La Montagnotte - PR N°62

This route takes you through the villages of Champigny les Langres, Jorquenay, Lannes and Charmes. You can enjoy the canal between Champagne and Burgundy after crossing the Jorquenay swing bridge. Follow part of the Roman road at Champigny-les-Langres and, weather permitting, take advantage of the water sports on the Lac de Charmes.
The canal from the Marne to the Saône: the canal is like the backbone of the Haute-Marne. Construction began in 1862, following a study undertaken between 1839 and 1845.
The entire route was completed on 1 February 1907, with a total length of almost 225 kilometres, 166 of which are in Haute-Marne. Between the Marne and Saône basins, a 4.8-kilometre tunnel (France's 4th longest river tunnel) crosses the Langres Plateau threshold, the watershed. It was dug 118 metres underground between 1882 and 1888. The tunnel is 8 metres wide and has a 4.75-metre high semi-circular vault. It passes just under the village of Balesmes-sur-Marne.
The Langres plateau, the highest point on the canal, also necessitated the installation of 18 locks, between the Côte d'Or and Foulain. However, its higher altitude also offered the best possibility of supplying water by gravity. The presence of numerous springs enabled the engineers to guarantee this supply by building 4 reservoir lakes to regulate the level of the canal.
Today, in addition to barge traffic, river tourism is another way to enjoy the charms and tranquillity of the canal, from the port of Champigny-lès-Langres.