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Parking at the Bizot cemetery.
Yellow and blue signposts.
(S/E) As you leave the car park, turn left towards La Bosse, stopping for a moment at the small chapel dating from 1876, a miniature replica of Notre-Dame de Lourdes. To the left of the chapel is the panorama of Le Bizot with an orientation table.
(1) Shortly after the sign marking the end of the village, take the grassy path on the right that cuts across the bend and, after crossing the road again, continue along the pretty path opposite towards Boucle n°38. You will soon come to a fork; continue for a few metres on the wider left-hand track, then leave it immediately and go up a path on the right, passing between sharp limestone pavements. You will rejoin the road and turn left onto the small tarmac road, passing through a beautiful pine forest with slender trees. At the fork, at the hunting car park, continue along this small tarmac road. When you come to a stony road on your right, continue straight ahead.
(2) You will come to a small road. The yellow sign invites you to go straight ahead onto a path, but ignore it and turn right onto the small road. Quickly leave a gravel road on your right and you will soon find the sign again. You will enter a pasture via a log footbridge. When you see the first houses of La Bosse, the path turns left and joins a signpost.
(3) Leave the pasture by going up to the right. Cross the road and, at the Les Ageottes sign, climb up the small paved road on the left towards the viewpoint at 1,043 m. You will reach a wider road. Turn right and continue for about 30 metres, then enter the meadow to discover the viewpoint over Lomont and the Dessoubre Valley. Descend.
(3) Continue straight ahead, ignoring the yellow and blue cross, and you will lose the trail for a while.
(4) 500 m below, descend to the left towards the electrical transformer and climb back up the hillside in a straight line, turning your back to it and following the wooden posts that have lost their wires. You will rejoin the previous marked path, where you will turn right, retracing your steps for about 400 m.
(5) About 300 metres after re-entering the woods, look out for the signpost on the right, slightly hidden in the brambles, which invites you to take the path that is barely visible for a few metres but quickly becomes the magnificent path along the steep ridge of the Côtard. If you pass the signpost, don't panic, just keep going.
(2) Take the path indicated above (yellow hiking sign) and you will soon reach the signpost for Bois Banal (1,043 m).
(6) Head right towards the ruins of Réaumont Castle, following a superb ridge line overlooking a wooded valley, where some sections should be approached with caution. When you move away from the ridge line, you will come to a slightly rickety signpost and a wider path, where you should turn right. The path widens into a beautiful forest trail that leads to a crossroads.
(7) You then have two options:
The first is the easiest but least pleasant. Continue straight ahead for 300 m and at the signs for La Bosse-Le Bizot and Le Bélieu, climb up to the ruins on the right. Be careful, as they are unfortunately neither secured nor maintained by the local council and sections of the walls are in danger of collapsing.
The second option is the prettiest, but takes you through the ruins. A few metres after the crossroads, despite the yellow and blue crosses, look for a forest signpost marked "n°15" on the right and a sign prohibiting mountain bikes, which will direct you to a path climbing up the hillside via a picturesque new ridge trail that leads to the castle via a wooden ladder. At the ruins, quickly and carefully squeeze between the walls to rejoin the path from the first option.
(8) Head downhill towards Le Bélieu and, at the road, turn left towards the hamlet of Sous Réaumont and left again at the crossroads onto the D229a (Rue de la Griotte) for about 300 m. To the right of the crossroads, you will see a beautiful fountain and a picnic table. Along the way, you will pass houses surrounded by traditional dry stone walls, known as murgés, where the entrance was marked by large standing stones. At number 11 on the left, stay on the threshold and take a look at an old millstone on display.
(9) In the hamlet of Maison derrière, look for a sign on a concrete electricity pole inviting you to turn right. Pass No. 4 and you will find a grassy path. At the entrance to the woods, there is a damp passage (dry at the beginning of summer) that enterprising scout campers were in the process of improving. You will soon come to a footbridge. You are now entering the peat bog with its distinctive vegetation. Leave the woods and follow the small, clearly visible trail through the tall grass.
(10) You will soon turn your back on the peat bog, walking along a pile of stones gathered from fields and climbing up through the pastures. At the Comboles farm, turn left, ignoring the sign (after the chalet) telling you to go up to the right towards the edge of the forest, and continue along this small tarmac road until you reach the calvary. Turn left towards Les Coires until you reach the beautiful Étang des Belles Seignes, which is private property but where visitors are allowed to enter, staying at the far end.
(11) Leaving the lake, take the gravel road on the left to the hamlet of Sous le Bois, where you will rejoin the D329a. Turn right and follow this road for 500 metres (towards Le Narbief). At No. 4, at the end of a long farmhouse, look for the sign to turn left (towards Le Bizot) along the side of the house. At the entrance to the woods, there is a fork in the road; take the right-hand lane.
(12) At the calvary, go up to the left towards Le Bizot and the church. You will pass the Maison de Justice (House of Justice) dating from 1527 with its curious apotropaic balls, half-spheres carved in relief to ward off evil influences. Turn right. Look for the chimney where a judge's head is carved on one of the sides. You will arrive at the old house built by monks in 1619, which until recently was adorned with a statue of Saint Claude as old as the house itself. Sold? Let's hope not! Turn right down Rue de la Rigole until you reach the semi-circular Piot fountain dating from 1858.
(13) Head back up towards the church square, which is unfortunately closed, as it houses many treasures. With your back to the church door, go straight ahead towards the starting point of the hiking trails. At number 7, turn right into Rue de l'Église. At the Calvary of Saint Mars de 1842, at the top of Rue Maurice Vermot, named after a local child and creator of the famous almanac, turn left and head back down to the chapel. Enter the small square to discover a naive statue of Saint Bernadette by the sculptor Ringot, dating from 1935. Then head back to the nearby cemetery (S/E).
The route includes cliff-side paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Good walking shoes are essential and walking sticks are recommended. Not suitable for young children or inexperienced walkers.
Visorando member
Association / Club / Walk leader
Easy 
Difficult 
