La Mer Circular Route

Departure from the Tourist Office.

Circular cycle no. 4

(S/E) Take the road towards the MVX Tower towards Melisey. After riding for about a hundred metres, you will come to an intersection where "La Mer" is signposted on the left and "Mélisey" straight ahead.

(1) Continue straight on the D72 towards Mélisey. Pass the SEB factories and then the last housing estate before leaving Faucogney. Continue to the third crossroads. At this intersection, you can either continue straight on the departmental road or take the road on the left towards the Pause Paysage d'Annegray.

(2) After your visit, continue along the small tarmac road to cross the hamlet and rejoin the departmental road.

(3) Back on the main road, turn left towards Écromagny to see the first ponds along the roadside. Continue left on the D73.

(4) In Écromagny, take a break to read the quotes on slate and the village decorations (between the Chez Charlotte café and the town hall), then take a detour to the right towards Étang Pellevin, one of the most beautiful of the 1,000 ponds (another break to enjoy the scenery). Then turn back and take the district road on the right to reach Mélisey. The road descends to this village.

(5) At the entrance, leave the D73 and take a small road on your left to reach a small bridge with a wash house. Continue straight ahead, then at the intersection, take the D293 on the left and head for Melay.

(6) Continue straight ahead to reach La Mer. Once in La Mer, there is a landscape display explaining the importance of using hydraulic power in^19th-century agriculture and industry.

(7) Continue on the left to reach Faucogney. Once you leave the village, take the path on the left.

(8) Turn left and walk back to see the site of Saint-Martin Church. The detour is worth it as you will pass by ponds before reaching the church and its magnificent view of the valley.

(9) After enjoying the site, turn around to return to the crossroads.

(8) Turn left and head towards Faucogney.

(1) At the junction you passed on the way there, turn right towards the village and the Tourist Office (S/E).

(8) You can continue to the right on the road that descends to return to Faucogney.

You can also extend your trip by continuing on to the Petite Finlande circular route (No. 15).

Bicycles can be hired from the Tourist Office in Faucogney or Mélisey.

(S/E) Faucogney.

(2) Annegray: this hamlet is the site of the first monastery founded by the Irishman Columbanus at the end of the 6th century. The site includes the foundations of the Romanesque priory of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a chapel reconstructed with scattered elements recovered from the region, two calvaries, the bust of Mgr Thiébaut, who was responsible for the rediscovery of the site, and a pyramidal boundary stone.