P’tite GTJ by bike

From Lons-le-Saunier, perhaps noting your starting time on the Tour de l’Horloge clocktower, ride off along La P’tite GTJ à Vélo, which leads you on a first stage marked by climbing. You follow a transformed former railway line to Chalain Lake, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its vestiges of a lake-dwelling prehistoric settlement. Now, in summer, why not dive into the turquoise waters here? Do climb by foot to the Belvédère de Fontenu to appreciate its viewing point over this glinting glacial lake. A pause here offers riders a bit of rest and relaxation before descending to Chaux des Crotenay.

The little bridge over the Saine River after the village of Montliboz offers a lovely view of the Langouette Gorges, a little before you arrive at Les Planches-en-Montagne. Although tucked away, these gorges prove impressive, water having dramatically sculpted the rocks here down the millennia. The cycle route continues beside the Saine to Foncine-le-Bas, then you tackle the upper village of the same name. Taking on the Châtelblanc climb, you enter the area of Haut-Doubs, characterized by wide-open landscapes. Arriving at Mouthe, the Jura’s Mont d'Or mountain by the Franco-Swiss border is often clear to see. For the inquisitive, a short detour leads you to the source of the Doubs River, its beautiful, peaceful setting well worth the detour.

Your cycling trip along La P’tite GTJ continues along quiet roads leading to Remoray Lake, followed by Lac Saint-Point, the largest natural lake in the département of Jura, and France’s fourth-largest. Over 7km long, Saint-Point Lake boasts several beaches and is particularly appreciated by summer visitors when temperatures rise. After passing via Vaux-et-Chantegrue, you cross a stretch of forest at Bonnevaux to reach the peat bogs of Frasne Bouverans, classified as a regional nature reserve. These peat bogs present a wide variety of humid zones, from low marshes to living marshes to wooded marshes. They also play a significant role in capturing greenhouse gases, their conservation important in limiting the impact of climate change. So, while exploring this ecosystem, make sure you leave it untouched!

After Frasne, the roads are quiet that lead you to Chapelle-d'Huin. The way is lined by fields in which distinctive Montbéliarde red-pied cows graze. Once through the woods of Chapelle-d’Huin, La P’tite GTJ guides you on to Levier. Dismount here to visit… the Musée du Cheval Comtois, devoted to these cart-horses, long a distinctive part of the old Franche-Comté Region’s identity. Originally bred to serve in battle, these steeds became widely used for heavy work, such as clearing woods, ploughing fields, caring for vineyards and taking away rubbish. They can still be seen performing some of these tasks today, although they’re more appreciated now for leisure activities, such as horse-drawn outings, carriage competitions and shows. The cycle route continues via Crouzet-Migette, the Lison River your companion up to Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, where the river springs out of the earth as a waterfall, well worth seeing!

Before leaving Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, do go on foot to see the remarkable site of the source of the Lison, the river springing out of the earth in the form of a startling waterfall, reached via a lovely country path. Back on your bike, this stage of La Petite GTJ first leads you through the cliff-lined Lison Valley towards Saraz. You leave the Lison at the level of Myon. After several stretches through forests, the cycle route reaches the Loue Valley at Champagne sur Loue. Another 4.7km away, the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans – sensational saltworks designed in the 18th century by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux – makes a remarkable place to explore, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. At Port-Lesney, at certain times, you may observe the entrancing sight of paragliders high in the air, setting off from the nearby summit of Mont Poupet.

Having visiting the unmissable 18th-century Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans, established in an area where salt had been extracted from deep underground since the 13th century at least, continue along this next cycling stage. Having left the Loue Valley, you follow the course of another river, the Cuisance, along La Petite GTJ as it leads you through the Jura’s vineyards. The typical little town of Arbois is very much worth stopping at and gives its name to the distinctive Vin d’Arbois, made in one of the first wine-making areas in France to be granted appellation status, back in 1936. Nowadays, vineyards awarded either AOC Arbois or AOC Côtes du Jura status line the way up to the little town of Poligny. Why not enjoy a few little halts to taste these divine local nectars in the wine cellars indicated along the route?

From Poligny, embark on the last stage of La P’tite GTJ cycle route, riding via Perrigny to reach Lons-le-Saunier, thus completing the entire circuit of this week-long cycling adventure. Ride on through Jura vineyards, via typical villages such as Saint-Lothain, Ménétrux-le-Vignoble and Voiteur, plus that architectural gem, Château-Châlon, this last’s parish also the cradle of the region’s most famous wine, Vin Jaune. Château-Chalon forms part of the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Perched on the edge of cliffs, in one direction it looks onto vineyards, in the other, onto typical Jura steephead valleys. With so many attractions, including a rich cultural and culinary heritage as well as its magnificent vineyards and valley ends, the place proves enchanting. Baume-les-Messieurs, another exceptional classified village, this one nestling at the base of a steephead valley, is also well worth exploring, including to admire its waterfall, before you head on by bike to Perrigny and the end of this cycling adventure.