About Ice Age giants and the dwelling place of Stone Age humans

From Herzogenbuchsee station through Bahnhof- and Ringstrasse into Maria-Waser-Strasse. This street name refers to the writer who spent her youth in Herzogenbuchsee. Now enter the nearby Lõliwald. A beautiful promenade stretches as a natural arbor through the bright beech forest southwards. Benches invite you to enjoy the beautiful views into the open. At the forest edge, cross the road and railway line to the houses of Matten. The view over the hedge-lined Önz plain to the church tower of Aeschi and to the Jura is magnificent. In Matten, continue again along the railway line. The Önz is crossed here. It’s hard to believe that this harmless little stream can swell to a raging river after thunderstorms. The formerly very winding streambed was therefore (unfortunately) straightened and built over. At the Rain farm, keep the direction and continue along the forest edge, then again follow the Önz and the streambed. At Hermiswil, turn off to the small Solothurn village of Steinhof. On the left, not far from the coat-of-arms-adorned fire station, stands the huge erratic block, the “Grossi Flue”. It is probably not only the place that received its name from it, but also the family von Stein, whose water castle stood at Burgäschisee. Back in the village center, head west and descend rather steeply to the forest edge. Along the forest fringe (again following the cantonal border), later crossing the Aeschi–Seeberg road, take a nearly flat path into the Hinterholz (to Seeberg 25 min) and then down to the main road. Cross this and go down to the nearby Burgäschisee. Due to silting up and lowering of the water level in 1943, the original lake has become a modest basin. This revealed the two so-called pile dwelling sites East and West, after such a settlement on the northern shore was already known. The bathing beach offers a welcome opportunity to refresh towards the end of the hike. From the nearby hamlet of Burgäschi (to Aeschi 20 min), past Burghölzli and Eichwald to Niederönz and back to the starting point Herzogenbuchsee.