Vercel-Villedieu-le-Camp walks

A walk mainly through woodland between the villages of Épenouse and Vercel. On the agenda: cave, waterfall, wash house and church.

An easy walk, ideal for children, starting from the centre of the village of Épenouse.

Louis Pergaud, teacher and writer, author of "La guerre des boutons" (The War of the Buttons), winner of the 1910 Goncourt Prize for his novel "De Goupil à Margot" (From Goupil to Margot), in which he observes nature in minute detail and recounts all this animal life in his novels. He fell on 8 April 1915 at the foot of Les Eparges, in Marchéville-en-Woëvre, in the Meuse. This route allows you to hike through the places that inspired Louis Pergaud.

From the Glacière Cave, where ice is becoming increasingly rare in these warmer times, you will descend towards the Gorges de l'Audeux to reach the Abbaye de la Grâce Dieu, a peaceful abbey in the heart of this wooded valley, once beautifully named the "Valley of Owls". Finally, you will climb back up to the ledges and their viewpoints over the valley.

La Roche Barchey, "the pierced rock" in Celtic, where witches of yesteryear celebrated their demonic cult, offers a vast panorama of the Val de Vennes and the Haut-Doubs from its height of 988 metres. You will then descend through the beautiful fir forests of La Joux towards the more Catholic Sainte-Radegonde, who, it is said, fought an evil ghoul, perhaps descended from the rock, on the night of a sabbath, on the site where her chapel was built.

From the foot of a medieval calvary, head towards the Belvédère des Genevois in the small, remote valley of Martinvaux, passing through beautiful pine forests with slender trees. Then descend to the Source de la Reverotte and follow it to the Puits de la Doye and the Grotte de la Baume.

An easy walk with little elevation gain, starting and finishing on the road, otherwise through the woods. A viewing point developed at the hamlet known as Château de Cicon. This is a walking route, but it can also be done by mountain bike or on horseback (preferably on dry, firm ground). The route is easy.

A short, varied and shaded route to discover the ancient Hiboux valley, the old Cistercian abbey and the magnificent Audeux waterfall.

The Reverotte, a tributary of the Dessoubre, is full of charm along its twelve kilometres. You will discover some of its features as you descend from La Sommette towards its mossy and rocky banks.

Set off to explore the Barchet Pond and its peat bog. This vast wetland is a remarkable reservoir of biodiversity. Its soil, permanently saturated with stagnant water, deprives the microorganisms responsible for decomposing organic matter of the oxygen they need for their metabolism. The plant litter mineralises slowly and partially. It then accumulates gradually, forming a poorly decomposed or undecomposed deposit: peat.

Hike around Vanclans from the church. This is a walk through woods and meadows. The first open section is between Vanclans and Etray. Take care when crossing the departmental road. The route then continues along a rocky ridge in the woods above Vanclans. The walk passes by the FFI monument in Vanclans with its Liberation cross before descending back to Vanclans.

Varied terrain and landscapes ranging from meadows and woods to coniferous forests, from rocks and pastures to peat bogs, ponds and sinkholes, with views over the second plateau of the Haut Doubs.

From Aïssey, a village in the Comté region destroyed during the fighting in June 1940, you will climb in the footsteps of the carts of yesteryear to the strange Calvaire de Rochandeux and its viewpoint over the Val de Saint-Juan. You will return, following in the footsteps of other soldiers, this time more ancient, by walking along the old Roman road.

Departure from the car park of the old town hall of Nods, in the heart of the village, along the main street. The circular begins at the statue of the Virgin Mary. The path between Nods and the Virgin Mary is the same on the way there and back. When passing through the meadows, keep dogs on a leash and respect the peace and quiet of the animals.

After the rain, take a walk in the forest on gravel and tarmac paths and walk around Barchet Lake along the peat bogs.

A walk that will introduce you to the Premiers Sapins area, a new commune in the Doubs since 2016, following the merger of six communes. This walk will take you past the ruins of Cicon Castle and its viewpoint, the FFI monument at a place called La Vêche, with a view over Les Premiers Sapins, as well as Crêt Moniot, Étang le Barchet and its peat bogs in the municipality of Passonfontaine, returning via the Derrière la Roche viewpoint.