Entlebuch gave the world a dog. The Entlebucher Sennenhund, a small, sturdy, tricolour herding breed, was developed in these valleys to drive cattle on the steep pastures, and the village is proud of it. The surrounding region is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, recognised in 2001, a landscape of moors, wooded ridges and green pasture, where the Kleine Emme river runs down from the Alps toward Lucerne.
The village itself has about three thousand people, and stands at 723 metres on the road between Bern and Lucerne, a crossing that has been important since medieval times. It has a good selection of practical stops: fuel, bakeries, a couple of restaurants and the kind of friendly village guesthouses that serve a hearty plate of rösti or a slice of something sweet with thick cream. This is the end of a long ride for many, a place to finish the day with a beer on a terrace.
The roads around are lovely. The valley road follows the river through farms and forest, with gentle bends, wooden barns and cows with bells on the slopes, and the side roads climb up to the high ridges, with wide views of the Pilatus and the Alps. The surface is generally excellent, and traffic is light outside the commuting hours. Hasle and Schüpfheim, the next villages, are similar, and the road toward Marbach and the Schangnau is a fine piece of riding, with a bit more climbing and some tighter bends.
The biosphere is notable for its moors, which are protected, and the area has a distinctive feel, damp and green, with mist on the hills in the morning. Spring brings blossom and autumn, golden beech woods. Rain is frequent, and fog can sit in the valley, so check the forecast. If you want more services, Malters, a few kilometres down the valley, is larger, with about six thousand people, and Lucerne is a short ride beyond it.