Around the ruins of Châteauneuf

Car park in Vuillafans on the Place du Champ de Mars. Yellow-blue and white-red markings.

(S/E) Head towards the Loue but, before crossing it, look to your right and you will see the Masonic square and compass carved above a porch. Turn right into Rue Gérard and walk about 50 metres to see a 15th-century carved gate. Return to the square, cross the Loue on the old 16th-century bridge, taking the time to admire the hill of Châteauneuf on your right, crowned by the walls of its old castle, and the beautiful old houses lining the river on your left. Cross the D67 and head towards the church and its statue of Saint-Vernier, then turn right.

(1) Behind the church, turn right onto Grande Rue with its beautiful old houses. You will reach the departmental road, which you should follow carefully on the left for 400 metres. At the edge of the village, take Chemin de Croux, a small tarmac road that climbs to the left towards Lods. At the fork marked by the Chemin des Vignes sign, continue to the left. The path becomes stony at the last houses in the village and you will soon pass under the vineyards replanted in 1990, which give us an idea of what the Loue valley must have been like before phylloxera destroyed all its vineyards at the end of the 19th century.

(2) When the path ends in a cul-de-sac, look for a zigzag passage in the fence on the right to descend the hillside via a path crossing the pastures. You will rejoin the departmental road, which you will follow to the left for 500 metres until you reach Lods. For your safety, use the opposite side of the road. At the first houses in the village, opposite a sign saying "Bienvenue à Lods" (Welcome to Lods), a signpost indicates a staircase and a path that will take you up the steep hill on the left (towards ^GR®595- Suchaux). You will come to a wider path which you follow downhill to the right (towards Église de Lods). At the cemetery, descend to the right along Rue Ambroise Roy until you reach a beautiful fountain.

(3) Two options:

• (3a) If you want to visit this beautiful village full of character: go down Rue Sur la Place on the right, then quickly turn right into Rue de Reine. About 50 metres from the cross, take the small staircase on the right to reach the fountain-wash house, then carefully walk up the departmental road on the left to the bridge to enjoy one of the prettiest views of our county over the Loue and its mill. Cross the bridge again and turn left. At the small fountain, go up Rue de Reine on the right, then turn right into Rue de l'Église to visit the church. Turn back to the fork and turn right into Rue de Jaubourg.

• (3b) Go straight up Rue de Jaubourg on the left to the top of the village, coming out onto the D32, which you take to the right for about 50 metres before climbing steeply up the path on the left (towards Suchaux). As you climb, enjoy beautiful views of the Hautepierre rock. Halfway up the slope, the path joins a wider track which you follow, continuing to climb to the left until you reach the Suchaux farms, ignoring all the paths that branch off to the right.

(4) At the farms, pass between the two buildings, then to the left of the larger one, continue straight ahead on this very quiet little tarmac road to Échevannes, ignoring the paths on the right and left.

(5) In the centre of the village, after passing some beautiful dry stone walls, turn left onto Chemin des Vignes to visit the small church. After walking around it, turn your back on it and head back to the D27, which you cross to find the signpost at the exit of Échevannes. Turn left towards Vuillafans along the path that runs alongside the safety barriers on the right. A little further down, you will come to the departmental road, which you cross and then take the path behind the metal barrier again. Further down, you cross the road again and continue downhill along the picturesque path opposite. Further down still, you cross the departmental road again and spot the signpost on the other side of the road, a few metres up.

(6) You will reach the D27 and descend to the left towards Vuillafans, passing the church again, crossing the Loue river via the old bridge, then turning right to return to the Place du Champ-de-Mars and the car park (S/E).

Lods: Vine and Wine Museum.
Ornans: The Courbet Museum, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the artist's work. The Museum of Costume and Traditions of the Franche-Comté. With nearly 200 mannequins, the museum traces the history of the costumes worn by the people of Franche-Comté from 1850 to 1930.