The mysteries of Pennessières and Courboux

The starting point, the cemetery, is already an extraordinary place due to its circular shape.
Listed as a Historic Monument since 2004, there are only three cemeteries of this shape in France.

Details

6974386
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.60 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 548 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 568 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,322 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 922 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Pennessières cemetery, at the very top of the village – follow the hand-painted sign for Parc à Sangliers.

(S/E) Facing the cemetery, follow the road up to the left and take thesecond forest path on the left, which climbs and leads to a grassy field. Cross it to reach the D192 road linking Hyet to Fondremand.

(1) Turn right and walk carefully along the road. Pass the ‘Chêne Bénit’ (Blessed Oak), then continue to a Y-junction at the edge of the woods.

(2) Turn right onto the forest track made of white gravel. Pass close to a first hunting lodge which was being renovated at the time of the walk’s creation. Continue straight on along this track to reach a second old hunting lodge with well-worn picnic tables nearby.

(3) Take the path furthest to the right here and, after a few hundred metres, leave the track to head down to the right and discover a game restaurant and, further to the right, the Rouge Terre chasm

(4) Retrace your steps to rejoin the path, continue straight on until you reach a white-painted boundary on your right, and follow it.

(5) Turn right at a 90° angle, begin a steep climb and continue to follow this white line. You will reach the forest and continue straight on. You will then join a local path.

(6) Turn right onto it and head down towards the hamlet of Courboux. You’ll reach a hairpin bend.

(7) Turn left onto a path through the undergrowth; look out for a small yellow signpost here pointing towards Courboux. Further on, follow the small sign: “Courboux via viewpoint”. Then head back down to the right and cross the hamlet via the main road to the main square, where you’ll see a magnificent tree.

(8) Head off to the right and follow the Chemin de la Fontaine; before this, you can also make a detour to the Fontaine de Courboux, which is a Vaucluse-type resurgence spring. Taking the Chemin de la Fontaine, you’ll pass close to an old wash house. Head up to the right towards the forest, then follow the edge of the woods to reach the village at the junction of the school and the town hall.

(9) Turn right just after the town hall into a small street, passing an old wash house, then the road turns into a path. Follow it as it continues until it becomes a tarmac road again. Continue until you reach a road, then turn right to reach the cemetery (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,076 ft - Car park at - Cimetière de Penessières
  2. 1 : mi 1.27 - alt. 1,214 ft - D192 road
  3. 2 : mi 2.51 - alt. 1,083 ft - Forest track
  4. 3 : mi 3.46 - alt. 1,217 ft - Old hunting lodge
  5. 4 : mi 3.77 - alt. 1,165 ft - Gouffre de Rouge Terre
  6. 5 : mi 4.1 - alt. 1,181 ft - Clear-cut area
  7. 6 : mi 5.19 - alt. 1,152 ft - Village path
  8. 7 : mi 5.71 - alt. 1,073 ft - Hairpin bend to the left
  9. 8 : mi 6.34 - alt. 968 ft - Courboux
  10. 9 : mi 7.22 - alt. 922 ft - Penessières Town Hall
  11. S/E : mi 7.6 - alt. 1,076 ft - Car park at - Cimetière de Penessières

Worth a visit

(S/E) Pennessières Cemetery
Between (1) and (2) Blessed Oak
After (3) Rouge Terre Chasm: depth approx. 60 m – surrounded by fencing.
Fountain and wash house

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
3.6 / 5
La Godasse Folle
La Godasse Folle

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Unfortunately, a rather uninspiring walk. The chasm mentioned in the guide is particularly hard to find. The stretch along the tarmac road is far too long – about 2 or 3 kilometres! Fortunately, the sections through the forest are a welcome relief from the late-August heat.
I’m often disappointed by the walks I do in the south of Haute-Saône. I do give them a go from time to time, always hoping to find an interesting one, but I’m rarely thrilled in the end. There’s something for everyone. An easy walk, though, even if we ended up covering 15km.

Machine-translated

Luc70
Luc70

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, an unusual cemetery, and a nice viewpoint between points 7 and 8.
There are a few potential pitfalls in the undergrowth on the way to the chasm and between altitudes 5 and 6 (forestry work and a path that isn’t easy to follow on the descent between altitude 388 and altitude 6); the GPX track proves useful for finding the path.
An alternative route is possible by following the main path before the altitude of 388 metres, leading to the Combe aux Ramasses.

Machine-translated

Paps
Paps
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy route, suitable for everyone. There are plenty of sections through the woods, which makes for a pleasant walk, especially on hot days.

Machine-translated

LABJIM
LABJIM
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, varied walk; the forest is pleasant and both villages are interesting.
The link between route 5and route 6 is unclear; you can’t just keep going straight on, so an IGN map is essential to follow the route. I did the walk again, and with a few others we found the path we’d missed the first time.

Machine-translated

girofly
girofly

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely cemetery and a lovely walk.
I couldn’t find the Rouge Terre chasm (the path is badly damaged by logging)
nor No. 7... probably my mistake.
I really enjoyed this route: lovely woods and idyllic scenery.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.