Those choosing Cleurie as a travel destination can include nature, a designated hiking route and local history in their plans. The communal forest, the Abîme and Grande Charme moorlands, and the historic traces around Sainte-Sabine offer different points of interest. There is also a soapbox racing track and a local cooperative brewery. When choosing where to stay, visitors can therefore weigh up whether landscape, outdoor activity or heritage matters most.
Forest, Moorlands and Protected Areas
Cleurie’s communal forest covers about 310 hectares. It is used for timber production and also helps protect habitats and landscapes. Silver fir accounts for 60 percent of the forest. These figures reflect both the forest’s economic use and its importance to the landscape.
The Étang de l’Abîme is home to remarkable moorland flora, including round-leaved sundew, marsh rosemary, rushes and peat mosses. The peat bogs of Abîme and Grande Charme are also habitats for specialized moorland insects and are visited by forest and mountain birds. The wildlife is thus associated with the moorlands in both areas.
The Étang des Rubiades is designated as a continental ZNIEFF type 1 site covering 1.22 hectares. The area is also protected as a Special Protection Area under the European Birds Directive. Those interested in landscape and nature will find a range of topics in Cleurie: forest use, moorland plants and designated protected areas.
Hiking and Getting Around
The Sainte-Sabine loop trail is rated moderate. It is 10 kilometres long, includes 200 metres of elevation gain and has a stated duration of three hours. Distance, elevation gain and time provide different points of reference for planning; the moderate rating adds further context. To drive to the trail, head from Vagney to Cleurie town hall, then continue toward Col du Singe to a granite marker pointing to the HĂŞtre de la Vierge.
Nearby, the Sainte-Sabine loop trail, which starts in Cleurie, leads to the Pierre Kerlinkin and the Sainte-Sabine chapel. On Grande Charme, a path passes the Étang de l’Abîme and leads to the ruins of three former farms: the Maison Jean Picot, the Ferme Capat and the farm of the Tisserand family. These different destinations bring together natural and rural history; the former farms should not be mistaken for buildings still in use today.
The Pierre Kerlinkin is a large boulder at an elevation of 745 metres. It bears cup marks and grooves, some of which were made by humans. This distinction is useful when looking at the stone: some of its features are natural, while others were shaped by people.
The Cleurie soapbox racing track offers a different kind of route. It is 1.2 kilometres long and has five bends. Regional championships are held there regularly, and national championships are held there occasionally; a national championship took place in 2006. Beyond nature and hiking, it offers another way to explore the area’s local character through sport.
Local History and Tradition
The Croix Jacquotte is considered the oldest monument in Cleurie erected as an act of popular devotion. It was built a few years before 1671. Nearby stands the 18th-century Sainte-Sabine chapel, built on the site of a 12th-century oratory. Several historical periods therefore come together at Sainte-Sabine.
A pilgrimage held on the last Saturday in August is part of the tradition surrounding Sainte-Sabine. If you would like to plan your trip around this date, check in advance whether the pilgrimage will take place that year. A pilgrimage was held at the Fontaine Saint-Augustin on the last Sunday in August from 1978 onward, as long as the priest responsible was in good health. This time limitation is part of the pilgrimage’s recorded history.
The farms and granite working also tell the story of the area’s past. The Ferme La Charme Saint Romary is one of Cleurie’s oldest farms; it has been cultivated since 1680. A granite business run by Roland Martinoli remained in operation until 1997. Together with the ruins on Grande Charme, these places offer different insights into rural and craft history.
A present-day local attraction is the Quat'Sous cooperative brewery. Established in 2019, it produces organic beers and organic kombucha. It adds local food production to the area’s nature and heritage themes.
Discover more destinations: Anould, Claudon, Brouvelieures, Saulxures-Sur-Moselotte, Baudricourt, Vincey, Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Bruyères.
For the broader travel overview: Vosges.
