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Park in the hamlet of Chapelle des Buis, in the small car park in front of the chapel forecourt. If there are no spaces available, park in the forecourt of Notre-Dame de la Libération, but this will add about a kilometre to the walk.
Markings: yellow and white, yellow and red, and yellow, with some sections unmarked.
(S/E) On arrival, enjoy a superb view of the town, crowned by its citadel. Don’t miss the striking carved lion’s head opposite the chapel.
Head up the stony path opposite the car park, passing to the left of a long wooden building. At the first fork, continue straight ahead (right-hand path). The path soon becomes a trail winding through the box trees, currently ravaged by the box tree moth, but a few shoots offer hope that the hill will regain the box trees that gave it its name.
(1) At the second fork, continue straight on (ignoring the signposted path that descends to the right). At the junction of nearby tracks, continue straight on to reach the Fort des Buis ditch, into which you descend on the left. Let yourself be guided by this strange trench with its gnarled, moss-covered trees, reminiscent of an enchanted forest, until you reach some walls on your right.
(2) Climb up to the left to find a stony path (blue arrows on the stones, which will not remain) leading to a trench and a stone marker. Head left to a T-junction (two rectangular markers). A short detour to the left of a few steps offers a view of the charming Mercureaux valley.
Walk past the boundary stones to rejoin the marked path, which you take to the left. After a short descent, signpost no. 61 marks a crossroads.
(3) Head down to the far left, despite the crosses, for a short detour. After about a hundred metres, leave the path that descends to the left and continue straight on for another hundred metres or so, then look out for the small track leading off to the left towards the Mercureaux viewpoint, where, it is said, a temple dedicated to Mercury once stood in ancient times.
(4) Turn back towards the ridge.
(3) On your return, turn left, leaving the marked path, onto the track that follows the ridge line. A few trees marked with white paint mark the route. Go round a rocky outcrop on the left, then climb up it, descending on the other side of the ridge. You pass a small stone marker and come to a fork in the path; continue to the left and you will soon reach an old dry stone wall and another fork.
(5) Continue to the left and stay on the ridge, ignoring the paths leading down to the right. After following a low wall to its end, step over the scree to carefully reach the unsecured viewpoint.
(6) Continue down to reach a stony path which you will follow up to the right (Route 9) to the hunting lodge.
(7) Continue left across the pasture to the viewpoint over the Doubs valley, which has a bench for a break.
(8) Carefully descend to the right along the ledges with lovely views of Le Bout du Monde and the valley. The view is magnificent, but take care, as the stony path is close to the edge. Shortly after leaving the ledges, at the fork, head down to the right, following the signposts. You’ll arrive at the Chemin du Sert and its old Celtic track with ruts carved into the rock. Head left up the tarmac Maillot road for about 300 m until you reach the corner of a barrier.
Head down to the right along the path that starts between the metal barrier and the crash barrier. Walk past the Bout du Monde waterfall, which unfortunately isn’t always visible at certain times of year; a few trees need pruning.
(9) After the waterfall, at the fork, ignore the footbridge on the left, continue straight ahead and turn left into Rue de la Cascade. Immediately after the footbridge, take a quick detour down the small cobbled lane opposite on the right to catch a glimpse of the old wash house.
Retrace your steps and then head back up Rue de la Cascade; after walking alongside a wall, turn left, passing the wayside cross and the Liberation Tree. Immediately turn right onto Chemin de la Côte Blanche.
(10) The street becomes a path that climbs steeply up the hillside to the right of the water tower. Note the ruts left in the rock by our ancestors’ carts with iron-rimmed wheels. At the first fork, head straight left. At the top, there are beautiful, unobstructed views over the Doubs valley and, a little further on, in an open area, over the hills of Arguel and Fontain.
Enter the woods. Shortly afterwards, at the crossroads marked with forest sign no. 20, carry straight on, and do the same at the next crossroads to reach the hunting lodge.
(7) Turn left onto this lovely stony path. When it splits into three, simply keep right, following the markings to reach marker post no. 60. Continue to the left despite the crosses. You’ll emerge from the woods and pass the Jourande farm and its viewpoint over the Besançon hills and their fortifications, from left to right: Chaudanne, La Citadelle, Fort de Bregille and, opposite you, the keep of the feudal castle of Montfaucon.
(11) After house no. 5, pass the signpost, continuing straight on, and at the next fork, turn right until you reach the end of the gravel cul-de-sac.
Continue through the woods along the path that runs along the bottom of the hill to reach the D144, at a hairpin bend, at the foot of the Way of the Cross which, I hope, will not be your own. Then climb up to the right to the Chapelle des Buis, which you can visit to see its Virgin and Child (S/E).
: Caution! The route includes ledge paths and unsecured viewing points.
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Easy 
