Rurey walks

In Gaulish, ‘Rurey’ refers to a place rich in springs and streams. From its beautiful circular fountain in the centre of the village, passing by the foot of the church and in front of the elegant wash house, you will climb the botanical trail and descend into the Val de Cademène with its beautiful unobstructed views over the Loue Valley and the Jura Mountains. After passing through a somewhat wild stretch of woodland, you’ll reach the viewpoint overlooking the valley, dominated by the watchful sentinel of the thousand-year-old keep of Castel Saint-Denis.

In the Gallic language, ‘Rurey’ refers to a place rich in springs and streams. You will therefore set off from the beautiful circular fountain in the centre of the village, passing, at the foot of the church, in front of the elegant early 20th-century wash house built of cut stone and covered by a curious double hipped roof. You will then climb the botanical trail to a superb viewpoint over the Loue valley, overlooked by the watchful sentinel of the thousand-year-old keep of Castel Saint-Denis.

A short forest walk through the Val de Cademène with beautiful, unobstructed views over the Loue Valley and the Jura Mountains, taking in our Comtois villages and their bell towers nestled in the hollows of the hills. Most of the route is unmarked, so this walk will help sharpen your sense of direction.

From Épeugney, you will climb along forest paths towards the Belvédère de Rurey at the head of the upper Loue valley with its white cliffs, and the keep of Castel Saint-Denis, the thousand-year-old sentinel of the Reculée de Valbois. You’ll descend into the Val de Cademène with its unobstructed views of the valley. And, after a stretch through somewhat wild woodland, the ‘obstacle course’ awaits you: the climb to the Croix des Échaulles. Then a peaceful return to the village and its beautiful fountains.

Don't worry, you won't see a single snake. However, throughout this walk between Loue and Lison, you will discover no fewer than three viewpoints, particularly the Gouille Noire, which overlooks the wild charm of the valley. From the Croix du Châtelet, you will discover the small village of Lizine and its rich church. After resting at the cool fountain in Villevoz, you can set off again towards the splendid sharp limestone pavement formations that resemble menhirs.

From the heart of the valley, you will climb in the shadow of the Château de Châtillon towards the Lizine plateau and its slate roofs, from where you will discover the Loue and Lison valleys from superb balconies, the riches of the church in this typical little village, the Oratory of the God of Mercy, and you can rest for a few moments at the cool fountain in Villevoz before setting off again towards splendid viewpoints over the two rivers.

Another circular walk around Lizine taking you to beautiful viewpoints and past the limestone pavement.

From the curious and pretty fountain in Amondans, quiet paths will take you to a viewpoint overlooking the green Loue valley and the remote Malans stream, where you can admire the wild charm of the landscape. Then, from the Bois des Serpents, winding your way between a splendid sharp limestone pavement resembling menhirs, you will follow the emerald green Loue to the deepest part of the valley, where a waterfall ends its descent into a pool: the Gouille Noire.

Amondans, home of our regional musician Napoléon Coste, overlooks the Malans stream, which flows into the Gouille Noire, whose wild charm you will be able to admire from above. Passing by oratories and fountains, you will return to Lizine with its ancient houses covered with lauzes, the formidable stone tiles that required our carpenters of yesteryear to build solid frames. Two other viewpoints will allow you to discover the Lison and Loue valleys with their gorges and meanders.

From Cléron Castle, through a beautiful, cool forest alternating between fir and deciduous trees, ideal for a hot summer's day, you will visit the gentle monk Toum Tatre, a monolith resembling a tonsured Capuchin monk, watching piously over the Norvaux valley from the top of his cliff. Walking along the ledges of the twin valley of Valbois, you will return via Castel Saint-Denis, overlooking the valley from its rocky spur.

You will take the old Tacot railway line, a small, narrow-gauge railway that climbed up to Pontarlier, to discover the Val de Cléron and its castle, surrounded by the white cliffs at the start of the Haute Vallée de la Loue.

Dominating Cléron with its massive limestone cliffs, the Rocher de Colonne is a beautiful landscape, characteristic of the upper Loue valley. From its summit, you can see the Château de Cléron, the Castel Saint-Denis, the Ravin de Valbois valley and the start of the upper Loue valley lined with its corniches.

A short forest walk to discover the Rocher de Colonne, a superb viewpoint over the Loue valley. The first viewpoint is over Cléron and its castle. The second overlooks Scey-en-Varais, topped by Castel Saint-Denis, the start of the upper Loue valley and its cliffs, the Valbois ravine and the luminous Hautepierre rock. You will return via the Chapelle du Croc chapel and its old house lost in the woods.

From Cléron, through a beautiful, cool forest alternating between fir and deciduous trees, ideal for a hot summer's day, you will visit the gentle monk Toum Tatre, a monolith resembling a tonsured Capuchin monk, watching piously over the Norvaux valley from the top of his cliff. You will return through the Plain Mont forest to two unsecured viewpoints, one overlooking Castel Saint-Denis and the other overlooking Cléron and its castle.

Six petits kilomètres pour quatre points de vue sur le Val de Cléron, la reculée de Norvaux et le capucin de pierre Tountâtrou où nos anciens Comtois célébraient leurs dieux au sein même de la nature, au pied de ce colosse de pierre.

At the confluence of the Loue and Lison rivers, this walk offers a series of views from the Lizine plateau.

They will guide you through times gone by that are nevertheless at the origin of the unique landscape of Chenecey and Buillon. The activities of yesteryear explain today's landscapes: a strong identity and a rich and diverse memory that has been built up over time and passed down from generation to generation.Through a digital app, just like those who came before you, you are invited by the monks of the former Cistercian abbey and the famous painter James Tissot to leave the hustle and bustle of the village behind and enter places that invite you to relax and contemplate. Ten stations will allow you to discover places that are inaccessible to the public, as they were in their heyday. Human relationships, self-awareness, art and connections with nature have evolved over time and in line with the challenges of each era. Through this retrospective journey, this walk invites you to reflect on the future of these places.

From a small village typical of the Lison valley, whose slate-roofed houses have retained their old-fashioned charm, you will discover the small reculée (valley) of Cussey-sur-Lison from two belvederes nestled on the heights of its limestone cliffs, before returning via the bottom of the reculée, accompanied by the cascades of its tuff stream: the Goulue.

Natural site with four viewpoints over the Jura Mountains and the Cussey valley, a corniche and dry grasslands. Places of interest: the Cussey fountain and wash house, Echay, a typical village in the Lison valley.

Two completely different sections: - the climb to the castle ruins, with a superb view and an orientation table. A short but relatively steep climb. - the very flat section, through a forest notable for its multitude of sharp limestone pavements and deep sinkholes, which will be enjoyed in all seasons. A GPS is recommended to follow the route through the forest, but the 2022 update is more detailed. A short stretch of road, with virtually no traffic.

A varied hike with flat sections, a passage through woods, and two climbs up the Montrond hill. At the top, you can enjoy the vast panorama. At the bottom, you will discover two wells that have been cleared quite recently. Given the size of the cavities visible from the platforms, they can be considered chasms, with a vast underground network that you can learn about on the explanatory panels. You will take part of the Sentier du Triton trail, which will offer you a few riddles. In short, a hike for young and old alike.

"The seigneurial tower spreads its mismatched wings at the top of a steep cliff at the foot of which flows the Loue. The tranquil river continues to lap at the rocky escarpment, striving to draw the same circular patterns on the earth as it always has," writes Carole Martinez. A walk rich in discoveries: old-fashioned farms, a fountain entwined with mossy walls, an old forge and, the highlight, the Grand Méandre de la Loue and its thousand-year-old sentinel, the keep of Charencey.

From Chenecey church, you will climb up to the solitary ruins of Charencey Castle overlooking the Grand Méandre de la Loue. From valleys to hills, you will continue through a vast, bright forest and meadows lost deep in the woods, reaching the riverbank to return to the village.

A ruined feudal castle dating from the 9th century overlooking the village and the Loue valley, the ruins of Charencey Castle are listed as a Historic Monument. From the church, located on the banks of the Loue, you will climb up to these secret ruins, continuing through a beautiful forest, perhaps imagining that you will come across a team of oxen pulling a cart up to the castle. Finally, you will return through the sunny pastures overlooking the valley.

A family hike around Chenecey, punctuated with information panels about the natural environment and clues left behind by the Vouivre. In the exceptional landscape of the Loue Valley, set off on an exploration to discover a diverse and preserved natural heritage. It can all be explained by a karst landscape shaped over time, so ancient that it is home to a strange mythological creature. For younger visitors, the trail comes with an explorer's notebook full of puzzles. This booklet is available for free in the booklet box at the start of the trail by the church and from local shops (the Loue bakery, Chez Gervais restaurant, the post office and the town hall). You will need a pencil.