Secret France

Comté cheese

This is the real piece de resistance of Franche Comté - the cheese. The red and white Montbeliard cows dotting the landscape are the source of this tasty cheese which you can find in every restaurant, supermarket and deli in the region.

Usually sold in wheels, it's a delicious cheese made using traditional ripening techniques. Try it in sandwiches, in fondue a la Comtoise (with Jura wine and kirsch) or in rosti, a potato, ham and cheese bake. If you're a cheese-monger, also try Morbier which has a thin, ashen grey line running through it.

For more information, visit www.franche-Comte.org

Gastronomy

There's a Comtois saying which goes something like this: 'Round belly rather than nice sleeves.' Food rules over fashion, in essence. Cured meat is a speciality with many a farmhouse smoking hams in a 'tuyé', a huge pyramid-shaped wooden hood.

Try Morteau sausage, prepared according to strict local rules - the wood or sawdust for the fire has to come from resinous trees in a mountain zone over 600 metres altitude. Seriously. Franche Comté is also 40 per cent forest, one of France's most wooded regions and popular with mushroom lovers.

For more information visit, www.franche-Comte.org

On yer bikes

Put your mountain biking skills to the test in Métabief, a mountain bike centre designated by the French Cycling Federation (there are nine in the region) and host of the 1993 world championships.

The lovely guys at Adrenalin Point, a sports equipment and activity shop, run all sorts of programmes including a 'Girls Only' mountain biking package. The region is ideal for biking, surrounded as it is by gorges, valleys and pastures and there are 3,500 kilometres of prepared path for cyclists. Adrenalin junkies are in for some serious fun.

For more information, visit www.adrenalin-point.com

Yurting it

Hankering to stay somewhere different? One such gem is Le Petit Echelle in Rochejean. Most people go for an evening of drinking and dining, but there's also an on-site teepee and Mongolian yurt.

It's not really for colder climes, although it's beautifully toasty in the yurt, but in summer, it's blissful. Be warned there's no shower. This is for chicks who can bathe in rivers or manage a couple of days by just 'washing'. If that's not for you, at least go for dinner. The Comté cheese fondue and rosti is trés bon and the hospitality as warm as the summer nights.

For more information, visit www.lapetiteechelle.com

Jura wines

The cool climate of the wine-producing Jura region runs along an 80-kilometre, north to south stretch between Burgundy and Switzerland. Known as Bon Pays, or Good Country, its most famous wine is vin jaune, made from the local Savagnin grape.

Made from late harvested grapes which are turned into white wine, it then sits in oak casks for at least six years and three months. It's especially delicious as an aperitif with Comté cheese and walnuts or with creamy main courses. Other grape varieties include Chardonnay, Poulsard, Pinot Noir and Trousseau.

For more information, visit www.franche-Comté.org

Chez Les Colin

Christiane Colin is the hostess with the mostess. Her hundred-year-old maison d'hôtes in Hauterive-la-Fresse is tucked away in the Jura mountain countryside near Pontarlier. It's a gem of a guesthouse and packed with character - including Christiane herself.

The inside is dotted with trinkets picked up on her travels and rooms are countryside cosy. Christiane organises walking, yoga and watercolour paining weeks in the summer and cross-country skiing breaks during winter. Best of all, she's a passionate cook - dinnertime is the highlight of the day.

For more information visit www.chezlescolin.fr/lang-en~page-home.html

Pontarlier

France's second highest town is a sleepy, picturesque place, where ambling is a pleasure and cafes are ubiquitous. Stop for a hot chocolate in Simplement Chocolate by the Saint Pierre gate and stock up on truffles and treats. Or get your portion of Comté cheese at Chalet de Pontarlier, the town's main cheese shop - arrive early and you get to see part of the cheese-making process.

If you want to walk off the calories, the River Doubs runs through the town and the riverside path is a great way of exploring both Pontarlier and its surrounding countryside.

Pensée des Violettes

When in Pontarlier, the flower shop, Pensée des Violettes, run by Estelle Cuinet, is a haven for trinket-hunters and peace-seekers. Flowers, gifts, aromatherapy beauty products, cards and candles are beautifully presented over three floors and it's impossible to leave without buying something.

Estelle also hosts a simple tea room where you can unwind and watch the world go by below. Located at 8, rue Tissot in the town centre, it's a unique retail experience.

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For more information, visit penseedeviolettes.over-blog.com