The Federsee is what remains of a much larger lake that filled the basin after the last ice age, and over thousands of years it silted up into a vast moor, one of the most important wetlands in southern Germany. Wet ground preserves things well, which is why this corner is a treasure chest for archaeology. People settled around the lake from the Stone Age on, building houses on timber foundations or on stilts, and the waterlogged soil has kept their wood, tools and even textiles in remarkable condition.
Bad Buchau has a museum of the pile dwellers, with reconstructed houses outdoors, and the Federsee area belongs to the UNESCO group of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, recognised in 2011. The best way to feel the moor is to walk the long boardwalk that leads across the reeds to the open water, where you can watch herons, grebes, marsh harriers and, in spring and autumn, cranes and other migrating birds.
Upper Swabia has its own cultural identity, with onion-domed baroque churches in every village, rich monasteries and a countryside of orchards and farms. The Upper Swabian Baroque Road passes close, and the abbey at Ochsenhausen and the pilgrimage church of Steinhausen, a short way off, are masterpieces of the style. Schreckensee, the other point on the ride, is a small, dark lake in a forest farther south, and the Ach valley is a gentle, green river landscape.
The riding is relaxed. Roads run among fields, small woods and farming villages, with gentle bends, light traffic and long views, though tractors and cyclists share the lanes in summer. Mist often hangs over the moor in the early morning, and autumn brings golden light. Winter can be cold and foggy. It is a region for slow riding, with pauses for cake and coffee.
Bad Buchau, Uttenweiler and Attenweiler are small, with fuel stations, bakeries and inns, and the larger town of Biberach is not far away. Look for Swabian dishes such as Maultaschen, stuffed pasta pockets, and Spätzle, the soft egg noodles served with cheese or lentils, and a glass of local cider or beer.