The label is simply Village, which tells you the scouts did not have a better name, so this entry is really about the shore of Lake Neuchâtel between Estavayer-le-Lac and Cortaillod. Here the lake is wide and calm, a long sliver of water set between the Jura mountains to the northwest and the rolling Fribourg country to the southeast. The southern shore is special. A broad belt of reeds, marsh and woodland runs along it, known as the Grande Cariçaie, which is the largest lakeshore wetland in Switzerland and a refuge for many birds, dragonflies and amphibians.
People have lived on this water for a very long time. The shores of Lake Neuchâtel and nearby lakes preserve the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements, built on wooden stilts by farming communities thousands of years ago. A group of such sites across the Alps was added to the UNESCO list, and the lake's waters, with low oxygen in the mud, kept the wood and objects in remarkable condition. Nothing dramatic remains for visitors to see in most places, but museums in the area show finds and reconstructions.
Estavayer-le-Lac, with about 5,000 people and a medieval old town, is the nearest proper town, with a castle, narrow lanes, a harbour and the restaurants where perch fillets are served with fries and a glass of local white. It is a good place for fuel, food and a stretch. The ride along this shore is smooth and relaxed: flat, with pleasant bends through farmland, villages with fountains and small vineyards on the sunny slopes. Traffic can pick up around the main towns and during summer weekends.
If you want a bigger ride, the Jura roads above the north shore climb to viewpoints with a sweep of the lake and, on a clear day, a line of Alps. Cortaillod and Bevaix on the Neuchâtel side belong to wine country, where the reds and whites carry the name of the village. Weather here can switch from sun to haze, and in autumn and winter a sea of fog often fills the lake basin while the heights above stay bright. Spring and September are the nicest times, and a short swim in the lake is possible in high summer, though the water stays cool.