Evening Walk around the Moated Castle Mauensee in Canton Luzern

(Note: This Album was posted on May 1, 2020 during a time when we are doing less hiking, so I can catch up on sorting some photos that I had not previously had time to do. This particular hike was a small after-work hike we did in mid-April two years ago, just before our trip to Canada that year).

April 18, 2018 -- On this wonderful day and it being a Wednesday, which is usually a day off for both of us, Urs was required to work... but not wanting to waste this beautiful Spring day, we made the following arrangement: I would meet him somewhere close to his work, so that we could still enjoy a walk together in the beautiful Spring evening. We decided to meet in Sursee, a town that is only an hour's trip for me, and 20 minutes from where he works. Nearby is a small lake called Mauensee, wherein sits a castle on an island in the middle of the lake. I saw this once passing by in a car many years ago, and always wanted to see it up close.

As it turned out, you could not see it that well up close. The lake is ringed in thick bushes, being a nature reserve for some rare and protected species, and so the trail around the lake does not offer many views of the castle (which together with the lake, are in private ownership). The best view of the castle on its little island in the lake was definitely from the road higher up and to the West.

Nevertheless, we had a few windows through the bushes as we rounded the lake and saw the building from various angles, but as the tour around the small lake was just under an hour (not counting the walk through the woods to get there), we decided on an alternate route through a small farming hamlet. Altogether our little 7-km walk took us about two hours, and was a great option for having also had to work that day. Furthermore, the air was crisply clear and we had the most spectacular views of the mountains on our trip back home at 6 p.m.

Starting at the train station in Sursee, we walked northward, then through the forest to the lake from where we got the first glimpse of the castle on its island. After almost completing the walk around the perimeter, we walked through some farms before heading back to the train station

Zoomed view of the castle on its island across the lake

Another view from the side: Mostly we were looking through bushes and rushes

  

At the front entrance to the island is a gated bridge, and somewhere a sign that says "Private Property, no Access!"

I walked toward the road a bit to see if I could get the "road view", but you really had to go higher up.

    

At just one or two places we actually were able to get down to the waterfront

A sign reminds hikers that the lake also is private property, and there is no swimming allowed, also not for dogs!

Last and maybe best look at the island as we got back to near where we started

Marshes and ponds before heading into the farmlands

  

Pond dweller

It is always a treat to walk through the farmyards

So many farms have in-house shops where you can buy milk, eggs, cheese, syrups, and homemade crafts and teas etc.

See that fellow? He had to make sure we weren't making any trouble!

  

I'm not a fan of dogs, but the Bernese Mountain Dogs are exceptions

Oh and every walk has to include some of these Spring Babies!

And once in a while an animal that is NOT a cow

Back at the train station there were two of these marvellous magnolia trees in full bloom

Lovely 7-km late afternoon walk. We started at about 4:30 p.m., and it took us about 2 hours.

On the train back to Luzern, the snow-capped mountains loomed up so clear

And the last stretch from Luzern to Zug along Lake Rotsee, with Mount Pilatus in the background.