURTEN/Morat (453m) (myswitzerland.com/en-ch/murten.html), on Lac de Morat. Murten is a beautifully preserved medieval town within city walls. One enters the central street of the town through the city door. The street is lined with restaurants and tourist shops. It is a major tourist destination, combining lake activities, town sightseeing and dining, and countryside excursions. I wished I could have lingered here longer, but it was getting late (3pm) and I did not want to be forced to miss my goal of completing the section. Murten definitely deserves at least 3-4 hours, and possibly the entire day if one wants to relax by the beach or at the restaurant.
Left Murten, I headed towards LAUPEN (489m), about 20km away. The path runs often inside the forest but it allows, at times, a glimpse into the secluded, fjord-like lake of Schiffenen. Along this path one can also see the Bernese Alps in the distance, still with snowy peaks this time of the year.
- Bernese Alps
The medieval village of LAUPEN (bern.com/en/region/laupen) is also perched on a hill and defined by a beautifully well-cared for castle.
At last, I took off into the forest for about 10km (first part of Section 3) to catch the train at Flamatt (at about 7pm). This was a very long day to be sitting on the bike…….
Here are the links to Introduction & other sections of Route 99:
- BIKING THROUGH SWITZERLAND (with an electric bike)
- Route 99 (Heart Route): Section 1 (Lausanne to Romont)
- Route 99: Section 3 (Laupen-Thun)
- Route 99: Section 4 (Thun–Langnau I.E)
- Route 99: Section 5 (Langnau i.E.–Burgdorf)
- Route 99: Section 6 – Burgdorf to Willisau
- Route 99: Section 7 – Willisau to Zug
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