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Parking around Vielliey Town Hall. No signposting, though traces of old yellow-blue markings remain.
(S/E) Set off along Rue de la Mairie with your back to the beautiful fountain and wash house. At the first fork (at No. 4), turn left. At the junction with Rue du Moulin (No. 9 and fire hydrant), you can turn left for a 60-metre round trip to discover a beautiful characterful house. Return to the junction and head up the Rue du Moulin, a dead-end street, leaving the signposted route. You’ll pass a pretty stream and its wash house, then on the right, the old mill (with a millstone on display).
(1) At the hunting lodge, turn right. Head up the stony path on the right. You will cross some pastures. At the entrance to the woods, the stony path ends at a hunting car park. Continue along the forest track that runs alongside it.
(2) After reaching a small plateau, you come to a crossroads. Turn right and walk for about ten steps until you reach the first fork. Continue climbing to the right for another ten steps until you reach a second fork. Keep climbing straight ahead.
(3) After a steep climb, you’ll reach another crossroads. Turn immediately right. You’ll soon come to a fork. Head up to the right for a short round trip to the jumping area, a beautiful (unsecured) viewpoint over the Ognon Valley and the Vosges. Head back down and turn right. You’ll follow a wide forest path.
(4) At a small holly copse (on the left), take the path on the right which leads towards the ledges (small metal sign with a grey arrow). Follow this lovely straight path, lined with wild garlic and offering a few views of the valley and beautiful rock formations, until you reach some old signposts on the left-hand side of the path (Vieilley).
(5) Continue straight on along the ridge via this well-defined little path which moves away from the ledges by veering to the left and will lead you to a stony track
(6) Turn right towards Fort de la Dame Blanche, a viewpoint over the Ognon valley and, far to the right, the Vosges peaks (the Hohneck, the Ballon de Servance, the Ballon d’Alsace and the Grand Ballon).
(7) At the viewpoint (619 m), with your back to the valley, descend about twenty metres and head left, passing some ruins, then go down a small flight of steps in front of the fort’s entrance. Leave the fort via the path opposite the entrance. At the gravel track, turn left. You are now on mountain bike route 124. Go round the fort’s moats, retracing your steps back to the gravel road.
(6) Don’t miss it: 600m after the fort entrance, look out for a pair of inverted V-shaped telephone poles on the left. Walk about ten paces and leave the gravel road, heading back into the woods along the narrow path to the junction you passed on the way out: when it begins a gentle descent, you’ll find the old signposts again.
(5) Head down to the left, towards Vieilley, along a superb, wild wooded hillside topped by rocky outcrops.
(8) At the bottom, you’ll join a wider forest track. Continue down to the left. The path can be muddy in wet weather. As you leave the woods, head down towards the village along the small tarmac road with a lovely view of the church on your left, to reach the town hall. (S/E)
The route includes unsecured viewing points. Paths may be slippery at times. Sturdy footwear is essential and the use of walking poles is recommended
Visorando Member
Easy 
