From the Liez Dam to Perrancey-les-Vieux-Moulins, taking a stroll through Langres

Red and white markings

(S) At the Liez Dam on the D 284, follow the sign for the GR® 7 “Langres 6 km”. Head down the gravel path to the left of the Auberge des Voiliers. Reach the bottom of the Combe Gévin.

(1) At the fork in the road, take the path on the right. You’ll come out onto the towpath of the Canal between Champagne and Burgundy; follow it to the right until you reach the stone bridge.

(2) Follow the signpost for the GR® 7 “Langres 3.4 km”. Cross the canal, then follow the Route de Peigney to the left. Cross the Marne, enter Langres and continue along the road. Cross the Paris-Est to Mulhouse railway line, pass the Ferme de la Marnoise and climb up to Les Roises.

(3) Cross Rue Camille Blanchard then pass under the D 283 bridge. Climb the Côte des Trois-Rois, continue the ascent along the Grande Rue de Sous-Murs and cross the first rampart. Continue along the Grande Rue de Sous-Murs and cross the ramparts of the fortified town via the Henri IV gate.

(4) On Rue du Grand Cloître, climb the stairs immediately on the left, then, again on the left, those leading up to the ramparts at the Tour Virot. Turn right onto the rampart walk via the Promenade d’Ellwangen. Walk to the Porte des Moulins. Opposite the Tour Saint-Fergeux (listed building), go through the gate on the right and continue along Rue Denfer-Rochereau. Walk past the Maison du Pays de Langres (tourist office) and continue straight on along Boulevard du Maréchal de Lattre-de-Tassigny.

(5) Cross the campsite on the left and head down towards the Tour Navarre (listed building). Follow the ramparts to the right (Rue Vauban).

(6) After the Surchoue Tower, you’ll reach a small car park. Go down the steps on the right, then pass under the Porte Neuve on the left. Cross a car park along the N19 towards Chaumont. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross the N19 and walk alongside it on the left for 20 metres. Head down to the right for 20 m, then follow the Chemin Gérard Gueniot to the right (signpost for the GR® 7 “Brevoines 1.5 km”). In Saint-Didier, cross Rue Louis Massotte and head down Chemin Saint-Didier to the left. Initially tarmac, it continues as a grassy path overlooking the gardens along a wire fence. You’ll come out onto Rue Louis Massotte; head down it to the right for about 100 metres (GR® 7 signpost “Brevoines 1 km”). Head down to the right along the grassy path which leads onto the Voie Verte.

(7) Before the old railway line, follow the signpost for the GR® 7 “Brevoines 0.9 km” to the left, passing under the Voie Verte. Turn right onto a grassy path. Head down to the left along a barbed-wire fence (nettles) and come out onto a road. Pass the Moulin Gradot on your left and turn right.

(8) Head down the road to the left and reach Brevoines. Cross the Bonnelle (mill on the left) and pass the church. At the T-junction, turn left onto the Route de Buzon. At the GR® 7 signpost “Buzon 2.5 km”, head up the path on the right. At the Fork in the road, turn left onto the path which climbs a fairly steep slope through the forest and leads onto the plateau.

(9) At the fork in the road, follow the main road to the right for 300 m. At the T-junction (GR® 7 signpost “Perrancey 3 km”), cross the cultivated field to the left for 100 m, then turn right onto the faint path that runs across the plateau. Pass under a high-voltage power line, continue through the forest along the stony path, then continue along the edge of the woodland.

(10) At the Combe Alfrebeau junction, take the stony path to the right. Cross the D 135, follow the GR® 7 signpost “Perrancey 0.8 km”. At the Fork in the road, continue left through the undergrowth along the stony path. Above Perrancey-les-Vieux-Moulins, ignore a path on the right and head down towards the village. At the Fork in the road after the first house, continue down to the left and reach a wash house.

No signposting

(11) Cross Perrancey-les-Vieux-Moulins via the D 286 on the left. At the Fork in the road, head down the D 286 to the right towards Vieux-Moulins, pass the new cemetery on the right and reach the Domaine de Montauban (E).

Walk completed by the author on 11/06/2020.

This route follows the GR® 7. It is described in the TopoGuide ‘Les GR® de Lorraine’ published by the French Hiking Federation under reference 514.

Liez Dam (S): hotel, cafés, restaurants.

Langres between (4) and (6): hotels, cafés, restaurants, all shops.

Toilets behind the Maison du Pays de Langres (tourist office) between (4) and (5).

Domaine de Montauban (E): guest rooms.

This very short stage allows you to spend the day in Langres: an ancient medieval town perched on a high hill detached from the plateau and surrounded by ramparts dotted with gates between (4) and (6).

Do you like cheese? Instead of pulling your picnic out of your bag, take the time to choose a restaurant that serves specialities made with local cheese. A real treat.

From the Tour Virot (4): viewpoint to the east of Langres. Covering 290 hectares, Lake Liez is the only lake that can be admired from the ramparts. An orientation table is located near the Sacré-Cœur secondary school on the left.

At the top of the Tour Saint-Fergeux: a monumental stainless steel sculpture,“L’Air et les Songes”, created in 1988 by Eugène Van Lamsweerde as a tribute to Bachelard, between (4) and (5).

Perrancey-les-Vieux-Moulins (11): wash houses.