Loop 15: Tour de la Petite Montagne

Forgotten castles, villages with tightly packed houses, lakes, forests and valleys. The Petite Montagne tour is for the initiated with 1,785m of ascent over 100km. Thoirette on the banks of the river Ain, a major fishing spot, is also the lowest point of this tour which immediately climbs to Aromas with a succession of breathtaking views over the Ain valley. Further on, the climb continues unabated to the small village of Montfleur, where the Moulin de Pont des Vents eco-museum offers delicious bread and biscuits. Here, the road winds gently through meadows and valleys via the Balme d'Epy where the cave is still the subject of a pilgrimage. At Saint-Julien, perched above the Suran stream, the church has the oldest stained glass windows in Franche-Comté. Continue through the small villages of Nancuise, Marigna-sur-Valouse before climbing to the tiny hamlet of Montadroit and enjoying the small lake of Viremont nestled in the woods. The descent towards the Vouglans dam allows you to discover this giant built in 1968 to regulate the river Ain before going on to the Saut Mortier dam and the very touristy village of Chancia on the edge of the Coiselet lake. The road winds its way to Thoirette between the cliffs on which stand the ruins of the Oliferne castle.