Route 5: Section 2 -cycling Wil SG to Kloten, Switzerland

Highlights: Wil, Winterthur, Kyburg Castle

Route 5: Section 2 (Wil SG 563m –Kloten 433m)

Stats from SwitzerlandMobility.ch ( https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland/routes/route/etappe-01056.html): 50km long, height difference Wil–Kloten 460m (580m in the opposite direction). Their site has the full profile.

October 2019

A dreary autumn day pushed me to the northeastern corner of Switzerland for a cloudy but rain-free ride in a yet undiscovered part of the country.

To stay one-step ahead of the incoming precipitation, I biked from Kloten to Wil SG, detouring for a visit to the castle of Kyburg.

I’m not sure why but I always end up with a longer harder ride compared to what is claimed in SwitzerlandMobility.ch. So, today, Strava calculated a final 64km with 950m elevation gain.

Left the Airport town of Kloten (nothing to see here…), I biked along a paved trail all the way to Winterthur (www.winterthur-tourismus.ch/en/page.cfm/Erlebnisse/Sehenswuerdigkeiten/Altstadt).

Here the Old Town is really pretty with pastel color buildings and cobblestone narrow alleys. The old center is full of small shops and cafes but, like all towns in Switzerland, it was deserted on a Sunday.

The town’s landmark, the old church, is hiding in a small square, surrounded by small houses. Its interior is decorated in a striking blue color.

Before heading to Wil, I made a small detour and climbed the steep hill to Kyburg Castle, just south of Winterthur (https://www.dieschweizerschloesser.ch/en/our-castles/detail/schloss-kyburg/).

This time I actually went for a full visit of this well preserved castle.

Dating from the 13th century, it has been remodeled through the centuries and is now a museum narrating its history. In its earlier times it was under Habsburg’s ownership, among others. Most of the rooms now show a bare 17th-18th century taste. And from the top of the castle one has a panoramic view of the lands below

The rest of the ride was mostly in the countryside. All the roads were bike-friendly and often in separate paths.

And then I made a dash to the train station in Wil SG, not wanting to linger on the bike any longer. Cloudy humid days are not my favorite…….

This also means that I did not see the Old Town of Wil and I will leave it for next time.

Links to Introduction and other Sections:

• BIKING THROUGH SWITZERLAND (with an electric bike)
• Route 5: Section 1 ; Wil SG to Romanshorn

• Route 5: Section 3 (Kloten–Aarau)
• Route 5: Section 4 (Aarau–Solothurn)
• Route 5: Section 5 (Solothurn–Ins)
• Route 5 (Mittelland Route): Section 6 (Ins–Yverdon)
• Route 5: Section 7-end (Yverdon–Lausanne)