Goumois

13 July 2015:  With Mary well settled at home, enjoying the comfort of her own bed and the companionship of friends, I returned to the GR5.  I traveled by train yesterday to Montbéliard and took a bus this morning to Saint-Hippolyte (the destination of my hike last Thursday, 9 July).   

I then hiked from Saint-Hippolyte to Goumois.  It was a long and arduous day (about 7 hours of hiking, during 9 hours – much of it on pavement).  I was pleased to arrive at the three-star Hôtel Taillard at the end of the afternoon, but regretted the Mary was not here to enjoy the luxury and comfort of the place with me.

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Farewell to Saint-Hippolyte:

Hiking from Saint-Hippolyte: when I paused to look at my map, a man emerged from his house and pointed me back to a trail that I had missed.  When I told him that I was hiking today to Goumois, he just laughed. 

But who's counting?...

Fishing in the Doubs River – a good way to stay cool:

I was really dazzled by the beauty of this house and its flowers:

Soulce-Cernay:

The "trail" (a road, actually) climbed steeply here:

The warm, dry weather has been good for hay production. 

It was a bit early for lunch (12:05), but such excellent places for a picnic (table, shade, etc.) are rare and cannot be ignored. 

This 18th century lavoir has been neglected since our passage by here on August 1989.  Back then, we dried our gear on a grassy field that is now overgrown with weeds. 

A welcome interlude from walking on roads:

Back into the forest, on a road:

A trail through the forest!

Hôtel Taillard:

Goumois, seen from the terrace of the Hôtel Taillard: