Five thousand years ago, people were building houses on stilts at the edge of lakes across the Alps, and then the lakes rose, buried the houses and kept them almost perfectly in the mud. The remains of these pile dwellings, found in the nineteenth century when a drought lowered the water, include posts, tools, textiles, food and even bread, and they gave archaeologists an extraordinary view of Stone Age and Bronze Age life. A hundred and eleven of the sites, in six countries, were listed by UNESCO in 2011, and the Swiss share is the largest.
Meisterschwanden lies on the Hallwilersee, a long narrow lake in the canton of Aargau, and the shallows of its shore hold some of the remains. I must be honest here, since there is little to see above water. Most sites are covered by the lake or buried in the mud, protected on purpose, and what you find on land are information boards, a view of the shore and perhaps a museum with finds. Robenhausen, in the ride title, is a classic site on the Pfäffikersee in canton Zurich, known since the 1850s, and has a small display of reconstructions.
The Seetal, the valley around the Hallwilersee, is lovely riding country, with gentle hills, orchards, villages with half-timbered farmhouses and the lake glinting below. The roads are in excellent condition, speed limits are firmly enforced and there are cameras, so keep within the limit. Schloss Hallwyl, a moated castle at the north end of the lake in Seengen, is one of the finest water castles in Switzerland, and well worth a stop.
Reinach, with nearly eight thousand people, and Meisterschwanden, with about twenty-five hundred, have fuel and cafes. Remember that motorways in Switzerland need a vignette, a sticker that costs about forty francs a year, so buy one at the border or a petrol station. The best seasons are spring, with blossom, and autumn, with the apple harvest and cooler air. Swim in the lake in summer, and eat a cheese fondue or a plate of fried lake fish with a glass of local white wine.