ViaBerna - stage 04 Nods - Magglingen

The hike begins in the farming village of Nods with its characteristic Jura houses. Following signs for Mont Sujet, you leave the centre of the village and quickly find yourself on a wonderful avenue to the nearby edge of the forest. The woodland soon opens out onto typical Jura pasture, abundant in flowers and with a few trees. If you are lucky you might come across a herd of horses grazing. You climb past La Rochalle and Combe Robin, the ascent is steeper in the forest and flat over the pasture to Mont Sujet or Spitzberg. If you find nearby Chasseral too busy, the view from Mont Sujet is almost as good. The descent to the destination of Magglingen takes you past Bergerie du Haut and Bergerie du Bas as well as Noire Combe to Les Prés-d’Orvin. In winter, the small town is a popular ski area for nearby Seeland. Many a resident of Biel/Bienne tried skiing for the first time here. Here the route first heads southwards past La Bragarde and then shortly afterwards east down to Le Jorat, where you climb right past Crêt sor Neuchâtel to Magglingen. At the national sport centre, you will come across the name “End of the World”. But you shouldn’t take the name literally. The hike ends at the top station of the Biel-Magglingen funicular railway.

The name Mont Sujet (1,382 metres) probably means small, round summit, which is more apt than the German name, Spitzberg. The summit gives a magnificent view of Chasseral, the lakes of Mittelland and the Alps.

Every spring a special spectacle occurs on the forest pasture around Les Prés d’Orvin and on Mont Sujet: In April, millions of daffodils – often called Easter or April bells – spring out of the ground. Jura’s characteristic plants also include the protected great yellow gentian and the poisonous white hellebore.

You regularly come across different names for farmland on Jura hikes. “Combe” is often used to describe a higher, small longitudinal valley. “Métairie” is the name for farms whose tenant once had to give the landowner half of the yield. Today, they often serve food and drinks as beautifully situated mountain inns. A gate in the pasture fencing is called a “Clédar”.

Magglingen is situated above Lake Biel on the south-eastern slope of the Magglingerberg. The view of the lake, the town and the Alps draws locals and tourists alike onto the viewing terrace. The town is home to the Mecca of Swiss sport, the National Sports Centre Magglingen, a training, sport and conference centre.