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Parking at the entrance to Cléron, coming from Besançon, on the right after the bridge. Yellow and blue markings, much of the route is unmarked.
(S/E) Cross the bridge for a view of the castle and the Tacot bridge over the Loue, then return to the car park and climb the stone steps to walk alongside the "Cléron-Accueil" lodge, a beautiful old 17th-century house with a slate roof. Instead, turn right onto the D103 towards Amondans, passing in front of the castle entrance and the Musée du Tacot.
(1) 200 metres after leaving the village, there is a lovely view of the Moulin de la Cude mill on the banks of the Loue, topped by the silhouette of the Rocher de Colonne rock. Then turn left onto the small tarmac road, which offers you the added bonus of a view of Castel Saint-Denis and the castle's turrets between the trees. 200 metres higher up, there is another view of the valley at the ecological water treatment plant. Leave the small road and take the path, half stone, half grass, which climbs to the right, opposite the plant. There are no more markings.
(2) The path soon forks. Climb left for about 50 metres to the statue of the Virgin Mary for another viewpoint. Go back down to the fork and turn left onto a beautiful stony forest path, the old Tacot road. When you reach a pasture, continue straight ahead via the log staircase, then follow the edge of the field on the left to reach the Amondans road. Turn left.
(3) Fifty metres further on, head back into the pasture via the stony path on the left. On the left, behind the barrier, take a look at the span of the old road. The pasture offers a 180° panorama of the dazzling white cliffs of the Loue. A hundred metres further on, veer slightly to the right, leaving the edge of the pasture. Continue straight ahead on the old track, which becomes a simple field path, crossing a few barriers easily via chicanes and opening and, above all, closing electric fences (hooks).
(4) At the end of the pastures, you will reach a stone path which you follow downhill to the left for 200 metres. You will find the markings again (on the right, at the corner of a low wall). Leave this beautiful stone path and descend towards Cléron on the left, back into the pastures. If you have good eyesight, you can see the silhouette of the Rocher du Moine, the Toum Tatre or even Tountâtrou on your right. (N.B): in local dialect, this 39-metre-high monolith resembles a tonsured Capuchin monk.
(5): Shortly after the GAEC buildings, turn right onto the gravel path, rejoining the Tacot trail, which soon passes over a semi-circular viaduct. At the stop sign and marker post, climb up to the right. The long building on the left is the old railway station. Then turn left into Rue du Néclos.
(6) Enter the playground on the left and go down the gravel path at the opposite corner, the Tacot path. Cross the Grande Rue and head opposite towards the Courbet area and the second bridge, which offers beautiful views of the castle and the cliff carved out by the river. Return to the Grande Rue and turn right. Cross at the pedestrian crossing and return to the car park via the small path that runs alongside the lodge (S/E).
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