Champlive walks

This easy route alternates between a ridge trail offering views of the Doubs valley and more wooded sections.

A rocky outcrop, a Bronze Age residence in Franche-Comté; a feudal castle destroyed during the Revolution for fear that it would become a hideout for bandits; views of the Doubs valley; a pretty waterfall created by human hands in a bright and airy woodland setting.

From Dammartin, a Templar commandery until 1373, you will cross a beautiful pine forest, giving our Comtois countryside a slightly Landes-like appearance, to spot a few herons in the hollow of the pond. Then, from the Gouffre du Seu, you will reach Bretigney with its beautiful fountains and return via the superb ridge line and its rocks, with views over the Doubs valley and the Vosges mountains.

Walk to the Chapel of Aigremont in Roulans and the viewpoint overlooking the Doubs on the Laissey side.

This is a challenging hike offering three viewpoints over the Doubs valley and its meanders, the Val de Roulans, the Jura mountains and, on a clear day, Mont Blanc. You will visit the two villages in the valley, Laissey and Deluz, which are peaceful today but still echo with the industrious sounds of the old mines and paper mills, and enjoy their genuine and simple riches: here a naive war memorial, there an ancient forgotten cul-de-four oven or an old wash house.

A peaceful walk in our Comtois countryside to discover the riches of two villages on the first step of the plateau: the remains of an ancient castle that allow us to dream of the lost beauty of our once fortified villages and the often overlooked treasures of their churches.

From Aïssey, a village in the Comté region destroyed during the fighting in June 1940, you will climb in the footsteps of the carts of yesteryear to the strange Calvaire de Rochandeux and its viewpoint over the Val de Saint-Juan. You will return, following in the footsteps of other soldiers, this time more ancient, by walking along the old Roman road.

A gentle forest walk to the Montoille viewpoint overlooking Deluz and its old paper mill. You'll no doubt find yourself whistling as you climb the beautifully named Impasse de Chantemerle, but you'll soon need to catch your breath for the strenuous climb to the Grotte de sous Roche and the Château-Loriot viewpoint over the Doubs valley and the Vosges mountains, which will reward you for your efforts. A peaceful, wooded return journey, framed by the mossy rocks of a superb sinkhole.

Starting from Silley-Bléfond, this loop combines forest trails, rocky ledges and viewpoints over the Doubs valley. You will discover Mont Dommage, the Chassignole viewpoint and enjoy magnificent views of Baume-les-Dames, the Roches du Quin and the Roche du Rechevet. A varied and panoramic hike, with a few sections requiring caution.

A short, varied and shaded route to discover the ancient Hiboux valley, the old Cistercian abbey and the magnificent Audeux waterfall.

The village has one of the oldest names in our county: Bois de la Fontaine au Loup(Wood of the Wolf's Fountain). So, let's take a walk in the woods while the wolf is away, exploring the magnificent ridge line of Mont Dommage and Chassignole and their views over the Doubs valley, returning via the Val de Bléfond, forgotten by the world with its vats and waterfalls.

You will walk along the riverbank towards the ridges, passing the Narines du Diable (Devil's Nostrils), created from the tears of a good fairy who was imprisoned here, and discover the ancient thermal baths where the beautiful people of the Belle Époque came to recharge their batteries. You will then return along a path lined with old mossy piles of stones gathered from fields, in a green setting that invites you to linger and contemplate.

A beautiful stretch of cliffs and steep forest slopes offer magnificent views of the valley along a superb ridge path, ending with a glimpse of the industrial past of Baume-les-Dames with its old pipe factory and paper mill on the riverbank.

From the Glacière Cave, where ice is becoming increasingly rare in these warmer times, you will descend towards the Gorges de l'Audeux to reach the Abbaye de la Grâce Dieu, a peaceful abbey in the heart of this wooded valley, once beautifully named the "Valley of Owls". Finally, you will climb back up to the ledges and their viewpoints over the valley.

Louis Pergaud, teacher and writer, author of "La guerre des boutons" (The War of the Buttons), winner of the 1910 Goncourt Prize for his novel "De Goupil à Margot" (From Goupil to Margot), in which he observes nature in minute detail and recounts all this animal life in his novels. He fell on 8 April 1915 at the foot of Les Eparges, in Marchéville-en-Woëvre, in the Meuse. This route allows you to hike through the places that inspired Louis Pergaud.

A short post-lunch walk for the whole family along the Doubs and on the heights of Baumes-les-Dames.