De la Suize à la Marne

The Marne, which rises near Langres and flows northwards, crosses the département. Its valley is a major axis where the railways meander. At the same time, in another valley, the Suize flows more quietly and wildly.
After a quick warm-up along the canal towpath between Choignes and Chamarandes, a steep climb will take you to the outskirts of Chaumont, where you can switch to the Suize valley. At Neuilly-sur-Suize, take the time to visit a curious little mineralogy museum, nestling in the former castle chapel.
Further along the river, you'll pass the old Rochevilliers foundry, which was very active in the 19th century. Leave the valley at Villiers-sur-Suize and head back up through a large forest rich in game.
As you leave the forest, a path on your right will lead you to the Tufière de Rolampont nature reserve. This petrifying waterfall has been a living, active biological environment for thousands of years, as well as being a veritable natural laboratory that decomposes the bicarbonate contained in seepage water. The dissolved limestone precipitates and forms "Tuff". The deposit of limestone and the growth of mosses form cushions that rise up, gradually building a natural dam with the characteristic layouts of stepped pools. You then reach Rolampont and the canal "between Champagne and Burgundy". All that's left to do is to let yourself be guided along the towpath, following the rhythm of the locks and observing its specific flora and fauna: kingfisher, grey heron, great cormorant, etc. Finally, once you've finished your tour, take the time to stop off in the poster town of Chaumont. Take a stroll through the old streets, looking for 16th-century town houses decorated with corbelled turrets and spiral staircases.