The Felon friends’ outing to Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont

Park in the church car park behind the town hall in Lachapelle-Sous-Rougemont.
At the start of the walk, follow the Yellow Ring markings, then switch to the Red Ring markings.

(S/E) Join Rue du Général de Gaulle (D83) and turn right towards the south-west.

(1) Just before the end of the village, look out for sign No. 7 at 9 Rue du Général de Gaulle. Turn onto the path on the right.
The route is now signposted for two walks, one marked with a Red Ring and the other with a Yellow Ring. Look out for the first information sign, ‘La Brasserie’. There will be four more after that.
Cross a road and continue straight ahead to reach another road near a fire hydrant.

(2) Turn left. The two signposted routes split. Follow the Red Ring markings. 800m further on, you’ll reach a forest track.

(3) Turn left. Keep a close eye out for the Red Ring markings. 200m further on, you’ll come to a small path. Only the markings will help you find it, so watch out for them carefully (I personally missed it and had to turn back).

(4) Turn right at the fork. At the next junction, turn right. When you reach the road, turn left.

(5) Shortly after the sign marking the entrance to Felon, turn onto the path on the left.
Carry on straight ahead, leaving the village. Cross the fields and you’ll come to a house on Rue de l’Étang.

(6) Turn left. Walk alongside the ponds on your left until you reach the edge of the forest.

(7) Turn left, then 30 metres further on, turn right onto a path that winds through the forest. On this section, keep a close eye out for the Red Ring markings. A very pretty stretch through the forest.
The path leads out onto a wide track. Take it to the right. Further on, pass a track on your left and arrive at the D83.

(8) Follow it through most of Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont and return to the starting point (S/E).

Start at the car park behind the church and the town hall. Address: 29 rue du Général-Charles-de-Gaulle, 90360 Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont.

It is possible to park at the entrance to Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont in the car park of the industrial estate: Zac de la Brasserie, 90360 Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont
In this case, start the walk at point (8) and take the D83 to the right, heading north-east, until you reach point (1).
Take great care when crossing the D83 as it is a very busy road with a lot of lorries.

Visorando was provided with this information by Mr Chevalley, a volunteer member of Balisage90.
This walk was created by the South Vosges Community of Communes.

Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont.
Place names: Capella (1214), Ecclesiam de villa que Capella nuncupatur (1234), A la Chapelle vers Roigemont (1295), Capel (1576), Capplen (1579). In German: Welschen Kappelen.
Its inhabitants are known as Chapelons.
The village name Capella is first mentioned as early as the late 11th century. At that time, it formed part of the seigneury of Rougemont. Lachapelle served as a post station and a popular stopover lodge. During the Restoration, in 1818, a minor seminary was established, which operated until the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. It became an independent secondary school in 1873 and, by 1882, was attended by around 300 Alsatian pupils who came to study in French to escape the Germanisation of their province. It was undoubtedly the beer consumed by travellers in the village’s many inns that prompted the Grisez family to build a brewery in 1835 at the entrance to the
village on the road from Belfort. From 1893 to 1961, a forging workshop, Établissements Woerlin, manufactured shuttle points for looms.
In 1914, Lachapelle was linked to Belfort by a branch line of the local metre-gauge railway passing through Les Errues. At the outbreak of the war, the line was extended by the military engineers as far as the Alsatian village of Sentheim. The trains were hauled by electric locomotives, which were less conspicuous than steam engines, which would have been immediately spotted by the enemy nearby.
Source: Wikipedia:

Felon
Place names: Uurlon/Vurlon and Furlon (1235–41), Villae Volim (1350), Foulon (1565–1585), Füolon (1579), Daz dorf Fullon/Follon (1628). Its inhabitants are known as Felonais.
First mentioned in 1227, the village formed part of the seigneury of Rougemont and the parish of Angeot until 1767, when it was attached to the parish of Saint-Germain-le-Châtelet.
The earliest documents tracing the history of Felon date from the early 13th century. At that time, the provincial count, Otto II, became Count of Habsburg. Felon was the fief of the De Felon family, members of whom are recorded in 1227 as being affiliated with the House of Habsburg. Felon was mentioned in 1227 under the name ‘Vuolon’, as well as under two other names: ‘Furlon’ between 1235 and 1241 and ‘Foulon’ between 1565 and 1585. It was from this date onwards that the village’s name changed to Felon.
One theory regarding the origin of the village’s name is that a fulling mill once stood on this site. This hamlet belonged to the Imperial House of Austria until 1648, when it became the property of the Kingdom of France.
Fulling involved degreasing woollen cloth in river water. To do this, the fabric was placed in a vat filled with water and clay, then beaten in turn by three pairs of fulling hammers powered by water. This process, by felting the woollen fibres, gave the cloth a distinctive softness.
Source: Wikipedia: