Vieilley walks

The municipality of Thise and the March'en Thise Association have mapped out four trails in the Bois de Thise to showcase different aspects of this woodland, including the one described here: the 10 km red trail, known as the Sentier des Dolines.

Peaceful downhill hike through the Montfaucon valley to the feudal castle perched on its rocky outcrop. Then from a lost fountain to a forgotten fountain, you will go through and, no doubt, appreciate the wild freshness of the Nacra steephead valley.

A rocky outcrop, a Bronze Age residence in Franche-Comté; a feudal castle destroyed during the Revolution for fear that it would become a hideout for bandits; views of the Doubs valley; a pretty waterfall created by human hands in a bright and airy woodland setting.

Twelve short kilometres to the end of the world: a great destination that won't tire you out. You will discover the old village of Beure, a waterfall, an old wash house, a charming little church and its cemetery, and several viewpoints over the Doubs valley. Perhaps you will also have time to spare a thought for the young men who died under Nazi bullets, whose memory is perpetuated by the memorial at Rocher de Valmy.

On 26 September 1943, between 7.36am and 8.24am, 16 members of the Guy Mocquet and Marius Vallet resistance groups were shot at the citadel. Later, the German officer in charge of the operation reported the end of the shootings in these terms: " None of them agreed to be blindfolded. They all died bravely, shouting 'Long live France!'" Hike in tribute to the memorial stone located at one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the Besançon area.

The village has one of the oldest names in our county: Bois de la Fontaine au Loup(Wood of the Wolf's Fountain). So, let's take a walk in the woods while the wolf is away, exploring the magnificent ridge line of Mont Dommage and Chassignole and their views over the Doubs valley, returning via the Val de Bléfond, forgotten by the world with its vats and waterfalls.

A beautiful stretch of cliffs and steep forest slopes offer magnificent views of the valley along a superb ridge path, ending with a glimpse of the industrial past of Baume-les-Dames with its old pipe factory and paper mill on the riverbank.

This hike offers magnificent views of the Doubs valley and its contrasting hills: warrior-like with the ruins of the feudal castle of Montferrand, peaceful with the protective Virgin of Notre-Dame du Mont, and will lead you through bucolic me anders towards the beautifully named Notre-Dame de l'Assomption des Champs, protecting you from demonic medieval gargoyles.

You will walk along the riverbank towards the ridges, passing the Narines du Diable (Devil's Nostrils), created from the tears of a good fairy who was imprisoned here, and discover the ancient thermal baths where the beautiful people of the Belle Époque came to recharge their batteries. You will then return along a path lined with old mossy piles of stones gathered from fields, in a green setting that invites you to linger and contemplate.

"To the south, there was no need for walls of wood or stone: the seigneurial tower spread 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, drawing the same green loops on the earth as it has done since time immemorial," writes Carole Martinez in her book Du domaine des murmures. Come and listen to the murmur of the Loue in the shadow of the ancient castle.

You will walk peacefully along the river towards Chenecey, with its old church and picturesque 18th-century turreted house, then climb up to the hidden ruins of the 9th-century feudal castle of Charencey, which dominates the village and the Loue valley. Finally, you will end your walk at the Grand Méandre viewpoint overlooking the valley and the castle keep, where you may even spot some chamois.

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

A stroll along the ridge separating the Loue Valley and that of the river Doubs and then along the banks of the Doubs with a panoramic view of the Château de Montferrand ruins.

A beautiful loop starting from the town hall in Cognières, combining nature, heritage and tranquillity. The route passes through Montagney and runs alongside the Ognon river before climbing gently towards the woods and the Saint-Hilaire chapel, then the Montaucivey chapel, offering superb unobstructed views of the countryside. Pass through Rougemont and its national necropolis. Between typical villages, forests and rural paths, ponds and rivers, this walk offers a beautiful variety of landscapes and a rich heritage to discover, in a calm and bucolic atmosphere.

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.

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.

Descend towards the corniches of Scey-en-Varais via the aptly named Chemin de Bellevue, a pretty balcony overlooking the Loue Valley. Then climb back up to the Vierge de Malbrans, which offers a magnificent panorama of the Roche de Hautepierre and Mont Poupet and, lost in the greenery, the Castel Saint-Denis and perhaps the summit of Mont Blanc on a clear day. There are tables where you can picnic while enjoying the breathtaking view. Return through a cool and peaceful forest.

From a beautiful pine forest, sheltered by beautiful rocks and crossing large boulders detached from the cliffs, you will arrive at the Belvédère de la Roche du Grand viewpoint at the head of the valley, overlooking Ornans and the Val de Scey. Continuing towards the Fontaine aux Vipères, where Courbet's cancan dancers once performed, then to the castle overlooking the town, you will return through meadows overlooking the upper Loue valley, finally descending into the Brême valley through a beautiful, light-filled rocky forest.

Following in the footsteps of Gustave Courbet, the Ravin du Puits Noir was one of the painter's favourite places. You will follow the course of the Brême, walk peacefully along the old Tacot road, climb the Roche du Tourbillon for superb views of the picturesque and steep-sided Brême valley, and finally end at the Prieuré de Bonnevaux, of which only a charming chapel and its 12th-century bell tower remain.

From the site of the former castle of Ornans, which overlooks the old town, the route climbs towards the pastures offering beautiful views of the upper Loue valley and Mont Poupet. The return journey takes you along cool, pleasant forest paths to La Roche du Grand, a viewpoint overlooking the lower Loue valley, then to the Fontaine aux Vipères, where you can still hear the gossip of our Franche-Comté "cancouaines" (local women).

This circuit will allow you to discover the setting of our small Franche-Comté town from three viewpoints: the Belvédère de Notre Dame du Mont, the Château d'Ornans and the Château du Grand, offering sweeping views of the Loue valley. This is a major site on the Courbet Trail, thanks to the famous 1855 painting Le Château d'Ornans, an oil on canvas kept at the Minneapolis Museum. You will discover the Fontaine aux Vipères (Viper Fountain), which still echoes with the gossip of our cancouaines (local women).

Three viewpoints allow you to discover the Ornans mountains from the left bank of the Loue, Mont d'Ornans, Roche Thiébaut and Grand Barmaud, before returning to the valley by winding your way through La Facle, a narrow and picturesque fault that cuts into the cliff, and ending at the erratic boulders, geological curiosities, masses of stone weighing over 130 tonnes, transported by glaciers 600,000 years ago.

At the end of a wild valley, you will discover the Saut de Bonneille, located less than a kilometre from Courbet's father's farm in Flagey. This exceptional site caught the painter's eye in 1875. The tufa, a deposit of limestone, forms a conical mass surrounded by a plume of foam during periods of high water. Return via the Chassagne plateau and the Monts d'Ornans viewpoint.

There is a short climb to the Roche Bottine, immortalised by Courbet in his painting "La Vallée de la Loue par temps d'orage" (The Loue Valley in Stormy Weather). Its unusual shape, reminiscent of an old boot standing on the edge of a precipice, gave it its name. This viewpoint offers a 180° panorama of Ornans, the Vierge de la Roche du Mont, and the upper and lower reaches of the Loue Valley. Along the way, you will discover the Roche Lahier viewpoint, a natural viewpoint overlooking the upper reaches of the Loue Valley towards Montgesoye.

Set off to explore the mountains of Franche-Comté, accompanied by the murmur of our cool streams which, if you know how to listen, will tell you many forgotten stories. Discover the vegetation petrified by our limestone waters and the coolness of secret caves nestled in the wild greenery.

This hike, following in the footsteps of Marquis Claude François Dorothée de Jouffroy d'Abbans, naval architect and designer of the steamboat, will take you between the Loue and Doubs rivers, from oratories to churches, in the heart of our devout Comtois countryside, leaving you time to meditate on the twilight paths of our wooded mountains.