The Saône and the Ourche

Village hall car park.

(S/E) Set off between the stream and the village hall, following the Green Ring markings to Pont Tatal.

(1) Cross the meadow and head towards a gate at the far end on the right; follow the markings through the small wood and then across a small meadow.
After walking alongside a large, slightly overhanging wall on the right, head up to the right following the Green Ring markings, cross the meadow to reach the forest opposite. Turn left and follow the forest track

(2) At the junction with the Route Forestière du Petit Bois, a wide sandy track, continue straight on for about 500 m. At a small building on the right, the track turns left, then right, and becomes a footpath.

(3) At a place called Grange Huard, follow the small tarmac road down to the left, cross the Saône, then cross the D5 and climb the path opposite towards La Cabiole (lumberjack’s hut). When you reach the meadow, walk along its left-hand side, passing close to the farm. Look out for the cabiole perched in a tree, continue to the woods and follow the forest road opposite, marked with the Green Ring sign

(4) Cross the bridge in the forest, leave the Tranchée de la Cabiole ahead of you and head straight down to the right to reach the Pont Tatal, which you cross.
At the end of Pont Tatal, turn left to head back down towards the road via a wide, fairly fast path (unmarked).

Cross the road with care; traffic is fast and winding at this point. At the signpost, head towards the bridge and descend to the foot of the piers via a small path on the right. Walk alongside the picnic area, then head back up towards the road, passing behind a wooden shelter. Walk alongside the road on the right for 200 m.

(5) Take a wide path on the left marked with a Red Triangle and follow it straight ahead, leaving the paths below on the right.

Next section unmarked until Claudon

(6) At the junction with a hairpin bend, turn left, stay on the tarmac road until you reach the piers of an old bridge, continue along this road to a three-way junction, keep left, still on the tarmac road, and climb up to the flat area
(7) At the edge of the forest, turn left onto a wide track; follow it until you reach a path branching off to the right between plots 33 and 34, then quickly take, at the corner of plots 32 and 34, a lane on the left,

(8) At the corner of plot 32 (number painted on a tree on your right), take a long, straight path on the right which runs alongside the hamlet of La Roche Vinaigre (not marked on the map). At a boundary stone topped with a white cap, the path turns left until it joins a main track, which you follow to the right towards Claudon

(9) Enter Claudon, head towards the church, walk past it on the right to reach a playground with a few benches. Walk back down past the church, turn right towards the crossroads where you’ll find a picnic table by a small pond.
From the crossroads, head down the D5 to the left.

(10) Leave the road to the right and head down the “R. Georges” path, marked with a Blue Ring. Pass the Fontaine du Bois, the Enclume, then the Grotte de l’Ours, and head back up, following the Blue Ring markings. When you reach a path, follow it to the left, then at a T-junction, head down to the left (broken marker)

(11) At a new junction by a signpost, ignore the path leading down opposite and turn right.
Cross the D5E and continue straight ahead, following the Blue Ring markings towards La Glacière; after this site, cross the stream via a small metal footbridge and, a little further on, turn right on a loop towards Notre-Dame de la Source.
Retrace your steps and continue straight on until you reach the D5, which leads to the abbey.

(12) Follow it to the left and go round the abbey to the right, staying on this road which climbs steeply.
Continue along the road, which turns to gravel and then becomes a long, straight forest track,
Pass the Tranchée de la Cabiole, which branches off to the left towards Attigny.

Here you leave the Blue Ring trail to enter an unmarked area

(13) A little further on, just after a small car park, between plots 145 and 146, turn right onto the Tranchée des Quatre Mares, a straight, unmarked forest track (avoid the botanical trail, which is accessible to people with reduced mobility and would take you back to the car park)
After a forest car park, the track ends in a grassy path leading down opposite (vegetation may be dense at certain times of year); follow it for about 20 metres and turn right, continuing along this path until you reach a viewpoint

(14) Turn left, then at the junction with a wide path, turn left and a little further on, turn right.

(15) At the top of a gentle slope, follow the forest track to the right, then at a T-junction, turn left along the Tranchée du Coné de la Chèvre.
Leave the grassy path ahead and turn right onto a wide forest track.

(16) Ignore the Tranchée de l'Étang forest road joining from the right; turn left between the forest and the meadow.
The track becomes a road; turn left onto the D5, cross the bridge then turn left to reach the car park (S/E).

This walk partly follows the Club Vosgien trail markings.
Follow the description as you go along to identify the points where the route deviates from the markings. The names of sites and trenches are included in the description to help you locate yourself on the map.
This walk should not be undertaken during the hunting season.
Picnics are possible at Pont Tatal and Claudon
Drinking water points are available at the start, against the wall of the village hall, and at the abbey fountain.
Good walking shoes are recommended, as some sections may be slippery in wet weather.

During the walk:
Pont Tatal
Droiteval Abbey
La Cabiole Farm
The Bois Fountain
The Anvil
The Bear’s Cave
The Ice House
Notre-Dame de la Source,

Nearby, visit Darney:
Thermal Route D164: Sculptures at the Guillevic estate, Lemoine parquetry workshop, and a remarkable wayside shrine
The collegiate church with its extraordinary architecture and listed interior.
A 20th-century mechanical clock still in working order.
Castle-museum, Rue de la Collégiale
Cutlery and silverware workshop, Rue des Fabriques
Delisvosges confectionery, Côte Marchand