Country:
District:
Parking at the town hall in Plaimbois-du-Miroir next to the church.
(S/E) Turn right as you leave the car park. Follow the yellow and blue markings. Just before you leave the village, near an electricity pole, at a marker post, continue straight ahead towards the Roche du Miroir trailhead.
(1) At the village exit, at the calvary, continue straight ahead along the stony path. After the road widens, look for a green metal sign for Pays Horloger and a signpost on the left. Enter the woods via the path that climbs towards the rock on the left, towards Circuit 43. You will immediately see a picnic table. You can walk a few metres to the right for a view of the valley towards Bretonvillers. Return to the table and turn right. Just before the viewpoint, ignore a path on the right that descends into the valley.
(2) From the top of the Rocher du Miroir, at the viewpoint, you can admire the Dessoubre valley, which is overlooked in places by high cliffs, home to chamois and peregrine falcons. Look out for the old Laval Priory in the valley below. Then return to the Calvary (1) and descend the paved road on the right, which is closed by a huge gate (when I passed by), probably due to the risk of falling rocks. It's a short stretch of paved road, but with beautiful views of the valley and the Rocher du Miroir.
(3) About a hundred metres after the cliffs, after the sign for Zone instable (unstable area), look for the marker post that tells you to climb up to the left along a charming path that winds its way between superbly carved rocks. You will enter a pasture via a small ladder on the left of the gate. At the end of the pasture, at a crossroads, take the left-hand path.
(4) A new ladder allows you to leave the pasture and turn left onto a small road with beautiful views of Mont de Laval and Montbéliardot. You enter the woods again and quickly leave a small paved road on your left to discover a pretty isolated farm.
(5) Ten steps from the building, look for a signpost on a telephone pole and leave the road, heading into the woods on the right via a path. You will cross a farm track, which you follow before continuing along the path on the other side. Soon after, at the next farm track, turn left and follow the tarmac road until the first bend.
(6) Turn right onto the small road towards La Seigne farm. Just before the farm, look for a ladder in the fence on the right to climb over and descend along the fence on the right. At the end, climb the hill diagonally at a 45° angle to the left towards the edge of the woods. You may get your feet a little wet, as "seigne" is an old French word meaning "marsh". About a hundred metres to the left of a large fir tree, another ladder will allow you to re-enter the woods.
(7) You will come to a wider forest path which you follow to the left for about fifteen steps before leaving it and climbing up the path on the right. At a signpost, you will reach the Montbéliardot Arboretum Botanical Trail, which you take to the left. You will soon see a pile of stones gathered from fields on your right. Follow the small path alongside it.
(8) You will arrive at the Arboretum rest area with picturesque statues on the theme of Snow White, which you will discover at the end of this small wooded park. Next to the princess, take the signpost towards Plaimbois. At the small paved road, go up to the left until you reach the departmental road 128, which you follow downhill to the left for about 100 metres before turning left onto the gravel path.
(9) Leave this path after 300 metres, at a signpost, and turn right into the pasture, following the fence for a short while before crossing it via a ladder. Cross the pasture towards a path that can be seen on the other side. Turn around for a lovely view of the wooded cliffs. At the gate, ignore the yellow and blue cross, climb over the fence and climb up to the departmental road via the stony path, then turn left.
(10) Follow it carefully for 200 metres, passing a beautiful Comtois farmhouse, and turn right towards Les Crêts Bernard. At the first copse, descend to the left via the small ladder, following the fence, climb over it at the second ladder, and climb up the pasture on the right, following the power line and counting three poles.
(11) Head left towards the edge of the woods, where you will find another marker, and climb the hillside along the path. At the ridge, turn left. This charming ridge path will take you to a meadow bordering the cliffs with an almost 360° view. Follow the edge of the cliffs, finding markers and a small road that you will descend to the left towards the village. Find the car park by following the church bell tower (S/E).
The route includes cliff-edge paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Good footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
Association / Club / Walk leader
Visorando member
Easy 
