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Corvée car park, Rue de la Corvée in Ornans. Good quality yellow and blue signposting.
(S/E) When you leave the car park, turn right onto Rue du Château, then turn left and head towards the castle site, keeping the promontory topped with ruins in your sights. Leave Rue Sous les Vignes on your right. Continue along Rue de la Poterne, then Rue du Charmont on the left and finally the dead-end road towards Fontaine aux Vipères.
(1) Turn left after the wooden barrier and head towards the fountain dating from 1741. Above the fountain, at the fork, go up to the right and stop to admire the view of the west passageway of the castle, pierced by three arrow slits. At the tarmac road, descend to the right for about a hundred metres and at the "Chutes de pierres" signpost, climb the hill via the path on the left to the hamlet. At the fountain, pass between the two no entry signs and turn right towards the viewpoint.
(2) You will arrive at the viewpoint and the ruins of the old castle. Continue towards the Chapel of Saint-Georges, built by Othon, Count of Burgundy, in 1289 and rebuilt in 1500. The current chapel is in the flamboyant Gothic style and is still used as a place of worship. Continue along a small lane to the left of the chapel to complete the circular route around the hamlet. Pass between the two no-entry posts and in front of the fountain, go straight on to the calvary and turn right towards Roche des Pins.
(3) At the last house, go down the beautiful stone path on the right that runs along the cornices. 200 metres further on, you can leave the marked path and take the small path on the right that runs closer to the cornices (despite the yellow and blue cross) to discover some crevices. You will rejoin the marked path a little further on. At the top of a small valley, you will come to a fork in the trail. Continue straight ahead in the same direction (Roche des Pins).
(4) At the Mambouc stream, ignore the path that descends to the right towards Ornans, crossing the stream on three wooden planks. Shortly after the remains of a wooden barrier and a mountain bike signpost 26, continue straight ahead at the fork, following the ledges and ignoring the path ascending to the left.
(5) You will soon arrive at the Pautard viewpoint overlooking the town, the castle and the Roche du Mont. Continue to the Belvédère de la Roche des Pins viewpoint. Be careful not to miss it, as it is not signposted. All you can see (with difficulty) from the path is a bench and the barrier between the foliage. When you reach a grove of pine trees, opposite the end of the castle promontory, turn right onto a path that runs close to the cliffs and will lead you there.
(6) Shortly after the viewpoint, at a series of signs that are difficult to see when walking in the opposite direction, you will arrive at the end of another small valley. Look for the small path that leads into the valley (towards Ornans). Be careful, as the start of the path is slippery. Don't forget to look up to admire the cliffs that frame it. Leave the first street on your left and take the second, Rue du Stade, to Place Courbet, where you can quench your thirst. Then go up to the right via Rue du Château to rejoin Rue de la Corvée and the car park (S/E).
The route includes cliff paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
Visorando member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
