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Parking is available at the church in Sancey-l'Église. Good quality yellow and blue signposting.
(S/E) Head towards the back of the church and go up the small meadow on the right to find the marked trail. Walk along a pasture on your left, where you will already have beautiful views of the castle. At the end, there is a fork in the trail. Take the left, continuing along the edge of the woods. You will soon arrive at the rear of the Basilica of Sainte-Jeanne-Antide Thouret. When this path has moved well away from the village, you will come to a wider stone path which you take on the left.
(1) At the signpost, forest sign 31, follow a new gravel road that descends to the left. You will be surprised to discover the "Cité des Nains" (Dwarf Village), a child's creation, but if you have a garden gnome to put in the countryside, don't hesitate. At the first houses in the village, when the road becomes paved, continue straight ahead. You will see another view of Belvoir Castle. Pass the sawmill.
(2) At the departmental road, turn left, cross the footbridge and enter Rue de la Basilique. Visit it if you wish. You will pass a 17th-century house on your left with a superb statue. Continue to No. 10 and cross the stream on the right via a new footbridge that leads to the war memorial. Take the D468 towards Belvoir.
(3) On leaving the village, before the statue of the Virgin Mary, at the sign saying "Interdit aux plus de 12 tonnes" (No vehicles over 12 tonnes), turn right, passing the metal hangar and quickly leaving a stony road on your right. A little further up, the road turns sharply to the right and, after a beautiful view of the Val de Sancey, enters the woods. Leave the gravel road and turn left onto a beautiful forest path on the edge of pastures and woods.
(4) After passing through a barrier via a small metal bridge for mountain bikes, follow the top of the pasture, just below the castle. This is the ideal spot on the route (in my opinion) for a snack break while enjoying the view of the valley and the castle. After the remains of an old house, at the fork, at the foot of a concrete telephone pole, take the road downhill on the left.
(5) At the first houses in Belvoir, turn left, then left again to reach the medieval market halls. At the crossroads, at No. 4, go up the street on the right, passing the Café de la Petite Cave and some beautiful old houses. At the last house, turn right into the Rue de l'Église, which is a no-entry street.
(6) Climb up to the church via the small staircase. Visit this charming little church for its beams, which give the impression of an upturned boat, the Stations of the Cross and a beautiful pulpit. Then continue along the half-stone, half-grass path towards the castle.
At the hairpin bend, continue straight ahead, despite the crosses, under the castle walls, to pass in front of the famous Madge-Fâ, from the local dialect "merde-je-fais" (I'm shitting), a character supporting the watchtower in an unambiguous position, through whose opening the defenders of the fortress swung, I'll let you guess what, over the heads of their attackers. You are entering private property. Passage is permitted, but the owner asks that you respect the premises and stay on the marked path. Walk around the castle, staying close to the walls. At the ends, go down a little to the left until you reach a metal barrier.
(7) You will discover a half-paved forest path in a hairpin bend. Follow it to the right to find the signposts a little higher up, at a crossroads. Turn left onto the beautiful paved road towards the Chapelle Sainte-Anne and its 180° view of the Val de Sancey.
(8) Leave the viewpoint via the metal gate behind the chapel and cross the hillside pasture lengthwise, following the visible trail in the grass and staying on the high ground, less than 20 metres from the fence. When you reach the fence, go down the log staircase on the left. At the bottom corner, at the metal gate, there is a fork in the trail. Take the left fork, following the yellow and blue markings and the fence.
(9) Be careful! Shortly after a gate, you will come to a crossroads with five paths. Take the second path down to the right. Then turn left onto the departmental road, remembering to look up for a last glimpse of the irreverent Madge-Fâ. Just before the village sign, opposite the keep, turn right down the grassy path, then immediately right onto the track that leads to Sancey. This is the Chemin de la Vie à la Mort (Path of Life and Death), which was used (to be verified) to carry the deceased down to Sancey. The path becomes stony, then tarmac.
(10) Turn left at the stop sign, then descend towards Sancey-l'Église and turn right onto the departmental road 464 and finally left at the calvary to return to the car park of Saint-Martin Church (S/E).
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