The Croix des Échaulles

Car park in Épeugney, in front of the church. MTB marker 91. A large section is unmarked.

(S/E) Take a quick look at the fountain, then head down Rue de l’Église towards Rurey. Immediately on the right, at No. 24a, note the door lintel. After about 200 m on the B-road, at the junction marked by a wooden jubilee cross, turn left into the small Rue du Mont. At the next junction, head left again, continuing along the MTB route for a good while. Gradually, you’ll gain height, with views over the Val de Rurey and its Mont d’Or.

(1) At the second hairpin bend, the road turns to gravel at the fork. Continue along this same path, following the markers. At the top of the hill, you cross a pasture. At the other end, at a fork, turn right into the woods. At the nearby three-way junction, keep right. Shortly after a dark pine forest, you’ll come across another forest track at a right angle; head down it to the left, still following the mountain bike markers. You’ll arrive at a gravelly logging area and a crossroads.

(2) Continue along the small stony track in front of you, soon leaving the MTB markings behind and ignoring any other signs. The track takes you up a short climb, which you’ll tackle without complaint until you reach the start of a plateau.

(3) At the hunting car park sign on the left, take the path leading down to the left, between forest signs 28 (half-faded) and 29, skirting a fir forest until you reach the ledge. Turn left onto this lovely ledge path, marked with orange lines (perhaps intended for loggers and unlikely to remain). You will soon reach the Rurey viewpoint (picnic table) overlooking the Val de Cademène, the head of the upper Loue valley with its white limestone cliffs. From left to right, the Rocher de Colonne, towering over Cléron, and, in the centre of the valley, the keep of the feudal castle of Saint-Denis, a thousand-year-old sentinel of the Reculée de Valbois nature reserve. To its right, on a clear day, the imposing silhouette of the Roche de Hautepierre.

(4) Set off again, walking down the gravel path for about twenty steps, and when it turns left, leave it for the narrow track that continues along the ledge (orange markings) and descends the hillside. Take care. You’ll reach a stony sunken path, rejoining the mountain bike route and following it down to the right to the pastures. You’ll enter via the metal mountain bike footbridge and arrive in Cademène at a wayside cross.

(5) Head down Rue du Mont for a return trip to the fountain. Head back up to the wayside shrine and then turn right into Impasse Bin-Bin, taking a final look at the valley. At the last house, the road becomes stony and branches off quickly. Turn right, ignoring what lies to your left, and stay on this path which runs along the edge of the woods, skirting the pastures as far as Épeugney; it becomes a little wilder but offers views of the valley. The track climbs slightly and becomes a wider path that turns to gravel as it emerges from the woods. As you approach the village, to the right are views of Montrond Hill and its statue of the Virgin Mary, erected on the ruins of a feudal castle, and, in the distance, Montfaucon Hill.

(6) Just before reaching the main road, look out for the large metal gate and the zigzag path on the left leading up to the Croix des Échaulles, a pasture recently re-established to preserve dry grasslands.

A steep climb, right at the left-hand side of the hillside, which becomes a real obstacle course in wet weather (walking poles are essential, with the rubber tips removed). At the cross, there is a 180° view of the neighbouring hills of Besançon. Descend carefully.

(6) Head towards the main road and turn left towards the village, keeping to the left-hand side of the road (pavement).

(7) You’ll pass the old weighbridge and, at the village entrance, turn left into Rue du Fournil. Then head up to the right for a look at the beautiful fountain, then head back down to the left to the church and the car park (S/E).

The route includes ledge paths and unsecured viewing points. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and the use of walking poles is recommended, particularly for the climb to the Croix des Échaulles.

(S) Church of the Invention of the Relics of Saint Stephen, dating from 1721 and designed by the architect Pier Ducat.

(S) Fontaine Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc: the village’s tightly clustered layout and population growth in the 19th century led to the construction of beautiful fountains. Adorned with a statue of Joan of Arc, although the Maid has little connection with the local cult.

(4) The Rurey viewpoint over the Val de Cademène and the upper reaches of the Loue valley, overlooked by the watchful sentinel of the thousand-year-old keep at Castel Saint-Denis.

(6) The Croix des Échaulles at the top of the dry grasslands

(7) The weighbridge dating from 1886. A testament to the changing face of our countryside: with labour becoming scarce, farmers were forced to improve their productivity, mechanisation developed and this type of communal facility became increasingly common.

(S) The semi-circular fountain on Rue de la Liberté, dating from 1826.