The Longchamp State Forest via Montarlot

Head to Longchamp via the D24. Once you reach the church square (in the village centre), turn at the girls’ school and head up Rue du Pautet. Turn right into Impasse Champ Perrin at the next junction. Park at the end of the cul-de-sac, in front of the village cemetery.

(S/E) Start with your back to the cemetery, walk back down Impasse Champ Perrin to where it joins Rue du Pautet. Turn right and follow Rue du Pautet along the right-hand pavement until you reach the edge of the built-up area.

(1) Turn onto the first white, stony track on the right, heading towards the fields. Cross the Arnison
Continue until you enter the woodland, after a slight climb (look out for a ‘No Entry’ sign for all vehicles). Carry on straight ahead to a wide, open crossroads of tracks at elevation 231.

(2) Turn left, and less than 100 m further on, take the first forest track on the right (lines 41/48). Follow it straight ahead until it emerges at a large five-way track junction.

(3) Turn right onto the track heading north-east, which climbs very gently, veers to the right, then levels out before eventually joining a forest road.

(4) Turn right. Carefully follow this track, which is frequently used by foresters; it descends initially, veers to the right and then climbs to the top of the hill, at elevation 228.

(5) Turn left onto the path crossing the Route de Beaubois (lines 2/4). Head downhill, using a clear-cut area on your left as a guide. Cross the first stream easily. At the second stream, known as the Leat de Tréman, use the trees to help you cross it more easily if there is no dry crossing point. Then, move 10 m to the left to continue east/south-east through a replanted area, then again with a clear-cut area on your left to guide you. Cross straight ahead at a junction of tracks, heading towards the woodland. You’ll reach the end of the path at the next junction, after a slight climb.

(6) Turn left and follow this track, which runs to the left alongside a plantation of young fir trees. After 100 m, turn onto the first track on the right. Right at the start of this track, on the left, there is a tree marked with the number 29 in red. At what appears to be a fork in the road, keep to the left. At the end of this path, it opens out onto a large five-way crossroads of tracks at elevation 211.

(7) Continue straight ahead along this white, stony track heading south-east. Walk for a long while. At the end of the track, just before the edge of the woodland, it turns left and then immediately right to reach the boundary between the woodland and the fields. Follow it continuously until you reach the D116.

(8) Turn right and walk carefully down this road until you reach Montarlot in the valley. Take the first right onto the Grand Chemin de Montarlot. Keep to the right at the wayside cross.

(9) At the Fork in the road (elevation 202), head left and, some 120 m further on, continue to the right. Go round a barrier and carry on to the end of the stony track at the T-junction.

(10) Turn left onto the white track, which turns into a footpath. At the edge of the woodland, a path branches off to the right, heading almost due west (a plantation of young fir trees serves as a guide to the left). Easily cross a ditch and, immediately afterwards, turn right onto a new path which leads to the edge of the woodland opposite. You’ll reach a junction with signs marked 15M/17M.

(11) Turn left and head uphill along the edge of the woodland; the clear-cut area serves as a guide to the left. Do not enter the undergrowth but turn left to continue between the clearing and the woodland. When you reach the first junction of tracks, turn right to head deeper into the forest. This will take you straight ahead to a white, stony track. Turn left to reach the forest house at elevation 237.

(12) Turn right immediately after the forest house. Follow the wide Sommière du Tertre track, which is very grassy and waterlogged in wet weather. Continue straight on after passing the drainage channels until you come out onto a forest road at the Maison Forestière du Tertre.

(13) Carry on straight ahead to continue in the same direction along the Route Forestière du Tertre, towards Longchamp. It veers to the left, passes the Maison Forestière du Verdot and enters Longchamp via Rue de la Forêt, passing an iron cross and a Tibetan centre. At the junction, keep to the right until you reach Rue du Lycée (D24) near the Lycée de la Céramique.

(14) Turn right and walk along the pavement beside the school grounds. At the end of the pavement, by a large open space used as a car park and playground, turn right; then, when you reach a fence, turn left to go round a boules court on the right. Cross the Arnison on foot via a bridge on the right. The gravel path leads back to Ruelle de l’Arnison, towards the church.

(15) When you reach the church, turn right onto Rue du Sautet, keeping to the right-hand pavement until the next junction with Impasse Champ Perrin. Then keep to the right to reach the cemetery car park (S/E).

(5) to (6) Wetlands during the rainy season between La Motte Simon, the Leat de Tréman and the Chêneau de Ban.
(12) to (13) A wetland during the rainy season all along the Sommière du Tertre.
Walking sticks and gaiters are useful when walking through the forest, particularly in wetland areas.

Visit to Longchamp:
- An abbey dating from 1671, since converted into a château.
- The church, rebuilt in 1841, with a listed fountain in front of it.
- The town’s reputation stems from the Burgundy earthenware and tile works founded in 1832 by Mr Jean Phal. The factory operated at full capacity until 1983 and employed up to 280 workers.
- The training centre for the earthenware trade was established in 1946.
- A vocational and technical college specialising in Art, Design and Ceramics.