Tour des 4 lacs

Langres, a superb Town of Art and History, is listed as one of the 50 most beautiful towns in France. With its high ramparts, 7 gates, 12 imposing towers and numerous bell towers, it stands like a proud fortress at the gateway to Champagne and Burgundy. As you walk along the 3.5 km of ramparts that bear witness to Langres' long military past, you'll admire the vast panorama stretching over the green valleys of the Bonnelle and Marne rivers.
Around a hundred years ago, the landscapes surrounding the town were embellished with 4 reservoir lakes designed to feed the Marne-Saône canal.
From the ramparts of Langres, you can see the largest of these, the 290-hectare Lac de la Liez, with its 460-metre-long, 16-metre-high dam. After the villages of Peigney and Bannes, the lake at Charmes comes into view. This long lake covers 197 hectares and is renowned for its fishing.
Passing Lannes, you can take in the pleasant views from Entre deux Mont, then descend to Hûmes to follow the Mouche valley to the lake of the same name. The lake is held back by a 410-metre-long dam built as a semi-viaduct. Further upstream, in the Upper Mouche Valley, you'll discover picturesque villages such as Vieux-Moulins and Noidant-le-Rocheux. The longest dyke of the 4 lakes (1,254 metres) is the one built for Lac de la Vingeanne (199 ha). Renowned for its winds, which are ideal for windsurfing, this lake is also popular with birdwatchers, who come here to observe the migrations and stints of many species.