CIRCUIT LE SENTIER DES PIERRES

Étang Lallemand, created in 1572 to power the nearby Quenot Forge, is an ideal starting point for the Sentier des Pierres, an unusual walk steeped in history. Walk alongside the pond, then follow the signs marked with footprints and attractive wicker stakes bearing a terracotta head. The tour can only be completed in the direction indicated: Étang Lallemand - Les Voivres - La chapelle de Bonne Espérance - La Carrière la Colosse With your back to the pond, take the road to the right for 600 m. When you reach the "La Clandestine" brewery, turn left onto a gravel path leading to La Faing Martin and the old whetstone quarry, following the red circle and yellow ring signs. Continue through the forest and at the path junction, turn right to cut across the fields. 250 m further on, turn left along the forest and continue to follow the red circle markings. At the crossroads, 500 m further on, turn right towards the Grande Fosse, whose fountain was used as a wash-house by the locals. Continue straight on to the Chapelle de Bonne Espérance, dating from the Second Empire and renovated by volunteers. Shortly after the chapel, at the end of the street (Basse des Orges), take the left-hand path into the forest. Go down the path and take the uphill road on the left to skirt the River Coney. Continue until you reach the crossroads on Rue du Billon. Turn right to reach a small waterfall and the Carrière Gandon granite quarry. Continue to follow the red circle markers towards the Colosse sandstone quarry. The path turns into a track and comes to a crossroads. Turn right onto a downhill path. At the building, turn right towards the Pont des Fées, the remains of a Gallo-Roman structure. Dating back to the 4th century, we're not sure this bridge was ever completed, let alone used. Indeed, the Roman Empire was already experiencing major troubles on its borders, with incursions by ?barbarian? peoples such as the ?Franks? and ?Huns? In this context (which was not to get any better), financing engineering work was certainly not a priority, unless it had a military purpose. Building the bridge was certainly of more than strategic economic interest, given its proximity to the spa town of Bains-les-Bains and the Roman road. A hundred metres further on, take a path to the left. Be careful, the markings and path are not easy to see on the descent. Pass between stones and along low walls, then continue to follow the narrow path to the Forge Quénot, a former ironworks whose ruins can still be seen by taking the first path downhill on the right. In 1634, the forge was built by a Swiss ironmaster. Alas, the adventure didn't last long, as the forge had to endure the ravages of war between the Duchy of Lorraine (of which Voivres was a part) and Louis XIII's France, with its Swedish allies. In 1795, thanks to its two hammers and four refinery fires, the forge was still in full operation, producing 60 tonnes of steel a year for ploughshares, cutlery and horse-drawn carriage springs. From 1634 to 1795, the forge was sold several times, but continued to operate. Unfortunately, metalworking ceased around 1830 due to a lack of sufficient water supply, despite all the reservoirs that had been built. In 1839, the property was sold, and although an attempt was made to convert it into a starch factory, it was abandoned and fell into oblivion. Finish the loop by keeping to the left, just before crossing the stream, then go up 200 m to the gravel path. Turn right towards Lallemand pond to return to the starting point. Many thanks to the Club Vosgien for making this hike possible and for the work carried out by its teams throughout the year to mark out and maintain these paths.