Doubs Région France

We didn’t get our best nights sleep in Mouthe, needing to put our earplugs in as the church bells rang every half hour and there was a bit of local traffic at odd times. Some parking areas are better situated than others, still we can’t complain as it was free and our choice to stay here. The reason we did stop here was so we could go to see the Source of the Doubs River. It was a pleasant stroll through a lovely forest to the cave where the river starts. The water from here goes all the way to the Mediterranean via the Saône and then the Rhône Rivers, traveling a total of 1032km from here to the Rhone delta. Even on the hottest days you would be keen to have a swim as the waters’ temperature is just 5°C. 

Further along the road we had a pretty walk to see the Source Bleue (Blue), which gets it name from the colour of the water as it comes out of the cave. The water here cascades down to St.Point Lake. 

We didn’t linger too long as we needed to get to Pontarlier to find a new flick mixer tap for the kitchen sink as Mark has been unsuccessful in his previous attempts in stopping the leak.  After a few visites to various plumbing supply stores, we found what we needed. We had paella for lunch and then he once again tackled the pipes and it appears to be fixed.

We bought some new walking sticks at decathlon and then drove through some stunning roads.

to Lods, classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France. Set amongst the vineyards, it has many traditional homes, sliding shutters and a lovely church. The views along the Loue river were very picturesque. 

We enjoyed a beer and then wondered around the small local producers market. 

We found a quiet spot next to the Loue river (visited the source in 2013). Hopefully it’s quieter than last night…

63km today.