Lobsigensee is a tiny lake, barely more than a pond, hidden among fields and woods on a low hill above Aarberg in the Bernese Seeland. It is a nature reserve, ringed with reeds and alder trees, and it is home to frogs, newts, dragonflies and birds. It also hides one of the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps World Heritage sites: the remains of Neolithic settlements along its shore. There is nothing visible on the surface, but the quiet, green setting gives a sense of what the landscape might have looked like thousands of years ago.
The Seeland, the land of lakes, lies between the lakes of Biel, Neuchâtel and Murten, and for centuries it was a marshy, flood-prone area. In the nineteenth century, the Jura Water Correction, a huge engineering project, redirected the Aare river into Lake Biel and lowered the level of the lakes, draining the marshes and creating fertile farmland. Today the Seeland is known as the vegetable garden of Switzerland, with fields of carrots, lettuce, onions and potatoes stretching to the horizon. The lowering of the lakes also exposed many of the pile dwelling sites, which is why so many have been found in this region.
Aarberg, just below the lake, is a charming small town built on a rocky island in the old course of the Aare. Its long, cobbled market square is lined with old houses and inns, and a covered wooden bridge crosses the river. The town is also home to one of Switzerland's two sugar factories, processing sugar beet from the surrounding fields, and in autumn the smell of cooking beet hangs in the air.
The riding in the Seeland is flat and easy, with straight roads across the fields and gentle bends through villages. It is pleasant rather than exciting. To the north, the Jura mountains offer much better riding, with winding roads, passes and views over the lakes and the Alps. The roads to Chasseral, the highest point in the Bernese Jura, are particularly good.
Aarberg has fuel, shops and restaurants. Try local vegetables, fresh from the fields, or fish from the lakes. Lowland fog is the local speciality in autumn and winter, often lingering until noon while the hills above sit in sunshine. Spring and summer are the best seasons for riding.