Circular route from La Baroche to Phaffans

Car park and bus stop on Grande Rue, at the junction with Rue de la Tannerie, 90150 Phaffans.
The walk is signposted with a Yellow Ring.

(S/E) Take Grande Rue westwards on the left as you leave the car park.
After 300m, turn right into Rue de Roppe.

(1) At the sign marking the exit from Phaffans, turn right onto a path that runs along the edge of a field and follows the old tramway line. A very pretty sunken path under the canopy of trees. Continue straight on until you reach the junction with the D53.

(2) At the next crossroads, in Eguenigue, cross Rue d’Alsace and take Impasse du Tramway opposite. Continue straight on until you reach the D52

(3) Turn right and cross through Menoncourt via Rue du Pommerot and then Rue du Loup Pendu to join the Way of St James.

(4) On leaving the village, veer slightly left, walking alongside a beautiful property that resembles an old priory. Lovely countryside scenery all the way to Phaffans. Don’t forget to look back to admire the landscape of the Southern Vosges. You can see the Salbert, to the west near Belfort, then the Planche des Belles Filles and the Southern Vosges range as far as the Grand Ballon.
Once in Phaffans, leave the Way of St James and turn left towards the east.

(5) Just before crossing the motorway, you’ll find the Landscape Interpretation Board. Take a moment to identify the peaks you’ve already admired.
100m after crossing the bridge over the motorway, turn left into the forest.

(6) On reaching Lacollonge, turn right onto Rue des Vosges and immediately afterwards, left onto Rue d'Alsace. Cross the River Madeleine. A pretty square with an old plough in the foreground.

(7) On leaving the village, at the junction between the D22 and the D31, take a path on the right across the field, running alongside the forest. You’ll join the GRE5. Behind you, there’s a lovely view of the Vosges.
After 2 km, follow the signposts carefully to leave the GRE5 and turn right towards the west. Once you reach the Étang des Bois, a popular spot with anglers, you can make use of the picnic tables. Please do not disturb the anglers. Join the D419.

(8) Cross the D419, turn right towards the west, cross La Madeleine and immediately afterwards turn left. Admire the pretty bridge with its sandstone piers. The path crosses a footbridge and, 400m further on, reaches a stony track.

(9) Turn right towards the north-west at the hairpin bend and cross the D419 again, then the D31.
Just after the D31, follow the signposting carefully to avoid taking what looks like a wide track but ends in a stream. The locality is called ‘Bourbet’ (akin to the French word ‘bourbier’, meaning ‘quagmire’).

(10) The path crosses over the A36 motorway and arrives in Phaffans via Rue du Bourbet.

(11) Turn right onto Rue de Bessoncourt and, 50 metres further on, left onto Rue de la Mairie. Admire the church known as “La Baroche” and the presbytery.
Head west along the Grande Rue on the left. Admire the pretty sandstone well. After 50 metres, turn left onto a pleasant little path that leads back to the car park where you started (S/E).

Visorando was provided with information by Mr Chevalley, a volunteer member of Balisage90.
This walk was created by the Tilleul Community of Communes, which is now part of the Greater Belfort area.

Phaffans
A small village nestled in lush greenery welcomes you and invites you to admire the Church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption, known as “La Baroche”, from the Latin word “parochia”: parish. It is a magnificent monument listed in the inventory of historic monuments for its rich sacred architecture: a^17th-century altarpiece, statues, a console and organs crafted by the famous organ builder Verschneider. Situated within the cemetery grounds, it stands on the edge of a ridge overlooking the valley of the Ruisseau de l’Ermite, which joins the Rivière de l’Autruche a little further downstream.
The Way of St James makes a stop in Phaffans.
You can also admire the former presbytery, built in 1701 by Jacques Moureau and occupied by Marc Antoine Berdelet, who went on to become Bishop of Haut-Rhin and later of Aachen.
You will also discover magnificent wells made of Vosges sandstone and its inn, renowned for its frogs.
The origin of the name Phaffans is linked to its German name Pfeffingen (from the Germanic male name Pafo or Fafo and the Germanic suffix "ing" rather than the German "Pfaff" meaning priest and "Haus" meaning house).
For further details, see the following link:

Landscape information board:
Located near the footbridge over the motorway, a landscape information board lists the names of all the peaks in the Vosges. It also provides geological explanations of the formation of the mountain range. It covers five main themes: igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, sedimentary rocks, the formation of the current mountain ranges, and the shaping of the Vosges into ballons and faults. Before your eyes, this impressive, authentic and bountiful landscape unfolds.

Menoncourt
Places to see: the wash house dating from 1870 in the centre of the village, the remains of the tramway line.
The name Menoncourt derives from the Germanic “Muno”, a male name, and the Latin “cortis”, meaning farm or estate. It was first mentioned in 1347 under the name “Muningen”

Lacollonge: you’ll be charmed by the early^20th-century farms, which showcase red sandstone architecture. The village of Lacollonge is crossed by the River Madeleine. It is home to a wide variety of fish: pike, carp, gudgeon…

The tramway: a metre-gauge tramway. From 1913, the tramway ran on the tracks of the CFB (Compagnie des Chemins de Fer d’Intérêt Local du Territoire de Belfort, established on 26 March 1913). The northern line came into service in 1913 and 1914, running to Lachapelle. It comprises four sections:
Belfort–Les Errues via Offemont, Vétrigne, Roppe, Denney, Eguenigue and Menoncourt.
Les Errues–Etueffont via Anjoutey
Les Errues–Rougemont-le-Château via Saint-Germain-le-Châtelet and Romagny-sous-Rougemont
Les Errues-Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont via La Grange and Angeot was extended by the army as far as Sentheim in two months’ work
For further details, see the following link: