Chez Mimi

Eight markers are scattered along this trail to help you to discover the typical mountain pastures of the Jura mountain, moulded over time by nature and human activity. From geology to mountain pastures, to its pastures and chalets, whilst passing through forests, woodlands and low dry-stone walls, this circuit takes you, step-by step, on a discovery of the secrets of this Sensitive Natural Area of the Département of the Doubs (booklet available at the Tourist Office and at the Chez Liadet gîte).

Measuring only 17 cm (like a starling), this species is the smallest owl in Europe. It appreciated old spruce or fir tree forests, mixed with deciduous trees and uses the cavities dug by other birds, such as woodpeckers, to lay its eggs. This owl is partly diurnal (it is active during the day), and mainly feeds on small birds and mammals (vole, field mice, etc.).

During the 16th century, to accommodate livestock during the summer, offer housing to the shepherd and the cheese-maker and to ensure the production of Comté cheese, solid chalets were built with all necessary equipment to handle livestock and transform milk into butter and cheese. They housed large stables, a small home and a room to make cheese, where the pot was suspended under the chimney. Today, some of these chalets have kept their pastoral function, by accommodating livestock, whilst others have disappeared or now serve as shelters, restaurants, holiday homes, etc.

Under the bark of spruce trunks is where the sanglier’s raw material can be found. But not the animal (sanglier means wild boar in French)! The Sanglier is the less-wary artisan who bears the same name. From the inner bark, the Sanglier creates “Sangles”, long straps that are used to wrap a certain cheese: the Vacherin Mont d’Or (a cheese with a protection designation of origin). It is these “sangles” that will give the cheese its characteristic woody flavour.

Did you know? The false helleborine, a toxic plant, closely resembles the great yellow gentian. When not in flower, you can differentiate them by comparing their leaves: those of the gentian are opposite (facing each other on the stem), while those of the false helleborine are alternate (i.e, they are positioned alternately). The gentian’s roots, when macerated and distilled, can serve to make a well-known digestive alcohol.

This large white-breasted thrush returns to the Jura in April after spending the winter in North Africa. It favours wooded meadows and woodlands. In mountain pastures, it can be found looking for worms to feed on when the snow starts to melt, in areas still wet from ice water.

In the High-Doubs as in the High Jura, the ringing of bells represents both a rite and the love of musical harmony. And each cow has its own bell! With the sound of the bells, and from this infinite variety, comes the music of an entire herd. The “désalpe”, which used to mark the descent of the mountain herds, could be heard 5 km away as the crow flies helped by favourable winds. The deafening sound of the heavy bells around the cows’ necks marked the end of the summer. An audio marker in our landscapes, the soft sound of the bells will give a rhythm to your steps along this itinerary.

This emblematic feline needs a vast territory with a large forest massif. It certainly needs space: the female’s territory is close to 200 km²n and that of a male is closer to 400 km²! A solitary animal, male and female lynx only meet during mating season, from February to April.