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Parking at Les Gras, in the centre of the village in front of La Poste, Place de la Libération. Yellow and blue signposts.
(S/E) Leave the car park on the left (with your back to La Poste) via the small footbridge and turn left into Grande Rue. On leaving the village, continue on the D47, passing a charming little pond.
(1) Just before the sign marking the end of the village, take the path on the right which climbs steeply up a hillside planted with majestic fir trees. When the path begins to descend, continue straight ahead at the crossroads. You will come out of the woods opposite a house, joining a stony path. Go up to the right (Circuit 21 - Les Chaudières). Follow the stream and you will soon come to a fork. Take the right and, opposite the picnic table, look for a pretty path that branches off to the left, continuing along the stream (towards Mont Châteleu).
(2) At the foot of some beautiful rocks and a signpost, you will come to a fork. Take the left-hand path down to the Chaudières, a beautiful series of waterfalls 120 metres long. The path can be slippery. Over thousands of years, the pebbles carried by the stream have carved out the soft rock, forming large basins called chaudières in the Haut-Doubs region. This is where the place gets its name. Return to the signpost and continue climbing to the left towards Haut des Chaudières, where there is a safe viewpoint over the waterfalls. Then turn left onto the wooden footbridge, cross the stream over a small bridge and follow the signs. You will come to a meadow with a view of an isolated farm.
(3) Join a small tarmac road, turn left, still heading towards Mont Châteleu (circuit 21). A hundred metres further on, at the corner of the last house, you will see a statue of the Virgin Mary dating from 1919 leaning against the wall in the vegetable garden. Don't forget to turn around for beautiful views of the neighbouring mountains. After Meix Bosson, there is a magnificent view of the valley.
(4) You will find another signpost at the foot of a fork in the road. Turn right and walk for about 50 metres, then immediately right again along the path, crossing the fence through a small wooden passage. Climb up the pasture above Meix Bosson, following the left-hand edge. When the meadow narrows, at another signpost, cross it and now follow the fence on your right. You will climb up into another pasture.
(5) At another pasture, the Sommet des Ages, the path reaches a plateau where you can admire the view of the Morteau valley on your left. Then climb up through a pine forest. When you see a large gravel area, do not enter it, but continue climbing to the left along the farm track, which quickly becomes a beautiful, pleasant stony path.
(6) At the foot of a tree with signs, join a wider stony path and climb to the right towards Mont Châteleu - Circuit 21. You will discover pastures covered with gentians and wild raspberry bushes and new views of the Morteau Valley.
(7) You arrive at Mont Châteleu, at an altitude of 1,300 metres, with your first panoramic view to the south-west, from left to right: the Chasseron (1,607 metres), the Knoll (1,588 metres), the Aiguilles de Baulmes and many others. Leave the viewpoint behind you and take the path opposite the orientation table to reach a second viewpoint to the east and south-east, towards Switzerland and the Val de Travers. You will come to a wider stony path. Pass the bench and the signpost and head straight ahead towards Vieux Châteleu.
(8) You will immediately come to a new gravel path which you follow downhill for about 50 metres to the right until you reach the next signpost (Pré Jeannot). Immediately turn right into the meadow towards Nid du Fol, where you will find a small wooden passageway to cross the fence. Diagonally cross the field along the grassy path. Enter the woods, following a stream.
(9) When the path reaches a new pasture, closed by a gate (when I passed through), take the small path on the left, following the fence to reach the D447, which you will follow downhill to the right, passing the hamlet of Nid du Fol and continuing a little further along the departmental road towards Les Cerneux. At the intersection of the D404 and the D447, turn right towards Les Gras.
(10) 200 m further on, leave the road and turn left into the field. Soon after entering the woods, you will come to a fork. Follow the stony path uphill on the left. When it stops climbing, at the next signpost, turn right onto a well-trodden dirt track. At the start of the path, you can avoid the muddy area by taking a track on the left that joins it below.
(11) When you see the houses of Le Cerneux, join a road that descends to the right, accompanied by a beautiful view of Mont Châteleu. At house no. 12, leave the road and pass to the left of the house to rejoin a stony path. At the last house, the path ends. Continue following the signs through the pastures until you reach a small road that joins the D404.
(12) Follow this road downhill to the left, which will take you back to the centre of the village and the car park (S/E).
Rocky and slippery paths in places. Good footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.
Visorando member
Easy 
