Grand tour of Thunimont via the Francogney valley

Park in the village of Thunimont, or at the side of the road. Start at the four-way junction north of the village. Next to house no. 16, Rue Thurimont Village, with an entrance at the top of a few spiral steps.

(S/E) Head south-east along the road leaving the village. Pass a street on your right and you’ll soon reach a T-junction. Take the^second road on the left. Head downhill, past a reservoir, and continue along the path which quickly turns into a country lane running along the edge of the forest.

(1) Just before the relay mast, turn left. Follow the green fences and continue in the same direction along a narrow path through the woodland. After passing an old stone wall, the route joins a wider, well-defined forest track. Continue along the main track, reach a junction and follow the path that climbs slightly to the left. You will then come to a Y-junction.

(2) Turn left, then leave the woods and continue across the meadow to reach a wider track, and very quickly a four-way junction at the top of the hill.

(3) Take the path on the right, go downhill and enter the woods again to join the Route Forestière de la Mouchère, which also forms part of the^GR®7.

(4) Follow the^GR® to the right, clearly marked with red and white stripes. You will arrive near a house.

(5) Leave the^GR® here and turn onto the clearly visible path on the left before reaching the house at the bottom of the valley. Continue along this path, keeping close to the right bank of the Ruisseau de la Francogney. You will then reach the Route Forestière Broillard.

(6) There, turn left onto a slight incline; a few metres further on, ignore the track branching off to the left and continue straight ahead. Ignore the side tracks and reach a new junction of four tracks.

(7) Ignore the tracks to the right and left and keep to the forest road ahead until you reach a bend to the right

(8) Be careful here: at this bend, the route leaves the forest road, at lines 86–88 marked on the trees, to take the secondary path which, firstly, is not shown on the IGN map and, secondly, is very difficult to locate on the ground. Indeed, there are numerous paths due to the firewood gathering carried out by the local residents.

Therefore, do not take the path that clearly branches off to the left. Staying close to the tree marked 86 and keeping to the right-hand side of the path, look out for a straight clearing in the forest. Then cross the woodland for a distance of approximately 200 m to reach the^GR®7at the junction where the 86 marker is visible on the tree at the corner with the GR^®.

(9) Turn left for a few metres and then right, following the signs for mountain bike route no. 52. Continue straight along this path through the middle of the forest; it is very pleasant, but may also have some large puddles in wet weather. Continue straight on, following the mountain bike route signs, until you reach the meadows.

(10) Turn left at the first junction, still on the MTB route, and follow the edge of the forest. Pass a private pond and turn right immediately afterwards, still following the edge of the forest. You’ll reach another junction just before the bridge.

(11) Turn left, then immediately right. Continue along the main path all the way, entering the coniferous forest at the stone wall. Continue and leave the forest to reach a crossroads with a track.

(12) Take the track to the left to continue along the mountain bike trail, which runs along the edge of the forest further on and offers a slightly elevated view of the village and the surrounding countryside before rejoining the Chemin de Thunimont. Turn right onto it to reach the village of Thunimont (S/E).

(S/E) You can shorten the route by heading straight for (3) from the start via the country lane to the left of the car park.
Between (3) and (4), the area can be quite wet in winter. A stream also runs along the path for 200 to 300 metres during prolonged periods of rain.
Just before (4), forestry work has left the ground quite loose for about fifty metres. In wet weather, you may sink ankle-deep in mud if you stay in the middle of the path.
In wet weather, wear good walking boots and don’t be afraid to get dirty.
There are no drinking water sources along this walk, despite the many streams you’ll cross.

Between (5) and (8) The walk through the Francogney valley is quite pleasant. The carpets of moss also create a special atmosphere.
A few blueberries here and there, at the right time of year, can add to the enjoyment of this walk.
Depending on the time of day and the light, the scenery between the forest and the meadows can be quite interesting.