Les Sommêtres via La Goule

Parking at Pont de la Goule.

(S/E) Cross the bridge to enter Switzerland, then turn left onto the tarmac road.

(1) After a few hundred metres, leave the road and turn right onto a steeply ascending path, following the pedestrian sign for "Le Noirmont".

(2) Above this path, you will come to a junction between a road and a stony path out of the woods. Take the path that veers slightly to the left. This avoids the tarmac road that climbs up to Le Noirmont.

(3) Turn right, following the pedestrian sign, and you will return to the woods. You will come to a road, which you follow for about 100 metres before reaching a right-hand bend, where you leave the road and continue straight ahead on the marked footpath. The path climbs gently, alternating between fields, fences and undergrowth, before reaching a road, which you cross.

(4) Trail intersection: turn right and follow the trail to the first houses of the village of Le Noirmont. You will come to a road, which you will take on the left to reach a crossroads. From there, head towards Les Sommêtres (Spiegelberg) until you reach a roundabout, which you will cross, taking Rue Saint-Hubert.

(5) Saint-Hubert "Le Corbusier" Church. A few dozen metres off the road will take you to this church, which is exceptional for its architecture. Then take Rue Saint-Hubert to an intersection marked "chemin des Sommêtres". Go up the road to a "Parking" sign, then turn left following the bicycle signs.

(6) Leave the road near a farm and turn right into a field, following the pedestrian signs. Enter the woods on a slightly downhill path with fence crossings.

(7) At the signpost for "Sommêtres 1075m", turn left onto the Sommêtres ridge and continue to the refuge (toilets suspended above the void).

(8) Retrace your steps.

(7) Turn left on a slight descent towards Muriaux (without going there) on a stony path and arrive at a first intersection. Turn left and follow the path that leads to the pastures with a gate and then a tarmac road.

(9) Path intersection: turn left almost 180° and follow the marked footpath back into the woods. After a few dozen metres, take the path on the right, following the footpath signs.

(10) Do not turn left, but go straight ahead and descend the slope using a chain, following the pedestrian markings. When you reach the pasture, turn slightly to the left, pass close to a fir tree marked with pedestrian markings, then turn slightly to the right until you reach a bare wooden post.

(11) Do not take the path on the right, but continue straight ahead to take an unmarked footpath across the stream bed. Then climb over a fence to begin a fairly "technical" descent between roots and rocks until you return to the pasture. Continue to a pedestrian signpost and rejoin the marked path on the right (which you left earlier and which followed part of the tarmac road) and which leads to a place called Le Theusseret.

(12) Turn right onto large stones, then follow the fence to the left of a farm (still following the "pedestrian" diamond signs) until you reach a pedestrian sign near the farm indicating that you should turn left towards the woods. Stay on the downhill path through the undergrowth, ignoring a turn-off on the left, until you reach a carriage road along the banks of the Doubs. Take this road on the left towards "Le Theusseret".

(13) Restaurant Le Theusseret: go behind the building and continue on the footpath that follows the Doubs river on its right bank.

(14) Picnic table.

(15) Picnic table with a chalet providing shelter under its eaves. Continue along the path, passing close to an electrical plant, then reach the pedestrian signpost with the climb to Le Noirmont made after the start of the hike.

(1) Continue straight ahead along the path you took on the way there until you reach the Goule bridge, the starting point of the hike (S/E).

Hiking boots are required.
Access by car to the small car park at the Goule bridge on the French side via the Leat D'Etoz from Charmauvillers is winding and steep. This road is an adventure in itself and is best tackled by a skilled driver.
Our Swiss friends have easier access to La Goule from Le Noirmont.
The^first part of the hike is a reasonable uphill climb to the village of Le Noirmont, but the descent after the refuge is on trails that sometimes leave the marked area and require particular attention to the text of the hike description and the position of the waypoints (wpt).
The GPS track should help anyone with any doubts about their position on the route!

Alternative route:
Please note that it is possible to start from the car park of the Theusseret restaurant on the banks of the Doubs (right bank on the Swiss side), which is easier to access by car when arriving from Goumois (France). In this case, start from (13), follow (14) and (15), pass near a hydroelectric plant and then, a few dozen metres after the plant, find the pedestrian signpost on the hillside on your left ((1) in the basic description). Either walk back and forth a hundred metres or so to the Goule border bridge and dam, or immediately turn left onto a marked footpath that climbs (due east) to Le Noirmont.

The Refuge des Sommêtres is a very popular place to visit and is the final destination of the hike.
It is accessible via steps carved into the rock with a slight incline over the ruins of an old castle.
The Doubs river, of course, with its meanders, banks and wildlife.
The Church of Saint-Hubert is well worth a visit and our attention. Whether you are a worshipper or not, this mystical place surprises and intrigues with its excellent acoustics.
You don't need to be an expert in architecture to admire the building as a whole or certain details for the more curious.