A varied route on the Circuit des Bornes starting from Blamont

Car park at Place des Tilleuls in Blamont, opposite the Auberge de Tante Airie near the church.

(S/E) Set off due east, leaving the church on your left, then the care home, and pass under the ramparts.

(1) Take the path on the right which descends into the forest (marked RH, ‘Sentier des Bornes’, route 4A).

(2) Cross the forest track and carry on straight ahead.

(3) Pass the Fontaine de Vaugonderis, situated below the path on the left, and carry on straight ahead. At the next junction, take the path on the right

(4) At Tante Airie’s cave, continue to the left at the foot of some small cliffs until you reach the D73.

(5) Cross the road with care and take the path opposite. At the next junction, take the path on the left which climbs into the forest.

(6) At the junction of the paths, follow the path on the left to the site of the old Lomont batteries.

(7) At the junction with the^GR®5, head straight up and back to the nearby viewpoint. Retrace your steps.

(7) Set off again to the right, following the^GR®5and the Sentier des Bornes.

(8) At the next junction, take the path immediately on the right and cross the pasture to the road. Follow the road to the left as far as the Villa des Roses.

(9) At this point, take the path that climbs into the forest on the right and passes in front of the Poil de Chien shelter.

(10) Continue straight on until you reach the French-Swiss border.

(11) At the junction of the signposted paths, take the Sentier des Bornes on the left, between France and Switzerland.

(12) At the junction with the D73 at the border post between Villars-lès-Blamont and Damvant, cross the road and head up into the woods opposite, continuing to follow the border.

(13) At the junction in the Bois des Trembles, turn left towards Villars-lès-Blamont. At the^first junction in the village, turn left, then go straight on at the next one. Keep to the right at the T-junction and continue to the temple.

(14) Turn right onto Rue de Danache.

(15) Don’t miss the start of the poorly marked path in a left-hand bend just before another right-hand bend on the main track. If you do miss it, carry on straight ahead and take the first path on the left towards the farmstead, which you’ll need to go round to rejoin the marked path at the edge of the woodland.

(16) At the crossroads of paths, take the one on the left leading down into the woods. At the next junction, take the path on the right.

(17) At the Fontaine Ronde, carry on straight ahead. At the road junction by the stream, take the path on the left and follow it up the left bank. At the junction where the path joins a track, head straight on to the source of the Creuse and its wash house.

(18) From the source, follow the path which climbs up the hillside through the forest until you reach the entrance to Blamont at the church. Walk up Rue Viette on the right to return to the starting point (S/E).

There are several fountains and wash houses along the route (at Vaugonderis, Ronde, and the wash house at the source of the Creuse), but the water is not necessarily safe to drink unless otherwise stated.

This walk follows, for the most part, the Circuit des Bornes – Upper Section (4A), signposted by the Association La Randonnée Hérimoncourtoise, whom we must thank for the quality of the route. The association has also specifically signposted the Circuit des Bornes – Lower Section (4B), which also starts from Blamont; the final section of this route, passing by the Creuse resurgence, was also included in this walk.