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Park on the left, immediately after the bridge, in the picnic area before Montjoie-le-Château. Yellow and blue signposts.
Head towards the bridge for a lovely view of the river and valley, then return towards Montjoie. At the entrance to the village, go straight up Rue Principale towards Réclère. At the town hall, stop at the old wine press and turn left. At the fountain, turn right into Impasse de la Chapelle. The street becomes a path.
(1) After visiting the Chapelle des Comtes, head back down towards the wooden benches and climb up to the right along the path that will take you to the foot of the keep. You are now on the Circuit des Fermes n°5. About a hundred metres after the keep, after an S-bend in the path, look for a small path on the right that will take you to an unprotected viewpoint overlooking the valley below. Then follow the signs for Grotte de Réclère. At the metal signpost and the first boundary marker 466, turn right. The path now follows the French-Swiss border.
(2) At a beautiful crevice in the ledge that allows the Noircombe stream to descend into the valley, at the foot of a small boundary stone, climb up to the left. You will pass a boundary stone dating from 1788. After a final steep climb up some steps, you will come to a path that you take to the right, still heading towards the caves. 200 metres further on, there is a superb unprotected viewpoint over the valley towards Saint-Hippolyte, perfect for a picnic. You will soon come to the unsightly fence of the Préhisto-Parc, which our Swiss friends could have placed a little further back from the path. Don't miss a boundary stone on the right dating from 1475.
(3) At marker 476, you will reach a paved road, which you will take to the left. You are now in Switzerland.
You now have two options:
- If you want to visit the caves and the Préhisto-Parc, continue straight ahead to the entrance of the complex. After your visit, return to the right towards France and turn left towards Montursin-Vaufrey. You will soon come to a fork in the road; take the right towards Ferme de Montavon.
- If you do not wish to visit the caves and the Prehistoric Park, turn right towards Montursin-Vaufrey. You will soon come to a fork in the road; turn right towards Ferme de Montavon. You will soon have a beautiful view of the Doubs valley.
(4) Curiously, you will pass right through the beautiful Montavon farm, built in 1812, with more beautiful views of the valley. After the farm, you will cross a small clearing diagonally and enter a magnificent wooded valley with slender trees. The path becomes a narrow trail through tall grass, climbing alongside a stream. The valley becomes wilder. At the top, at the signpost, cross the stream and continue towards Ferme de la Vaux.
(5) Shortly after the farm, your Swiss adventure comes to an end. At the edge of the woods, follow the edge of the forest, climbing left for about 20 metres. Enter the second pasture through a metal gate, heading towards Montursin, and follow the edge of the forest on your right. You will enter a small, long clearing. In the middle, at the signpost, go up to the left into the woods. Through another metal gate, you will enter a pasture with very friendly horses. Continue straight ahead, following the fence until you reach the signpost. Then descend the pasture at a right angle towards the road you can see below, veering slightly to the right at the bottom to pass through the gate.
(6) Turn left onto the road towards the hamlet of Montursin. At the Montursin sign, turn right. The road ends in a cul-de-sac at the signpost. Enter the pasture through the gate on the right, towards Vaufrey. There is another gate to go through in the middle of the pasture. Look for the sign on the electricity pole and follow the line. You will enter the woods and, shortly afterwards, the path will be blocked by a mass of branches. Have they been piled up there to prevent hikers from passing? Surely not, everyone knows I have a sharp tongue.
(7) You descend the magnificent little wooded valley of La Côtotte via a winding path framed by beautiful rocks. Cross the D.381 and continue downhill on the path opposite. You will join a farm track, then the departmental road again, which you follow downhill to the right to reach Vaufrey.
(8) Turn right onto the D.437c towards Montjoie, passing the circular fountain with lion heads dating from 1853 and the wash house with the old wine press. At the war memorial, turn right without crossing the bridge, following the bank of the Doubs. As you leave the village, you will have a lovely view of the church. You will soon reach Montjoie and turn left to return to the car park.
Not suitable for young children. The route includes cliff-side paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Sturdy footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended. The route takes a short detour into Switzerland. Please bring your ID with you.
The climb is quite strenuous, but there are steps and handrails.
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