The Villevoz Fountain, the Puits aux Ânes and the Châtelet

Car park at Lizine, very close to the church forecourt, on the other side of the washhouse. Yellow-red and yellow-blue markings. A large section is unmarked. A quick visit to the church, which is always open, is a must before setting off.

(S/E) Set off along Rue de l’Église (between the church and the washhouse). You’ll pass the old vicarage, which has been (over)renovated, and its superb 5-metre-high calvary dating from 1500. Continue to the right, passing (on your right) a pigsty with slate-tiled roofs, to reach the magnificent Oratory of the God of Mercy, dating from 1668, with its large, smiling Christ in alabaster, awaiting his crucifixion. Take a look at the nearby washhouse.

(1) Turn right and walk about twenty paces along the Grande-Rue, then immediately left into the Rue de la Tendue. 200 metres after leaving the village, a signpost invites you to turn right for a round trip along the grassy path to the Vuillevoz fountain and its tiered basins, built in 1663.

(2) Carry on to the edge of the woods, walking about thirty paces past the nearby mast.

(3) Turn left onto the forest track and follow the edge of the charming village pond to its far end. There’s a lovely view of the village, watched over by the fortified house of Châtillon-sur-Lison. Turn back and continue the climb along this small gravel road until you reach a hairpin bend.

(4) Continue the climb to the right (leaving the signposted route) to the Combe au Lard meadows and turn right onto this stony track, which runs alongside the pastures for a good while. You’ll pass some beautiful sharp limestone pavements and arrive at the entrance to a fir forest.

(5) Take the forest track that climbs a small hill to the right. The track veers sharply to the right, running alongside a fir forest on the right and rows of neatly aligned, freshly planted deciduous trees on the left, before reaching a fork.

Carry on to the far left, quickly passing an apiary, and continue along this wide forest track. You’ll enter a beautiful fir forest where the sun casts dappled light and shadow. At the edge of the fir forest, there’s a fork in the path.

(6) Take the left-hand path to quickly reach a crossroads. Head down to the right to reach the foot of a recently cleared hillside.

(7) Continue to the left along the narrow, roughly straight path that runs alongside a fir forest: yellow markings, no doubt left by loggers. You’ll cross an open area with a view of Doulaize. Carry on to the cliff ledge. Peek through the branches for views of Mont Mahoux and Le Poupet, then turn back.

(7) Head down to the left towards a strip of meadow and a lovely view of Mont Poupet. Carry on straight ahead until you reach a crossroads.

(8) Head back up the stony path on your right to reach the top of the cleared area. Turn left onto a wide, stony farm track until you reach the D103, which you follow to the right for about 500 m, crossing a stony road.

Then turn left onto this stony track to reach a hunting car park and a junction of forest tracks.

(9) About fifty metres before the junction, turn left onto the forest track, which is only moderately visible and soon forks. Head left towards the sharp limestone pavement, which you can see about twenty paces away. At the far end of the sharp limestone pavement, a small path leads you to the entrance of a karst chasm, the Puits des Ânes. Don’t be a donkey – like those that were presumably never found at the bottom of this deep, poorly secured well – but take a careful look from a safe distance. Return to the hunting car park and the crossroads, where you’ll find signposts again.

(9) Head straight on, and you’ll soon reach a fork at the foot of a tree marked with a sign inviting you to climb the wooded slope to the right. After a short climb, when you reach another fork, continue to the left along this well-defined path, marked with yellow and red signs at intervals. You’ll cross to the other side of the slope via a lovely, steep path, passing at the foot of miniature cliffs, before finally reaching a stony track.

(10) Head up to the right towards the metal gate. Climb up the path between the electricity substation and the water tower, then carefully climb up to the right via the old stone staircase, the first few steps of which are missing.

You’ll reach a platform. Don’t head towards the rocky outcrop bearing the cross, but go round it via the path on the right to climb up to the Croix du Châtelet and enjoy a beautiful view of Lizine, the Loue Gorges, the neighbouring mountains and the fortified house at Châtillon-sur-Lison. Turn back.

(10) Head down into the pasture – remembering to close the gate behind you – along the stony path, which offers a beautiful 180° panoramic view of the mountains, from the Cussey valley to Châtillon.

You’ll come to a small gravel road which you’ll follow down to the right until you reach the church and the car park (S/E).

The route includes ledge paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and the use of walking poles is recommended.

The short round trip to the unspoilt viewpoint (7) left me a little disappointed. In winter, you can catch a glimpse of Mont Mahoux and Le Poupet, though you’d probably see very little when the trees are in leaf. The view would be superb if a few trees were cut down. That said, the path leading there is by no means unpleasant.

The Moulin Sapin viewpoint: Coming from Besançon, do take the time to stop at the viewpoint overlooking the Lison Valley and, to the right, the Châtillon hill. Location

(S) The Church of Saint-Antoine, dating from 1740. Only the bell tower dates from the 12th century. It is always open, though you cannot enter; however, you can look inside through a grille from the porch and admire the altarpiece by Augustin Fauconnet from 1767, in gilded and polychrome wood, flanked by two saintly bishops.

(S) The Milieu fountain near the church. In 1840, Paramèle, the parish priest of Lizine, discovered a spring abundant enough to supply the village’s three fountains. However, they were not built until 1884 by the architect Clerget. The villagers, delighted to have these fountains so close by, abandoned the old water sources on the outskirts, in particular the beautiful Vuillevoz fountain (2).

(S) The old vicarage, which, in my view, has been well restored, but has lost its flat-tile cladding which gave it all its charm, as seen in this photo taken a few years ago.

(S) The 16th-century Calvary, nearly 5 metres high, within the parish enclosure. On one side, the Crucifix and the Virgin (broken) and Saint John, with his hand to his cheek – a gesture symbolising grief in the Middle Ages. On the other side, a holy bishop blesses a figure kneeling at a prie-dieu, perhaps the person who commissioned the Calvary.

(1) A pigsty with a slate roof (flat stones). One or two ‘gouris’ would make bacon there whilst waiting for the pigs to finish curing in the salting pit, a safeguard against hard times. Every family had its own pig.

(1) The Oratory of the God of Mercy and the Fontaine du Haut, dating from 1168, with a slate roof. To thank heaven for sparing the village from cholera, two wealthy local farmers, Guye and Henriet, erected this oratory featuring this superb figure of Christ awaiting his crucifixion. He is seated on a skull, symbolising Golgotha. He is flanked by a kneeling saint and a cephalophore saint (carrying a head under his arm).

(2) The Vuillevoz fountain and its tiered basins. Built in 1663, it was restored in 2008.

(3) The communal pond and the fortified house of Châtillon-sur-Lison. Its construction dates back to the Middle Ages. The castle’s existence was first recorded in the 12th century and it has been occupied throughout the ages. The current site dates from the 13th century. It was renovated around 1820. It has been partially listed as a Historic Monument since 2002. It is owned by a private company and closed to the public.

(9) The Puits aux Ânes, a karst chasm to be approached with caution. These easily accessible chasms were commonly used as mass graves. Fortunately, such practices are now on the wane.

(10) The Croix du Châtelet. On this rocky outcrop stood a fortified house, comprising a main building flanked by two towers, which was unfortunately destroyed at the end of the 17th century. It offers a fine view of Lizine, the Loue Gorges, the neighbouring hills and the fortified house at Châtillon-sur-Lison.