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Park at Montmahoux, on Chemin de l’Église, opposite the war memorial. Markings: yellow-red, yellow-blue. Visit the church if it is open.
(S/E) Head towards the ‘Stop’ sign, which has trail markers, and turn left up the Chemin de Levier.
At the transformer, turn right onto Chemin du Mont, passing an old pump. At the signpost, at the junction with Chemin du Facteur, continue uphill to the left (towards Crouzet-Migette).
(1) At the last house in the village, take the narrowest tarmac road on the right (towards Belvédère). Go through the gate and close it behind you (the nuns from the village keep their goats on the hill) and climb up to the Montmahoux viewpoint.
(2) At the next signpost, there’s a bench where you can stop to enjoy the view over the Amancey plateau, then carry on climbing along the road (towards the orientation table). You’ll pass the monumental cross and arrive at a spot offering an exceptional panoramic view of the Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne valley to the west and, to the south, the Haute-Chaîne du Jura (Chasseron, Aiguilles de Baulmes, knoll, Mont d’Or to the south-east, La Dôle further south), with the silhouette of Mont Blanc standing out on the horizon. Head towards the cross across the lawn to return to the signpost.
(2) Head down the stair-like path on the left.
(3) At the stony track, turn left and the signposting will lead you easily to Nans-sous-Saint-Anne. Along the way, you’ll pass through lovely beech woods with stunning views of the Grotte Sarrazine. You’ll cross a stony track, continuing along the path on the other side. You’ll reach a wider path at a flight of steps; head down to the right for about twenty paces, where you’ll come to another signpost. Then take the path on the left again and the signposts will lead you within sight of the first houses in Nans. The descent, however, may be slippery in wet weather.
(4) When you emerge into the meadows above Nans, at the first building, do not hesitate (provided the grass is not too long) to leave the road for a few moments and head into the meadow for a magnificent view of the village nestled in the hollow of the hills. The road becomes tarmacked and, at the first junction, head down to the village via Rue du Chêne on the right. You’ll pass some beautiful old houses. (At the fountain, before heading to the waterfall, you can walk down Rue Cretin for about a hundred metres to see the 15th-century fortified house. Return to the fountain and turn left).
(5) Alternatively, at the fountain, turn right, cross a small bridge, and head up to the right towards the Varneau Waterfall via a narrow stony path and a few steps. At the metal footbridge, despite the Yellow Cross and Blue Cross, continue with care along the steep and slippery path on the left, running alongside the stream, to reach the waterfall. Return to the footbridge and head right for 200 metres (towards ‘Retour Village’).
(6) Look out for a fork in the path at a Yellow Cross and a small sign for ‘Retour Village par Sentier’ (Back to the Village via the Path ), then head up the path on the right. (If you miss it, don’t worry – just go back to the fountain and head towards the centre of Nans). Leave the paths on your right, continuing straight on, and join a stony track at the signpost. Turn left for about fifty paces and head down to the village along the path on the left. You’ll pass beneath two huts in the woods which can provide accommodation for the night.
(7) Visit the church, then head back onto the D492 towards Éternoz.
(8) At the sign marking the end of the village, head up to the right, passing in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary, along the small tarmac road (towards Belvédère des Feuilles). The road turns to gravel and soon takes a sharp right-hand bend. Leave the road here and continue straight on along a path that is half gravel, half grass, following the signposts.
(9) At the next hairpin bend, carry on climbing to the right.
(10) After a long climb (a little too straight for my liking, but the woodland is open and pleasant), when the path levels out onto a plateau, look out for the sign on the left pointing to the viewpoint over the Lison Valley and Mont Poupet. Return to the path and head left for 150 metres; at the signpost, turn right (towards Montmahoux).
(11) You’ll cross the meadows of the Champs Pépiliens, following the signposts, and rejoin a stony path which leads to a small tarmac road; turn left here to return to Montmahoux. In the village, head towards the bell tower to find the car park (S/E).
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