Les Ponts-De-Martel: Peat Bogs, Trails and Culture

A trip to Les Ponts-De-Martel can be shaped around a range of interests: peat bogs, marked routes, a historic building and regional specialities each offer a different focus. If you are looking for a hotel, you can decide in advance whether nature, exercise, or culture and cheese should be the main focus of your stay.

Peat Bogs and Maison de la Tourbière

The peat bogs of Les Ponts-De-Martel are home to remarkable animal and plant species. The flora includes cotton grass, sundew and water shamrock. The bog habitat provides refuge for butterflies, beetles, spiders, lizards, frogs and birds.

Marais-Rouge is an extensive raised bog near Les Ponts-De-Martel and can be explored via a nature trail. If you want to make peatland landscapes a specific part of your visit, you can include this trail in your plans.

The Maison de la Tourbière is a centre for the research, interpretation and protection of peat bogs. Its museum section is bilingual and can be visited independently of the peat bog nature trail, allowing you to plan the museum and trail separately. The renovated nature trail at the Maison de la Tourbière is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The Sentier de la tourbière is 2.8 km long. Guided tours are available daily by prior reservation. If you plan to take a guided tour, book in advance; also check the museum section’s current opening details before travelling.

Marked Trails and Activities

For running, hiking and Nordic walking, Les Ponts-De-Martel has marked routes of 2.8 km, 6.5 km, 8.6 km and 13.5 km. The longest is just under five times as long as the shortest, so you can base your choice on a specific range of distances.

The local area has mountain biking trails, including downhill trails. There are also numerous cross-country ski trails. The activity options therefore include both marked routes for walking and opportunities for mountain biking and cross-country skiing.

Seasonal Guide

The changing seasons also offer a point of reference when planning your visit. In Les Ponts-De-Martel, summers are considered wet and pleasant, while winters are frosty and snowy.

Culture and Regional Specialities

The Temple des Ponts-de-Martel was built in 1844. It offers a historic point of reference, while the Maison de la Tourbière focuses on the natural history of the bogs through research, interpretation and protection.

At the Fromagerie Les Martel, you can watch Gruyère AOC being made live through the visitor gallery’s glass partition and taste the finished cheese. The Maison de la Tourbière offers seasonal, reimagined regional specialities inspired by the aromas and colours of the peat bog. This makes for two distinct experiences: an insight into cheesemaking and a seasonal offering connected to the bog.

Discover more destinations: Les Brenets, Le Locle, La Brévine, Brot-Plamboz, Le Cerneux-Péquignot

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