Sabot de Frotey National Nature Reserve, National nature reserve in Frotey-lès-Vesoul, France

Sabot de Frotey National Nature Reserve is a protected area on a limestone plateau above the town, with a long cliff that rises like a giant shoe over the surrounding plain. The landscape is a mix of dry grassland, hedges, and scattered pine and oak trees, with a marked trail that lets walkers cross the open slope and pass close to the rocky edge.

For centuries the open ground was kept clear by villagers who grazed cows, goats, and sheep on the slope. When grazing stopped in the 1960s, pines and shrubs began to take over, so the site was protected in 1981 and has been managed since then to keep the grassland from disappearing.

Local stories say that a devil dropped this rocky spur while running away, leaving behind the hoof-like shape that gave the place its name. Today visitors come to the reserve mainly to walk quietly, watch birds, and look for the many wild orchids that appear on the grass in late spring.

Wear sturdy shoes because the paths cross uneven limestone ground and can be muddy after rain. The trail forms a loop of roughly two kilometers, so allow a couple of hours for a relaxed visit and feel free to pause at the signs that explain what you are seeing.

As dusk falls, a strange churring sound sometimes rises from the edge of the trees: that is the European nightjar, a bird that rests on the ground by day and hunts insects on the wing. The reserve also shelters two snake species that like to sun themselves on warm rocks, so watch where you step on sunny days.