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Car park in Bonnevaux-du-Bas near the remains of the bell tower of the former priory. Yellow-blue and white-red markings.
(S/E) Head towards the small stone bridge at the bottom of the valley, leaving the bell tower behind you. Head towards Saut du Chevalier. The road becomes stony after the bridge.
(1) At the fork marked by a signpost and a "No entry except for residents" sign, continue straight ahead along the Brème stream.
(2) When the stony path disappears into a field, cross the Brème stream to the right via a wooden footbridge and continue to a high point (elevation 476).
(3) Turn right at the hairpin bend to join a tarmac road.
(4) Turn right towards Saut du Chevalier, with a viewpoint on the right offering a splendid view of the Brème Valley. Picnic table.
(5) Continue for about 1,700 metres along the small tarmac road. Shortly after the viewpoint, ignore a hiking trail on the left that descends to Ornans and continue towards Ferme de Septfontaines. Cross the pastures and, after a very short climb, before a copse, turn right onto the gravel road towards Vallée de la Brème.
(6) The path quickly disappears into a pasture near an electrical transformer. Go through the small metal gate and follow the barbed wire fence towards Bonnevaux-du-Bas. At the pylon, you will find a path at the edge of the forest that descends into the valley. This path can be very slippery in wet weather. Follow the signs carefully.
(7) When you see the first houses of Bonnevaux-du-Bas, take a wider path that descends to the right. At the edge of the woods, you will find yourself back on the path you started on.
(1). Turn left to reach the bell tower and the car park (S/E).
Rocky and slippery paths in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended. The descent after point (6) is steep and slippery in wet weather.
A lovely littlesummer route, well described and sufficiently challenging, which has the advantage of taking place on trails and a few roads, sometimes in the shade, sometimes in the sun. The climb is quite manageable after the first few kilometres, currently shaded but with a few trees fallen due to recent storms, nothing traumatic, just keep an eye on safety if there are young hikers. A nice stop at the Saut du Chevalier with a picnic table allows you to choose the right time for lunch in the open air (second option at the end of the circular, either by the stream/bridge at La Brême or at the old priory bell tower, depending on your choice and the position of the sun). Note that from the Saut du Chevalier, it is entirely possible to join another hike towards Ornans via a beautiful old path - following the route described here initially but quickly turning off onto the first path downhill on the left. There are also multiple possibilities for subsequently reaching the site of the Virgin Mary and then climbing back up towards Septfontaines via the superb hiking trail (the Château-ferme des 7fontaines) and resuming the route of this hike.
Visorando member
Moderate 
