Planche des Belles Filles

Take the RD 13 to Auxelles-Haut. Park in the car park opposite the town hall.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, walk down the departmental road to the entrance of the first bend. Cross the bridge and turn left onto Rue Ordon Verrier, following the Anneau Vert signs. The street continues as a grassy path under the hazelnut trees. At the end, turn right onto Rue des Fallandriers, which slopes gently downwards.

(1) Take the time to make a round trip to the memorial to Roger Vaneste, who was shot by the Germans in 1943. Go down to the crossroads with the departmental road to the wooden cross and the bus shelter.

(2) Turn left onto Rue du Gros Chêne, Green and Yellow Rings. The road becomes a path. After 400 m, leave the path that goes straight ahead and turn left onto the path that climbs through a magnificent beech forest. The markings become "Yellow Ring only". Cross a first forest road to reach a second one. Then turn right until you reach the mine discovery trail route.

(3) Continue right for 150 metres to the sandstone gallery (site 16) dating from the late 16th century.
Note that it is possible to walk 60-70 metres inside with good shoes and a torch.
Retrace your steps along the mining trail.

(3) Then turn right and pass by the other mining sites: fault 15, stacking 14, galleries 13 and 12. You will arrive at a large crossroads near a relay antenna.

(4) Turn left and follow the forest road, the markings are still "Anneau Jaune" (Yellow Ring) until you reach the Col du Querty.

(5) Continue straight ahead for a few metres and climb the path on the right towards Le Querty-La Haute-Planche, where the markings are red discs. You will come out onto a beautiful forest road.

(6) Turn right and follow it. This relaxing road marks the lower boundary of the Ballons Comtois park protection zone, indicated by green hexagonal plaques. Stay on this road for a long time, which roughly follows the 880 contour line. You will cross the "St Guillaume" stream. From time to time, you will see old green diamond markings high up on the trees on the right.
At the end of this road, you will come to a large crossroads and a large wooded area. Take the path on the left, marked with a red disc, to quickly reach the Étang des Belles Filles. Take a moment to enjoy this mysterious space.

(7) Follow the left bank and continue along the path that climbs to the Planche des Belles Filles, marked with a red disc, to reach the end of the car park.

(8) Stay at the edge of the forest along the tracks, following the^GR® 533 marked with a green rectangle.
Take a moment to reflect at the FFI monument with its explanatory panel. Return to the edge of the forest, pass to the left of the ski lift arrival point and follow the hillside path, marked with red discs and FFI signs towards Le Querty. At the edge of the woods on the left, don't miss La Roche Fendue.

(9) Descend another hundred metres to enjoy the view from Le Chaume du Querty.

(10) Return to La Roche Fendue.

(9) Take the path on the left marked with a blue triangle towards the summit of La Planche. The path leads to the new road created for the arrival of the Tour de France: La Super Planche.
Climb to the right to the summit of La Planche des Belles Filles to admire the different views over the Ognon and Rahin valleys, the Ballons (Servance-Alsace) in the Bernese Alps and, on a clear day, Mont Blanc in the distance. Take a moment to visit the memorial to Gaston Wurtz, a member of the Resistance who died in combat during an attack on the Maquis by the German army.

(11) Descend 400 metres along the road until you reach a large bend.

(12) At the end of this large bend, turn left onto the^GR® 533, marked with a green rectangle. Descend through the forest and enjoy some beautiful views of Plancher le Mines. The descent, which is quite steep at first, becomes easier as you reach the Mont Ménard meadow and its shelter.

(13) Continue downhill through the moorland, passing the Virgin Mary statue and the orientation table. When you reach the forest road, turn right, note the astronomical observatory, take a detour to the Lamboley monument and enjoy the view of the valley one last time.

(14) Continue downhill to reach Auxelles-Haut via the tarmac road, take Rue Saint-Jean, then Rue des Bruyères and turn right onto Rue de la Stolle to return to the car park opposite the town hall. (S/E).

The route crosses the Ballons Comtois nature reserve, so dogs and other animals are prohibited, even on a leash, and it is forbidden to leave the marked trails from 24 December to 14 July inclusive.

No water points. Except in summer, refreshments are available at Planche des Belles Filles.

Bring walking sticks, a sweater and poncho, and a supply of water (1 to 1.5 litres).

There is a table and shelter at the Belles Filles pond.

Table and benches at the Planches des Belles Filles car park.

Covered shelter at Mont-Ménard.

(7) Legend of the Belles Filles pond.
Around 1635, during the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes invaded the Savoureuse and Rahin valleys. After massacring all the men, they went into the mountains in search of the girls and women who had fled the villages. Caught near the banks of the pond, they threw themselves into the dark waters to escape the mercenaries' abuse. In an instant, the gaze of the beautiful Inès met that of the leader Mansfeld, and a flash of love passed through their hearts. Alas, it was too late. Mansfeld pulled the lifeless body of Inès from the water. Some mornings, you can still hear the cries and sobs of the unfortunate lover of a moment.
In fact, Belles Filles comes from belles fahys. Fahys is the name given to beech forests. It therefore seems likely that this place was covered with beautiful beech trees. The village of Belfahy may have the same origin.

(9) Legend of the Split Rock.
Descending into the valley, mad with rage, Mansfeld struck a rock with his sword with such force that it split in two.

(11) La Planche des Belles Filles, a legendary place in the Tour de France and for cyclists.
There have already been several finishes on this mountain, first at the first hill, near the FFI monument, then at the Super Planche at the very top.
In 2020, the penultimate stage took place: a time trial from Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles, finishing at the first hill and with a change of yellow jersey.
Enjoy an almost circular view of the Ognon and Savoureuse valleys, the Swiss Alps, and on the other side, the peaks of the Vosges (Ballon de Servance and Ballon d'Alsace).
Take a moment to visit the memorial to Gaston Wurte, who died in combat a little further down during the German attack on the Maquis in 1943.

S/E Auxelles Haut War Memorial

This war memorial was inspired by the impact that a documentary on the First World War had on the imagination of the artist Ilhem Ellouze. In a vast field ploughed by shells, two bare, charred trees stand tall. Between them stands the silhouette of a soldier in profile. The two black granite columns engraved with the names of soldiers who died for France symbolise both these two trees and the explosion. In the middle, the soldier is represented by what Ilhem calls a MODULE, an archetypal form that symbolises the human form in a simplified and schematic way. This granite soldier module, whose slightly bluish colour refers to the blue horizon of the French soldier's uniform from the First World War, measures approximately 1.64 metres, the average height of a conscript at the time. Its base is triangular in shape, similar to a shell, and on the side, the stone is carved with a gaping wound cutting through the soldier's martyred body, an image of his sacrifice. Above, the head is made up of two triangles; in profile, these two triangles form a cross of two lines, a sign of protection and negation, referring to the famous post-war pacifist slogan Plus jamais ça nie wieder Krieg(Never again, no more war). From the front, the slightly ovoid head of the module is pierced with bullet holes. Above the head is a bar, which refers both to the soldier's helmet and anchors the character in his homeland by recalling the miner's lamp. The letters of the names of the inhabitants of Auxelles Haut who died for their country are inscribed in white on the black background of the granite, punctuating the surface of the columns in an eternal tribute.

If you have time, you can visit Fort Dosner in Giromagny.