Twenty kilometres east of Lons is the tiny village of BAUME-LES-MESSIEURS, tucked in a cliff-bound valley festooned with foliage on all but the steepest faces. From Lons, the quickest – as well as most interesting – way to get there is to take the D471 Champagnole road and turn down the narrow and steep lanes descending into the valley from the north; the Belvédère des Roches de Baume, signposted off the D471, gives stunning views of the village and the verdant Seille valley out as far as the Château Chalon and beyond if the weather is up to it.In the village, the main attraction is the abbey (guided tours daily: first two weeks June 10am–noon & 2–6pm; mid-June to mid-Sept 10am–6pm; €2.30). Monks were active in the area in the fourth century, and it's thought that the Irish St Columba was here in the sixth century, along with other monks, before leaving for Cluny. In spite of visitors clacking over the ancient stone floors, an atmosphere of monastic tranquillity still pervades the place. Consecrated in 909 by Benedictines, it was disbanded by the newly formed Republic in 1792, and today the interior and its twelfth-century church, in whose crypt rest three members of the once-dominant Chalon family, remain open to the public. Accommodation is available at the abbey at the Gothique Café (tel 03.84.44.64.47; €55–70), whose three beautiful rooms make you feel like you're back in the Middle Ages; the café itself serves lovely meals using local produce (menus from €14). Two kilometres south of the village, at the very end of the valley, are the Grottes de Baume (several 40min guided tours daily: April–June & Sept 10am–noon & 2–5.30pm; July & Aug 9am–6pm; €5), one of the many limestone stalactite cave systems throughout the region. If you're particularly energetic you can ascend the stairway cut into the rock on the valley's eastern face; exposed in places and best avoided if conditions are wet, it leads to the clifftop and the Belvédère des Roches de Baume viewpoint described above. Otherwise opt for a meal at the Restaurant des Grottes (tel 03.84.44.61.59; €13–24; mid-April to Sept lunchtimes only), not far from the caves and near the beautiful, fern-draped waterfall, with a stunning view back down the valley. As you head north out of Baume, you'll see the limestone cliffs recede as the valley opens out, revealing miles of vineyards that yield the distinctive yellow wine of Château Chalon, produced from the Sauvignon grape. The fortified hilltop village of CHÂTEAU CHALON overlooks the vines and was built around a castle (not open to the public) of the once-influential family who give the village its name. A short wander will lead you past promising baskets of Chalon (expect to pay around €25 a bottle) to the fortified church, dating from the eleventh century and possessing some impressive stained glass and early examples of vaulting. An archway outside by the porch leads to the Belvédère de la Rochette, looking out across the valley back towards Baume. The views from the village are indescribably beautiful.
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