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(S/E) Park in the car park opposite the stadium, at the top of the village of Montfaucon. Yellow and blue markings. Walk up Rue de la Comtesse Henriette, the path along the banks of the castle. On the right, you will see an old fountain and its pump.
when the road turns 90°, turn left onto the small tarmac road. Take a look at the valley and the castle ruins, then turn left onto the stony path (Nacra trail). There is a lovely view of the Monts Bisontins on the left. The path becomes a trail running alongside an old pile of stone gathered from fields on the right. At a fork where the path begins to descend, take the left-hand path. The path becomes very steep (and sometimes slippery!), winding its way between rocks and daffodils in early spring. View of the Doubs valley between the trees, still bare of leaves.
(2) You will come to a path; ignore the markings and turn right, despite the yellow and blue cross that would have you go the other way. Opposite you are the ruins of the feudal castle of Montfaucon; on your right, you will walk alongside some beautiful rocks, where you may, like me, spot a squirrel flying from branch to branch. You will soon arrive at the wild recess of Nacra. At the end of the rocks, descend to the left to ford the stream, continuing along the path on the other side, then crossing a second stream. You will pass along the hillside, beneath the ruins of the old fortified castle, skirting dry stone walls on your right as you reach a more open space, which are undoubtedly the remains of terraced farming. You will be accompanied by the scent of boxwood, so characteristic of our limestone mountains in Besançon.
(3) You will come to a wider, marked path which you will follow up to the right. Opposite you is the Roche de la Côte d'Arbois. To your left, you will overlook a charming little valley and its stream. When the path stops climbing and the small gorge of the stream ends and its bed merges with the hiking trail, turn left at a right angle. You will leave the marked trail again.
(4) Immediately after crossing the stream, at the fork, ignore the path on the left that descends and continue straight ahead uphill. At the foot of the hill, you will come to another path at a right angle; climb up to the right. You will soon come to a fork; continue to the right. You will come to a crossroads of paths forming an X. Continue straight ahead (blue arrow). The path turns to the right and immediately, at the new fork, continue straight ahead.
(5) Shortly after a small cairn, at a fork, turn right onto a parallel path and descend to the right towards the Dhuit fountain. Continue around the fountain (keeping it on your right) to reach a beautiful stone path with signposts, which you will follow down to the right to the castle.
(6) Climb up to the castle, passing under the old reconstructed gate. Take the stone path on the left, which first leads you to the old parish church built in 1311, then walk along the entrance tower and ramparts to reach the old keep, inhabited by crows. There is a table set up for a picnic. Climb to the foot of the keep via a small footbridge to admire the view of the Doubs valley and the valley you will soon be climbing. Turn back about 50 metres, go to the right to find a small stone staircase leading back to the path that goes around the ruins. Continue to the right, passing below the church.
Return to the castle entrance, locate and follow the sign pointing towards the fortified village. You will walk alongside old ruins covered in ivy. Do not be foolhardy enough to approach them (risk of falling debris). For the brave, after the last ruins, you can descend a dirt staircase held in place by wooden steps to discover more old stones. Climb back up and continue to the right until you reach the very tip of the rock.
There are two options:
- for walkers who are not very sure-footed, it is best to turn back and return to the castle entrance ,
- for the more agile, follow the small rocky path that winds around the rocks (take care, as the stones roll underfoot). At the low wall, do not go down but go up to the left to discover a small, well-marked path that will take you back to the castle entrance.
Go back under the portico and descend to the foot of the castle.
(6) Turn right onto the small tarmac road. Stop for a moment at the old fountain on the left and climb back up to Montfaucon.
(1) Walk back down Rue de la Comtesse Henriette to the car park (S/E).
. However, this may be explained by the fact that there were a lot of trees in the way, making it difficult to see where the path was. I was able to reach the castle by following the blue arrows (in case anyone else gets lost like I did). My dog was off the leash almost the entire way, except between the castle and the starting point because there were quite a few people around.
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