STATS: Fribourg (600m)–Fey (660m): 66km long and 800m H gain. More information on route from https://schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland
February 2025
First ride of 2025, wishing for sun but getting fog and chill instead…….
I decide to take the train to Fribourg (canton Fribourg) to find some new trails , planning on the go to bike part of 34:01 and 63:01 in the south-west direction in order to reach one of the villages on the LEB train line (canton Vaud).
From Fribourg train station , Route 34:01 leaves immediately the city and passes through undescriptive suburban villages. After about 10km, and some getting lost, the path enters a minor woods (Le Gretzon) followed by countryside and farms. But the fog is thick in the valley and the chills penetrate my bones, feet and hands.
In Payerne, I stop to warm-up in a little cafe right in front of the amazing Payerne Abbey/Priory (11th century).
Payerne’s Abbey Church (Notre Dame,) is an excellent example of Romanesque architecture in Switzerland, with Clunisian features . Indeed, around 965 the King of Burgundy gave Payerne to Cluny. In 2023, the Abbey Church received a special commendation at the European Museum of the Year Award ceremony in Barcelona “for the sensory, vivid and emotional experience it offers visitors and for the successful and playful way in which it reveals the complex history of this major masterpiece of Romanesque architecture.”
Next to the Abbey church (reserved to the Cluniac monks) is also a parish church built for the people in 13th century.
While I read about the history of Payerne’s Abbey from the comfort of the coffee shop, I contemplate if I call it quits or venture again in the chilly weather. Since the day is young, I finally opt for the latter.
This second part, on route 63:01, is more bucolic and completely along countryside roads. This time, however, the timid sun and good climbs finally warm me up.
I end the tour in Fey, a small village I never heard before, and that I choose just because it is conveniently sitting along the train line LEB.
Links about Introduction and nearby Routes:
bikeswitzerlandblog 