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Park at the start of the Chemin du Pater, immediately after the pretty little bridge over the Loue, on the right coming from Scey en Varais, on the left coming from Ornans. If there are no spaces, there is a car park further up the same road, a minute’s walk away. Yellow-blue and yellow-red markings, MTB route 28, and some unmarked sections.
A short round trip across the bridge (dating from 1888) for a quick glimpse of our beautiful Loue and its cliffs.
(S/E) Head up Chemin du Pater. At the first junction, marked by a signpost, continue left (towards Ornans), passing in front of Ferme Saint-Nicolas. Then immediately turn right onto the stony track, passing the modern house by about a hundred metres for a beautiful 360° view of the cliffs at the start of the Upper Loue Valley, from the Rocher de Colonne (overlooking Cléron) to the cliffs of Narpent and, to the right, the Grand Barmaud.
Turn back and continue to the right along this small, tarmac road, which is peaceful and offers further lovely views, particularly as you pass at the foot of the beautiful cliffs of Narpent (on the left). You cross pastures, arriving at the foot of a grove of fir trees and a signpost on your left.
(1) Look for the path on the right climbing the wooded hillside. Trees, felled by a recent storm, make the first three hundred metres difficult to navigate (as of April 2022). When it turns to the right, it becomes a pleasant path, lined with large boulders that have fallen from the cliffs, where in spring you will be accompanied by the scent of wild garlic. You’ll reach a wider path which, after heavy rain, can turn into a stream for about thirty paces.
(2) Climb up to the left without worrying about getting your feet wet. Your Indiana Jones adventure is over, and you’ll be rewarded when you reach the foot of some superb cliffs, which you’ll cross via a narrow rocky gorge, La Facle. At the exit, you’ll join a hiking trail.
(3) Head left, towards Grand Barmaud-Ornans, along the path that overlooks and runs alongside La Facle. Watch your ankles, as the path crosses sharp limestone pavement. At the end of the sharp limestone pavement, there is a well-marked fork. Turn left towards the viewpoint, which you’ll reach quickly after carefully following the edge of the ledges. Through the trees, you’ll catch glimpses of the Notre-Dame du Chêne hermitage.
The Barmaud viewpoint offers a beautiful view of the Loue Valley, the Brème Valley, Notre-Dame du Chêne, the Grand rock and the old Tacot viaduct.
(4) Walk along the fence to its end to take a look at the karstic well carved into the cliff face, then set off again along the path that turns away from the viewpoint and quickly joins a stony track, taking it on the right (leaving the hiking markings for a moment, but following the mountain bike markings).
The path emerges from the woods, becomes tarmac, and winds around a large field to reach a fork with a view of Chassagne-Saint-Denis.
(5) Then take the stony path on the right, still following the mountain bike route. A brief glimpse of Mont Poupet. At the edge of the woods, a hunting lodge.
(6) Take the first clearly marked path to the left of the hut towards the ‘castle ruins’ to join a stony track.
(7) Head left for about a hundred metres until you reach the clearing on the right and the path leading to the unprotected ledges, offering a superb view of the Ravin de Valbois Nature Reserve and the Castel Saint-Denis, Cléron and its castle, dominated by the Colonne rock. Leave the viewpoint via the path running along the cliffs.
(7) Back on the stony path, continue left until the nearby fork and turn right up the path closed to motor vehicles, which leads you to the castle and the hideous pylon that mars its entrance.
(8) Go to the foot of the pylon for a view of the Ravin de Valbois, then explore the ruins, going as far as the foot of the keep. Descend to the right via the staircase, then follow the walls to the left. Another staircase takes you to the foot of the castle. Walk round it on the left ( rockfall) until you reach a staircase leading up to an ancient postern gate. Return along the other side to a fork in the path, just before the staircase.
(9) Head down to the left. The path soon forks. Keep left until you reach a stony track, then follow it down to the right despite the Yellow Cross and Blue Cross signs.
(10) Turn right onto the small tarmac road, still following the mountain bike route. You’ll pass a deforested area. Spruce trees, attacked by the bark beetle, will be replaced by hardier species to cope with global warming.
Continue along this quiet, tarmac-surfaced road to the car park. (S/E)
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