The best MTB trails around Billey

Dole, a small jewel in the Franche-Comté. Through the alleys into the tanners' quarter, where the father of microbiology, Louis Pasteur, was born and the Doubs flows so calmly that you almost forget that this city was once the powerful capital of Franche-Comté. The architecture of the quarter still tells of tanners and leather craftsmanship: houses with large cellars where the hides were processed in pits and vats, as well as drying floors with wide openings through which the leather dried in the wind.

A very beautiful church, an eye-catcher from afar

Dole was the capital of the Free County of Burgundy under Habsburg rule during the Middle Ages. For centuries, the city served as the seat of parliament and was home to a university. Over the centuries, the city was besieged several times and fought over in conflicts between France and Burgundy, experiencing periods of occupation. The city's inhabitants consistently offered considerable resistance, forcing France to either withdraw or return possession of the city to the Burgundians by treaty. A stroll through the old town reveals numerous picturesque Renaissance buildings.

In Hans-Peter Kerkeling's book "Ich bin dann mal weg" (I'm Off Then), in which he describes his thoughts and experiences on the Way of St. James through northern Spain, which he walked in June/July 2001, the popular entertainer draws his own personal conclusion before returning from Santiago de Compostela. I would like to offer this final thought, likely matured over weeks on the Camino Frances, to the viewer of this small sacred monument in the form of a wayside cross: "God is the one individual who opens himself infinitely to liberate all. (...) The Creator throws us into the air, only to surprisingly catch us again at the end. It's like the exuberant game that parents play with their children. And the message is: Have faith in the one who throws you, because he loves you and, quite unexpectedly, will also be the catcher. And when I look back, God constantly threw me into the air and caught me again along the way. We met every day." (Hape Kerkeling in “I’m off then. My journey on the Way of St. James”)

Even though this small sacred monument is not located on the famous Way of St. James through northern Spain, in view of the wayside cross standing here, some thoughts by Hape (Hans-Peter) Kerkeling might be helpful as inspiration. The entertainer, who is particularly famous in Germany, walked the Camino Frances in 2001 and kept a diary, which was published under the title "Ich bin dann mal weg" (I'm off then). In it, he describes his personal encounter with God along the way as follows: "Yesterday, something inside me struck a huge gong. And the sound will reverberate. Sooner or later, this path shakes everyone to their very foundations. I know the sound will slowly fade, but if I listen carefully, I'll be able to hear this reverberation for a very long time to come."

The Notre-Dame de Mont-Roland sanctuary, located on the heights of Dole, is an ancient pilgrimage site dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Founded in the 17th century, it includes a chapel, a calvary, and a Stations of the Cross, all surrounded by forest. The site also offers a sweeping panorama of the Doubs Valley and the Jura Mountains.

This is an essential stop on the EuroVelo 6 (Nantes-Budapest). A magnificent town in the Jura region, well worth a day trip.

In the Serre massif, a natural area perfect for mountain biking, the Hermitage cave is a curiosity that invites you to take a break. If erosion has given the rock its particular shape, the human hand has also intervened in the shaping of the cave.