Country:
District:
Park at the entrance to Châteauvieux-les-Fossés, next to the information board. Yellow-blue and yellow-red markings. A small section without markings.
(S/E) Walk up towards Châteauvieux along the main street to explore one of the smallest villages in France and discover the moats, a turreted house and the remains of the medieval castle. Pass the town hall and its wash house, continue straight ahead and return via the entrance to the castle, which has retained its ramparts. If the gate is closed, take a quick, discreet peek through the small door (the owners seem reluctant to share this piece of Franche-Comté heritage) at the beautiful inner courtyard. Return to the entrance to the village and walk up the D27 for about 50 metres. At the sign marking the end of the village, climb up the stony path on the left (towards Longeville).
(1) You will soon come to a fork in the road. Continue straight up this beautiful path (towards Route VTT 29). Halfway up the slope, you will come across a hiking trail that descends the hill on the right. Continue straight up towards Longeville. You will come out onto some meadows.
(2) At a marker post, you will reach a small tarmac road where you will turn left, losing the markings. Quickly pass a stony path on your right and continue straight ahead. At a fence gate (which was open when I passed through, but don't forget to close it behind you), the road becomes stony and enters a large pasture where I spotted a deer. The path disappears. Follow the edge on your right to the end of the meadow. Then head into a gap on the right, squeezing through a chicane in the fence onto the free flight jump area. This viewpoint is unsecured but safe (still take care), ideal for a picnic with a view from left to right over Le Tangelet, Vuillafans, topped by the ruins of Châteauneuf, Crêt Monniot, La Roche de Hautepierre and, beyond the valley, the villages of the plateau, with Échevannes in the foreground. Turn back.
On your way back down, don't miss the lovely viewpoint of La Roche de Hautepierre on your left, between two copses, as you walk through the field for about a hundred metres
(3). Back at the marker post,
(2), continue straight ahead. At the calvary, there is another beautiful view of Mouthier, overlooked by the rocks of the upper Loue valley. A hundred metres further down, don't hesitate to enter the pasture on the left for an unsecured viewpoint over the Roche de Hautepierre and the reculée (secluded valley) of the Athose stream.
(4) Continue to Longeville.
(5) At the fountain, turn left, then pass to the right of the small fire station, into the cul-de-sac, Rue du Vallon, which becomes a grassy path. Cross the D32, continuing straight ahead through the pasture (there is a gate to open), towards Haute Vallée de la Loue, route no. 4. There is another gate to go down into the woods via a beautiful stony path.
(6) Be careful to locate and descend (despite the crosses) the path on the left, opposite a metal post bearing a sign for Lods - Mouthier. Watch out for the metal rods sticking out of the ground, remnants of old steps. You will soon reach a wider, marked path. Descend it on the left, towards Vierge de Rebray.
(7) At a signpost, the path runs alongside the D32. Continue downhill on the path to the left (GR®595). You will soon come to a junction with a wider path. Continue downhill on the path opposite. A little further down, you will reach a wider path, which you will follow downhill to the right. You will rejoin the D32, descending to the left until the next hairpin bend.
(8) At the end of the bend, turn left and continue along the beautiful stone path, crossing the rocky forest of Champaloux, which perhaps lacks views of the nearby valley, although you can see it from time to time between the trees. At the top, the path loses its stone surface and for a good kilometre becomes wet and unfortunately rutted. The road becomes stony again, allowing you to finish your walk more comfortably.
(1) Descend to the right to return to the nearby village (S/E).
The route includes cliff-edge paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
Visorando member
Easy 
