Pontarlier to Les Hopitaux Neufs

Last day in France

The via offers two routes from Pontarlier. We chose the 'traditional' which means an extra day in France. Today is a shortish stage that is mostly uphill and we plan to finish in one of the ski resorts on the border, depending on how we get on.

It is a bit cooler these days, so we slept well and left the hotel at 9. We stopped on the way out of town for breakfast number 1. We passed a chocolate factory which had a great aroma.

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Today's date: 18.8.20

Weather: mixed with a huge thunderstorm in the evening

Steps: 31,500

Distance: 23.2 km

Climbing: 613 m

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We walked along by the river Doub (the same river as Besancon) and stopped in Le Frambourg for breakfast number 2 before climbing out of the valley.

The scenery was a beautiful mix of high pasture and forest.

We stopped in Les Fourgs for lunch. It was a pretty village with a tourist office that stamped our passports. The food was typical mountain fare - all carbs and fat. It was like being on a ski holiday.

The afternoon's walk was similarly beautiful. This area has lots of places to do cross country skiing and there were lots of paths and pistes.

We passed through Les Hopitaux Vieux which had a Sci di Fondo centre with people training on a special tarmac trail.

We stopped in Les Hopitaux Neufs which is a ski resort. There are quite a few shops and boulangeries where we can stock up tomorrow.

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Camping Le Miroir

Camping for our last night in France and as a bonus, within minutes of pitching the tent, there was a fantastic thunderstorm.

The site has a nice bar and we had a healthy salad for supper. The sun came out after the rain.

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