Loop 20: The Vineyard

ATTENTION: due to roadworks between Montigny-sur-Ain and Mont-sur-Monnet (D40) which will last until the end of 2024, the black loop 20 is being diverted. After Pont-du-Navoy, stay on the D471 in the direction of Ney, where you will find the markings for loop 20.

Stunning! This 122km route is for the more adventurous, but it takes in some of the most beautiful sites in the Revermont between plateaux, remote areas and vineyards. A real gem!

Champagnole, the Pearl of the Jura, perched 540 m above sea level on the River Ain, is a renowned Gallo-Roman site thanks to the remains found on Mont Rivel. It's near the archaeological museum that the route begins, heading towards the plateau through the Moidons state forest - where a superb cave can be visited - to the village of La Chatelaine, perched above the Planches ravine.

The descent to Arbois, home of Louis Pasteur and capital of the Jura wines, offers a host of panoramic views over the vineyards before wandering through vineyards and meadows to Poligny, a Petite Cité Comtoise de Caractère nestling under the Roche du Dan. Crossing the "Bon Pays" - another name for the Revermont - via the château de Frontenay (12th century) leads to Menetru-le-Vignoble, with its magical view of the Château-Chalon rock.

The rest of the route is a dream sequence, with the Baume retreat and abbey (10th century) beneath 200m-high cliffs, the climb to the lookout point at Granges-sur-Baume, the descent to the Ain valley at Pont-du-Navoy and the final climb to Champagnole via Loulle, where 500 dinosaur footprints dating back 155 million years were found in 2004.