Loop 2: Val d'Amour Loop

Vieille Loye is the only inhabited place in the Chaux forest, a vast state forest of 22,000 hectares. It was in a glassworks here in the 18th century that the clavelin was created, the 62cl bottle containing the precious Vin Jaune. Entirely focused on the forest, the village is a hub towards the Barracks of 14 (former charcoal burners' houses), the guide columns and... the deer which must be learned to spot.

The route leaves the Chaux forest to reach Chissey-sur-Loue and the 13th-century Saint-Christophe church with its "baboons," grotesque figures decorating the inner cornice. Continue to Cramans on the banks of the Loue with a recommended detour to the superb Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans built in the 18th century by architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. The route partly follows the banks of the Loue to Port-Lesney. This winding river has marked the region's life, with raftsmen transporting wood and mills using the water...

From Mouchard, a town known for its national wood high school, the road follows a forest before entering gently rolling countryside to La Ferté where you can enjoy a very good local beer. The time to cross the state forest of Argençon and it is arrival at Ounans and Montbarrey, the last village before the Chaux forest.

"Bike and Cheese" Label

Since 2019, this loop has been labeled "Bike and Cheese," launched by the Assembly of French Departments, CNIEL, Tourism & Territories, and Bike & Territories, this label promotes cheese producers and providers located along the bike routes. With numerous AOC cheeses including Comté, Morbier, Bleu du Haut-Jura, Cancoillotte, and Mont d'Or, Jura is naturally a "Bike and Cheese" department!