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Parking is available on the esplanade of the Liberation Monument at La Chapelle des Buis. Markings are yellow and red, yellow and blue. A very small section is unmarked.
(S/E) To begin with, there is a superb viewpoint over the old town, topped by its citadel. Then head towards the Virgin Mary statue via the small concrete path on the left to walk around it. At the back, there is a 180° view of the countryside and the Jura mountains. In the late afternoon, the illuminated Hautepierre rock lives up to its former name: the Rock of the Sun. To its right is the Grand Taureau, above Pontarlier. Go down to the crypt, which is open. Leave the esplanade via the small tarmac road, cross the small bridge and immediately after, at the signpost, climb the path on the left towards Morre.
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(1) At the wider path, go down to the right. At the crossroads, marked by mountain bike signs, continue straight on until you reach the departmental road, which you take to the left for 300 metres. About 50 metres before the "give way" sign, take the path on the right. Cross the tarmac road and continue across the field opposite, following the edge of the woods until you reach a water tower. Climb the steps on the left, going around the building. You will soon reach a descending path. Go up it to the left for about ten steps, find the markings again, and turn right, following a beautiful ridge line, ignoring the descending paths.
(2) You will come to a small pass between rocks. Climb up the other side and continue along the ridge. At the small road, turn left until you reach the nearby crossroads. Despite the crosses, continue straight ahead towards Montfaucon. At a small house, there is a viewpoint over the valley. Shortly after a new water tower, at number 3, look for the signpost on a tree on the right inviting you to climb the hill via a log staircase. Be careful, as the path can be slippery after rain. You will arrive at a 360° viewpoint over the Saône plain and the Doubs valley with the pretty line of the Besançon mountains: Bregille, the citadel, Chaudanne and Rosemont.
(3) Leave the signposts again and cross the meadow towards the houses. Continue straight ahead along Rue des Falaises until you reach the roundabout at the school complex. Then turn left down towards La Malate. At the next fork, turn right down Chemin de Chevriot Dessus. At the first right-hand bend, leave the road and continue straight ahead on the stony path. When it turns sharply to the left, leave it again and continue straight ahead on the path that runs along the ledges.
(4) At the bottom, the path forks. Carefully descend to the left, crossing low walls, remnants of terraced crops. You will come to a path where you turn left. If you miss the fork and continue straight ahead, you will come back to the tarmac road. Then take the path on the left that starts behind the safety barrier. Enjoy more beautiful views of the Doubs valley, overlooked by the Citadel. You will need to pass under a small metal barrier. You will come to a gravel path, then a tarmac road, which you follow downhill.
(5) At the give way sign, go down Rue de la Gravelle to the village. After the railway bridge, at the stop sign, continue straight on into Rue du Vieux-Bourg. At the next fork, turn right into Rue du Chanet. At number 4, turn left then straight on along the small path that runs alongside a low wall between two houses. At the road, go up to the right towards the chemist's, then right again to cross the bridge. Immediately, take the path on the right (Chapelle-des-Buis path via Le Chanet). Be careful! About 50 metres after the first bend, leave this straight path and take the trail that starts between two trees on the right, climbing steeply between beautiful rocks. The path can be slippery in wet weather.
(6) On the plateau, at the red ACCA Besançon sign (mountain bike marker in the opposite direction to the walk), climb left for a return trip to an unsecured viewpoint (be careful!) overlooking the upper valley. When you reach the ridge, turn left carefully (white-red markings). Turn back to the sign and turn left. The markings are half faded, but the path is easy to spot.
(7) At a house, you will come to a wider gravel path that immediately joins a tarmac road. Follow it downhill for 200 metres. You will pass more viewpoints over the valley.
About 100 metres after the second house, at the signpost and a sign for "Colline de Besançon", take the gravel path on the left towards the Liberation monument. After the small pond, at the fork, climb up to the right. Then turn right again at the next fork. You will come back to the small tarmac road that climbs up to the left to the monument and the car park (S/E).
The route includes cliff-side paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
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