From Levier to Maillot

Car park in the centre of Levier on the square in front of the town hall. Before setting off on the walk, do take a look at this listed building, which features a monumental internal staircase.

(S/E) Take Rue de Besançon (D9), which starts in front of the Comté cheese dairy. After about a hundred metres, stop off at the 1877 wash house and fountain (front trough for animals – rear trough for laundry), beautifully restored in 2009 thanks to a local association supported by the Fondation du Patrimoine, the Conseil Général and the local council. Immediately after the fountain is a traditional farmhouse typical of the region, known as a ‘ferme à soulerets’.
Continue to Rue des Fauvettes on the right.

(1) Follow this road to the edge of the village, which leads to the “Les Fauvettes” equestrian centre. On the way, you’ll probably come across some Comtois horses.

(2) Continue walking for about another 2 km, enter the forest and arrive at the end of the Route Forestière de Bellecombe.

(3) Take the path on the right, which winds for 1 km between the forest on the left and open pastures on the right: peace and quiet in the great outdoors! Join the D356.

(4) Turn left onto it and, 100 m on, at the “Ermitage” sign, continue along the main road for about 1.2 km until you reach the “Chantrans/Ornans” sign.

(5) Continue along the D356 to the right. After a hundred metres or so, you’ll see the imposing house of the estate manager on your left, then on your right, one of the region’s largest Montbéliarde cattle farms. A few hundred metres further on, you’ll spot a forest track on your right; take this track.

(6) Walk for 3 km through the pine forest, ignoring all the paths branching off to the right or left. More peace and quiet and fresh air! You’ll come to a path as you leave the forest.

(7) Follow this path to the right, then right again after about a hundred metres to reach the village. On the left, a view of the business park and, in the distance, the Chapelle d’Huin Forest, which rises to 900 m. As you enter Levier, a view of the agricultural college buildings below.
Follow Rue de La Douet, passing between the police station and the retirement home, to return to the starting point in the central square (S/E).

Maillot route option: at the “FFI monument” sign (5), follow this direction, which leads for about 500 m to the Château de Maillot, an early 19th-century monument reminiscent of the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans. Take a look at the château (private property, not open to the public) and the imposing farmhouse opposite it. Continue along the path below the eastern boundary wall, to the right, to reach the D356. Take this road to the right for 500 m, then take a wide forest track on the left. This alternative route adds approximately 500 m to the route.

In Levier: Behind the town hall, you’ll also notice the old market halls, which house the Comtois Horse and Forest Museum (worth a visit on your way back from the walk, for example).