ViaBerna - Stage 04 Nods - Magglingen

The farming village of Nods with its characteristic Jura houses is the starting point of the hike. Following the Mont Sujet signpost, you leave the village center and soon reach a wonderful avenue to the nearby forest edge. The forest soon opens up to a typical Jura pasture with numerous flowers and scattered trees. Those lucky may encounter a grazing group of horses here. Past La Rochalle and Combe Robin the ascent follows, steeper in the forest and flat across pastures to Mont Sujet or Spitzberg. Those who find the nearby Chasseral too busy will find an almost equivalent view here on Mont Sujet. The descent to the destination Magglingen goes past Bergerie du Haut and Bergerie du Bas as well as Noire Combe to Les Prés-d’Orvin. In winter, the small village is a popular ski area for the nearby Seeland. Many from Biel have tried their first ski turns here. The route initially leads south past La Bragarde, shortly thereafter downward eastwards to Le Jorat, where it ascends right past Crêt sor Neuchâtel to Magglingen. At the National Sports Center, you encounter the name 'End of the World.' However, the place name should not be taken literally. The hike ends at the upper station of the Biel-Magglingen funicular.

The name Mont Sujet (1382 meters) presumably means small, rounded peak, which is more fitting than the German name Spitzberg. The summit offers a magnificent view of the Chasseral, the lakes of the Swiss Plateau, and the Alps.

Every spring, a special spectacle repeats itself on the forest pastures around Les Prés d’Orvin and Mont Sujet: millions of daffodils – often called Easter or April bells – shoot up from the ground in April. Among the characteristic plants of the Jura are also the protected yellow gentian and the poisonous white hellebore.

Various field names are regularly encountered on Jura hikes. 'Combe' is often used for a higher-lying, small longitudinal valley. 'Métairie' were farms whose tenants once had to deliver half the yield to the landowners. Today they often offer food and drink as nicely located mountain inns. A 'Clédar' is a gate in the pasture fencing.

Magglingen lies above Lake Biel on the southeastern slope of the Magglingen mountain. The view over the lake, town, and Alps attracts locals and tourists to the viewing terrace. Here is the National Sports Center Magglingen, consisting of training, sports, and congress centers, also the mecca of Swiss sports.