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Parking at the entrance to Cléron, coming from Besançon, on the right after the bridge. Yellow-blue markings.
(S/E) Cross the bridge for a view of the castle and the Tacot bridge over the Loue, then return to the village. On the right, you will see a beautiful old house with a slate roof. At the fountain, turn left onto Grande Rue, heading towards Castel Saint-Denis. Soon after, turn left (Espace Courbet) to reach the Tacot bridge for a view of the castle and its church on the left and the rocks carved out by the river on the right. Return to Grande Rue and continue to the left. At the fork, continue uphill to the right along Grande Rue, then along Rue de l'Oratoire to the fountain. On the right, leaning against an old house, is the oratory where a beautiful Christ awaits his punishment.
(1) At the fountain, turn left into Rue de la Traverse to rejoin Grande Rue, which you will continue to climb to the right. At the next fork, continue left along Rue du Mont until you reach the edge of the village. At the last houses, at a no-entry sign, continue climbing to the right. Turn around for a view of the castle and the rocks overlooking the Loue and, on the left, the ruins of the castle.
(2) Immediately upon entering the forest, leave the road and take the path that branches off to the left into the woods. Further on, you will reach a small tarmac road, which you will continue to climb on the left. When it stops climbing, it becomes stony and you will soon come to three paths. Take the middle one, which passes in front of a large hunting lodge and quickly becomes a beautiful forest path, sparsely marked but well laid out, crossing a beautiful, cool forest with alternating fir and deciduous trees. At a signpost, you will come to a wider path at a right angle, where you will turn left, walking alongside a beautiful pile of stone gathered from fields covered in moss.
(3) Shortly after the high-voltage power line, look for the signpost marking a path that winds to the right through a gap in the pile of stone gathered from fields, leading you to the Rocher du Moine viewpoint (caution: no protective barriers), which offers a magnificent view of the Norvaux valley. Return to the point (3) and turn right towards Amancey.
(4) At the foot of a signpost, in a 90° bend in the path, look for a new path that branches off to the right towards a second viewpoint, which is not secured, so take care, overlooking the valley. Return to the point (4) and continue straight ahead. You will soon come to a crossroads; continue straight ahead. Follow the signposts, which are now clearly visible. You will come to a stony path, which you should take on the right. You will soon reach a stony area. Continue straight ahead towards Chassagne (a little further on).
(5) The path becomes tarmac and shortly after a small chalet, at the signpost, climb into the woods via the path on the left (towards Chassagne Saint-Denis). When the path reaches a plateau, at a metal forest sign no. 4 and a fork, go down the path on the left.
(6) When the signpost tells you to turn right, the path joins another path at a right angle. You can either turn right straight away or go left (staying carefully on this path) to look down on the small gorge of the Valbois stream, which marks the start of the valley, then retrace your steps.
(6) Continue straight ahead. You will finally emerge from the woods with a view of Chassagne and begin the sunnier part of the walk.
(7) At the first houses in the village, go up to the left towards the church (towards Château Saint-Denis). Pass in front of the church, the old weighbridge and the calvary. At the corner of Grande Rue and Rue du Castel, turn left (towards Château Saint-Denis). At the last house, the road becomes stony and crosses sunny pastures for a long time.
(8) You will enter the woods and immediately leave the discovery trail on your left, continuing along the gravel road. Two hundred metres further on, you will see a no parking sign with a sign saying "Entre ciel et calcaire" (Between sky and limestone). Shortly afterwards, take the path on the left carefully, which leads you to the unprotected cornices, offering superb views of the Ravin de Valbois Nature Reserve and Castel Saint-Denis. Leave the viewpoint via the path that runs along the cliffs. You will find yourself back on the stony road with signposts. Directly opposite you, on a tree, are some signs. Head towards Château Saint-Denis on the left. The path quickly forks; take the uphill path on the right, which is closed by a wooden barrier.
(9) You will soon arrive at the ruins of Castel Saint-Denis with new views of the entire valley and the Val de Cléron and Mont Poupet. Pass the Porte aux Ânes and continue to the foot of the keep, which is still under renovation and therefore off-limits. Descend the stairs on the right. At the bottom of the stairs, turn left and walk back to enjoy the view below the keep, without going further than the recently concreted steps. Return to the bottom of the previous stairs.
(9) Continue straight ahead, along the walls. You will pass in front of the Porte aux Ânes and descend along the walls, taking the VTT28 route and following the very clear signs along a very pretty path, lined with beautiful tall trees, creating a magnificent chiaroscuro effect on this hillside. Cross a stony path and continue down the path opposite, towards CléronGR®590.
(10) Coming out onto a small tarmac road above the beautiful Pater manor house, turn left. At the farm shed, go down to the left. During the descent, enjoy beautiful views of the Rocher de Colonne, the cliffs and the surrounding mountains.
(11) At the ruins of the old Grillet mill, currently undergoing renovation and soon to be a superb house, descend immediately after the parapet of the small bridge, taking the path on the right. Refresh yourself at the edge of the Loue, carefully following the small gorge carved out by the Valbois stream to join its big sister. A little further on, before the bend, another path leads to the river where a beautiful lawn invites you to take a nap after this long walk. You re-enter Cléron via Rue du Pater, which will take you to the main road. Turn right and walk down to the car park (S/E).
The route includes cliff-edge paths and unsecured viewpoints. Trails are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
Visorando member
Easy 
