Mouthier-Haut-Pierre to Pontarlier – 25km

Mouthier-Haut-Pierre turned out to be a beautiful little town.  Tucked into the Loue valley, with 5000 ft limestone walls on either side, it seemed to have found a way to survive and prosper.  It started as a monastery in the 800s which eventually became a priory of the Cluny Abbey in the 1100s.  The monks living there developed an extensive wine making industry which collapsed in the 19^th century by the phylloxera infestation.  The town has now embraced cherries from which they make Kirsch and various cherry brandies.  

We walked up the Loue valley for 4 km along paths at some points no more than 6 inches wide, limestone wall on one side, 1000ft or more drop on the other, until we reached the source of the Loue with its impressive waterfalls.  This part of the walk is not for the faint of heart.   The rest of our walk was on a high plateau until the decent into Pontarlier.  More on that tomorrow.