Corcelettes is a little lakeside hamlet just north of Grandson, near the southern tip of Lake Neuchâtel, and Les Violes is the stretch of shallow shore where Bronze Age people built a village of wooden houses on piles, some three thousand years ago. The site was one of the first in the region to attract attention in the nineteenth century, when low water levels after the correction of the Jura waters exposed forests of ancient posts in the mud. It is now listed among the prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps.
Today it is a quiet, reedy shore with a few houses, a campsite and paths along the water. The real highlight in this corner is Grandson, a short ride up the road, with its heavy, five-towered castle standing right above the lake. It was here in 1476 that Charles the Bold of Burgundy hanged the Swiss garrison, only to be routed by the Confederates a few days later, abandoning his tents, artillery and treasure as he fled. Some of the loot, including tapestries and jewels, survives in Swiss museums.
The riding is gentle along the shore and becomes much more interesting as you head into the Jura. From Grandson, the road climbs steeply to Sainte-Croix, a town that made its fortune with music boxes and automata, and now has a museum full of them. Beyond lies the Col des Etroits and the Chasseron, with views over the lake and the Alps. The roads are winding and well-maintained, with some tight hairpins and steep gradients, and they are often less busy than the main routes.
On the opposite, south-eastern shore of the lake lies the Grande Cariçaie, the largest lakeshore wetland in Switzerland, a long ribbon of reed beds, marsh and woodland that is a haven for birds. From Corcelettes you can see it across the water, a soft green line against the hills of the Broye. In spring and autumn the area is busy with migrating birds, and in summer the lake is warm enough for a swim.
Grandson has fuel, restaurants and shops. Yverdon-les-Bains, about five kilometres away, is the main town of the area, with a thermal spa that is a good place to ease tired muscles after a long day in the saddle. The local Chasselas, crisp and mineral, pairs perfectly with perch fillets from the lake.