Are you looking for a place where you can cool off in nature in the tropical summer heatwave? Last time we found such a place in a cool mountain stream in the Choleren Gorge near Adelboden, now we felt comfortable in the cool shadow of the forest of the Twannbach gorge near Lake Biel.
Getting there
The starting point is the village of Ligerz (French Gléresse) on the shores of Lake Biel. You can get here either by train (Ligerz lies on the route Biel – Neuchâtel), by car (50km northwest of Bern, parking is right next to the station) or by boat of the shipping company BSG (you can find the timetable here).
To get to the beginning of the route, you have to take the “Vinifuni” funicular to Prêles. The valley station is just across the road from the train station. The fare is governed by the SBB tariff – for an adult, a one-way ticket costs 5.60 francs (half with a Halb-Tax), children with a Junior-Karte, and accompanied by their parents have a free ride. The funicular runs every half hour, the ride takes 7 minutes.
Start of the route
When you get off the funicular, it is difficult to set off on the route, when the La Buvette restaurant with a terrace with a wonderful view right at the exit of the funicular invites you to sit down. Anyway, the route starts right at the funicular station, when you turn right and walk along the sidewalk in the direction of the signs to Twannbachschlucht. After about a kilometer and a half, the path turns right into the forest and down the hill – at the beginning slightly, then quite steeply along a narrow path to the valley of the stream.
When you go down to the stream and turn right, right after a few meters you will find a fireplace where you can have a picnic.
Twannbachschlucht
After a few tens of meters you will reach a crossroads. Turn left in the direction of Twannbachschlucht. Admission is charged, adults pay 2 francs, children 1 franc. The money box is at the exit of the gorge.
First, the path through the wooded gorge is wide, the path leads slightly downhill.
Suddenly the route is steeper, the gorge narrows, stairs appear and suddenly you are surrounded by rocks that grip the valley on both sides.
What’s more, it’s suddenly so green everywhere that you feel more like you’re in a prehistoric rainforest.
Then you will reach another signpost by the bridge – you cross it and turn left in the direction of the signpost. After a few tens of meters you will reach the end of Twanbachschlucht, where there is a money box for your contribution to the repairs and geological maintenance works of the gorge.
As soon as you leave the forest, you will have a beautiful view of the vineyards, Lake Biel, the picturesque St. Petersinsel and the Alps in the distance.
Follow the signs and you will reach Schernelz in a short time.
Just past the Aux Trois Amis restaurant, turn left at the signpost towards the Ligerz church tower. If you find the view of the tower familiar from my blog, you are right – in May we completed a vine nature trail from Twann to Ligerz.
Back in Ligerz
Again, we just peeked into the courtyard of the Hof Wine Museum, but we did not go for a tour – we preferred practice to theory and tasted a few samples of wine from the local winery Giauque 🙂
Summary
- The route from Prêles via Twannbachschlucht to Ligerz measures less than 6 km and is not suitable for strollers.
- The route leads more or less downhill.
- Good footwear and caution on wet and slippery sections are necessary for safe walking on the trail.
- In winter, the hiking trail through the Twannbachschlucht is closed. After an inspection and after security and renovation work, it is usually reopened around Easter.
- I found the route on the Wandermagazin SCHWEIZ website. However, we modified it slightly (see the following picture – our route is marked in yellow).
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