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Car park in front of the church in Abbans-Dessous.
(S/E) Leaving the car park, turn left onto Rue des Perrières (D466) towards Abbans-Dessus (white and red signpost). On leaving the village, 200 m after a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, leave the signposts and the departmental road and turn right at the bend onto the stony path that passes in front of some agricultural sheds.
(1) The path leads to Rue Jouffroy d'Abbans in Abbans-Dessus, which you follow to the right towards the centre of the village. At the foot of the castle, take the time to climb up to the right to the gate, then return to the main street.
(2) At the cemetery, leave the D107 and turn left onto Rue du Chatelot. Stop briefly on the right at the statue of the Virgin Mary and, at the top of the small hill, enjoy the beautiful unobstructed view of the Loue valley, Mont Poupet and the Jura mountains. Descend, leaving Impasse des Vignes on your left, and rejoin the D13.
(3) Cross over and take Rue des Favorges opposite, which quickly forks. Take Rue des Combes on the right. You will see signposting for Circuit VTT N°21. The road becomes stony, passes under a high-voltage power line and turns into a forest path leading into pleasant woodland. The mountain bike trail branches off to the left along a small path, which you ignore, continuing along the wide, well-marked path despite the cross inviting you to turn back.
(4) The path arrives at a clearing. Follow the right-hand side along the ridge. You will rejoin the path at the other end of the meadow, this time marked in yellow and blue.
(5) After 1 km, at a signpost, look for a small path that branches off to the right towards the viewpoint, which you will see from the barriers. It offers views of Byans-sur-Doubs, the Doubs Valley, the Chaux Forest and the Massif de la Serre. Turn back and head right, ignoring the cart tracks that descend the hillside to your left. Walk along a clearing for a while, then descend a little until you reach another hiking trail that climbs up from the Loue Valley. A signpost and sign invite you to turn right towards the aviators' monument.
(6) You will arrive at a roundabout on a farm road. Keep right towards the monument indicated by a new sign that pranksters have turned into a monument to amateurs.
(7) At the monument, despite a yellow and blue cross inviting you to turn back, continue straight down the gravel path. This path joins a wider farm track at a bend, which you continue down to the left.
(8) The tarmac soon replaces the stones and, when the path begins a hairpin bend, leave it and continue straight ahead on a pretty little stony path. When you see the first houses, the path forks. Ignore the right-hand fork that goes up the hillside and go down to the left towards Byans, as indicated by a small sign. The path is bordered on the left by an old murgé (a dry stone wall, common in our region). You are on the Chevanne path, which you will quickly leave at a low rounded wall to climb up to the right onto the Bellevue path, which offers a lovely view of the church.
(9) You will reach the D13 and follow it downhill to the right for 70 metres to take a look at the 19th-century oratory dedicated to the Virgin Mary. On the way, you will see an old manor house with a watchtower. Return to the centre of the village, passing between a beautiful fountain and the Church of Saint-Désiré, and take the Route de la Grotte (signposted "Toute direction").
(10) Opposite a small calvary, just before the cemetery, turn right onto the gravel path that joins the D105 at the edge of the village. Follow it downhill to the right, pass under some high-voltage power lines and an electrical transformer, and 200 metres further on, turn left onto a gravel path that leads into the pastures. Take the time to turn around and enjoy the view of Abbans hill and its castle.
(11) Go under the railway line where the path forks. Take the well-marked path on the left that runs alongside the clearing. It joins another path at right angles. Then turn right and walk about 20 steps, leaving the water treatment plant on your left. When the path climbs up to the right into the forest, leave it and take a small path that runs along the edge of the woods on the left until it comes out on the left onto fields and a gravel road with some traces of tarmac. Follow it to the right with the village of Abbans-Dessous in sight.
(12) Pass under the railway line again and you will soon see red and white markers inviting you to turn right up Chemin de Villard to the church and its car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
