The walk after the practice: the Saine, from the house to its source
By Robin — your host · sources at the end · 12 July 2026 · updated 11 October 2026 · 2 min read · Our method
A retreat rests on two gestures: the practice, then the walk. At Jura 835, set at 835 m above Foncine-le-Bas, the second begins at the door. The Saine runs below, and its source springs a short drive away, in a limestone cirque. Here is how to link them.
The river below
The house looks down on the village, and the Saine runs along the valley floor. On the elevation grid measured around Jura 835, the lowest point is the river itself, at 769 m. You reach it by walking down the meadow, with neither car nor map. At the water you stop, listen to the current between the stones, then climb back at your own pace. A walk, a stretch of water, a way back: the body understands the format at once. On rainy days the walk down is still possible in good shoes, and coming back into the warm feels all the better.
The source, at Foncine-le-Haut
The Saine rises a little further up the valley, at Foncine-le-Haut, a 10 min drive from the house. The Département du Jura waymarks a path there of 3 km out and back, with 71 m of climb, leading to un cirque de calcaire d’où jaillissent les eaux de la Saine. Along the way, 5 panels explain the geology of the place. An hour is enough: the ideal outing for a half day of rest. Stay on the waymarked path: the cirque is a fragile place, and the rock can be slippery after rain.
The forests around the village
Around Foncine-le-Bas, the forest quickly takes over from the meadows. From the door, the Rapoutier loop covers 6.8 km and heads in under the spruce; the voie du tram, longer, stretches over 11 km. The ground climbs gently, the air cools, and the sound of the village falls away behind you. There you find the same calm as at the house.
The practice, then the walk
The order hardly matters: some walk at dawn and practise on their return, others the reverse. What matters is having no journey between the two. Here the mat is put away and the door opens onto the meadow. Keep the outing to the source for a longer afternoon, and the walk down to the river for ordinary days. Walk without a watch or a distance goal: it is the time spent outside that counts, not the kilometres. For time without screens, see also a digital detox in a whole house.
A house for the group alone
Jura 835 takes one group at a time, 6 to 8 guests at most: you head out to walk and come back to a house nobody else has passed through. Everything is on one level, across 124 m², which the legs appreciate once home again. The stove waits for the group in the evening. To plan the places of a retreat, see sizing a retreat for eight.