Discovering Arcy-sur-Cure and its prehistoric caves

(S/E). Leave the car park and turn right onto Rue du Château (road D237). Follow this road downhill to the junction with Rue du Pont (road D227). At the junction, you will see the town hall/school building.
Take Rue du Pont to the right, which descends to the bridge over the Cure. As soon as you cross the river, turn right onto the path that runs alongside the Cure on your right. The path leads to Rue du Gué at an electricity pylon on your right.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Gué and walk for about 20 metres before turning right onto Rue de la Haie Vive. Follow this road until you reach the junction with Rue de la Croix Benoit on your left. At this point, continue straight ahead into a narrow street that heads east and joins the RN6 national road. As you pass, you will see a fine example of traditional architecture.
When you reach the end of the lane, turn left and carefully cross the RN6 at the pedestrian crossing. Then continue straight ahead along Rue de la Gare, which leads towards the railway line and turns right. Pass in front of the station and continue south-east along the path that runs alongside the railway line on your left.

(2) At the T-junction, take the path on the left. Carefully cross the railway line at the gate (level crossing) and continue straight ahead on the uphill path to a crossroads where there is a calvary. There, turn right onto the path that climbs slightly along the Cure stream on the hillside.
The path arrives at Vallée Tarceau on the left and, shortly afterwards, on the other side of the valley, take the left-hand path uphill into the Bois de Chauvotte, which leads to the plateau where it arrives at a junction with the^GRP® du Tour de l'Aveyronnais on the left.

(3) At the T-junction, take the path on the right heading south-west. The path crosses the plateau (ignore the paths on the right that lead to caves and the Chêne de Saint-Moré oak tree). Leave the path at a post and climb up to the right. Climb to the top of the cliff and enjoy the superb panorama. To leave the plateau, take a small path (on the right, with your back to the cliff) to return to the original route. The path eventually descends the hillside west of the Malpierre spur towards the village of Nailly.
At the bottom of the descent, the path leads to Rue de Nailly, about 50 metres from the D606 road.

(4) Continue straight ahead on Rue de Nailly heading south. Cross the entire village lengthwise.
When you reach the D606 road south of Nailly, follow it carefully for about seventy metres, staying on the left-hand side (pavement) before crossing the D606 at a pedestrian crossing and turning right onto the C2 road towards Saint-Moré. Cross the Cure via the bridge and follow the road known as Rue du Pont to reach the hamlet of Crot. On the way, see the Château de Crot on the left and its outbuildings.

(5) At the junction with a road on the right at an acute angle, turn right heading north. The route then follows the^GR®13-^GR®654, which is one of the Chemins de Compostelle (Sens-Cravant-Vezelay route). Follow this road, which runs alongside a campsite on the right and is soon enclosed between the railway line on the left and the Cure on the right. The road then moves away from the railway line and follows the river. A little further on, the small road passes under the railway line.

(6) Immediately after passing under the railway line, turn left onto a farm track that runs alongside the railway line on the left before turning away from it to the right.
The uphill path crosses a small wood and then runs alongside a wooded area on the right and a cultivated area on the left, including a plot of vines. The path turns left in a wide curve with trees on either side.

(7) Take the right-hand path at a triangular crossroads. Continue straight ahead on the slightly uphill path, along the edge of the woods on your right. The path soon enters the woods and curves in an S-shape before heading west. It runs along the hillside above La Cure.
If you wish, you can leave the path on your right. After 10 metres, there is a beautiful view of the meanders of the Yonne. Back on the original path, a little further on, after the cross, you can take a path that descends to the right to reach La Roche Taillée (a Merovingian sarcophagus quarry) 200 metres away. Go back up the same path and resume the original route downhill into the Bois de la Côte Nailly.
A little further on, the path leaves the woods and crosses a cultivated area to reach a crossroads where there is a small calvary.

(8) Turn right to follow the white path, a wide stony road. Continue straight on along the spur known as Les Terres du Vallot before descending towards Val Sainte-Marie and the Manoir de Chastenay above the hamlet.
At the corner of the large field on your right, the path crosses Rue des Monts d'Arcy coming from Val Sainte-Marie on the left through a wooded area.

(9). Continue on the main path, which turns right on the flat, then descends again to the top of the Côte Coffin. The path joins a small road called Grande Rue on the left-hand side. At this point, turn right onto the stony path lined with power and telephone lines, which heads towards the edge of the plateau before descending the hillside towards the Grottes d'Arcy-sur-Cure (yellow markings) (see section "During the hike").

(10) Return to the small road known as Grande Rue. Follow it, turning left and walking along Côte Coffin in a north-westerly direction, then cross the hamlet of Val Sainte-Marie.

(11) On the left, you will come to a crossroads with Rue des Monts d'Arcy, which can be taken from point 9 by those who do not wish to go to the caves (see practical information - alternative route).
Continue along Grande Rue, passing the pretty Manoir de Chastenay on your left with its large round tower overlooking the street.
When Grande Rue turns left, take the small downhill lane on the right that joins Rue du Château. This short steep lane is opposite the ruins of Château de la Cobarde.
Turn right onto the path that soon runs alongside the castle's surrounding wall. The path leads to Rue du Château (road D237) with the car park on the left (S/E).

The car park is located on Rue du Château, on the left-hand side of the road above number 2.
Access: from Auxerre, take the D606 road south. Follow it to Arcy-sur-Cure.
You can also come by train. The route passes in front of Arcy-sur-Cure station.

This hike covers varied terrain and requires suitable footwear.

This hike does not present any real difficulty in terms of orientation as it is marked in red and white (GR®13A and GR®13) and follows the "Family hike to discover Arcy-sur-Cure and its prehistoric caves" route published by Yonne-tourisme. This route is also available on the municipality's website. In addition, it is advisable to follow the directions in the description and on the map, while also paying close attention to the landscape. The waypoints (with their GPS coordinates and distance from the starting point) are helpful for hikers who are new to the route.

Alternative:
Do not go to the Arcy-sur-Cure Cave. To do this, go directly from point (9) to point (11), turning left onto Rue des Monts d'Arcy. The route is then approximately 10.7 km long.

Arcy sur Cure
Arcy sur Cure is located between Auxerre and Avallon in the canton of Joux La Ville. The village was part of the Community of Communes between Cure and Yonne. Since 1 January 2017, it has been part of the Community of Communes Avallon Vézelay Morvan. Ideally served by the D 606 (formerly N6) and the TER/SNCF Paris Bercy/Laroche Migennes/Avallon line (daily bus and train connections), the village is also close to the A6 motorway (Nitry exit).

The historic village is located on the left bank of the river "la Cure". For strategic reasons, Digogne Castle (now disappeared) and the church were built on a hill overlooking the valley. A fortification protected the site, of which only a few remains are left. For the same reasons, Château de Vieux Champs and Maison Forte de la Cobarde were built on the neighbouring hills. Close to these sites, public buildings were erected: the school, the town hall in the 19th century, and more recently the village hall and tennis court. The 18th-century bridge links this neighbourhood to the extensions on the right bank. The traditional buildings are made of limestone. The village's wine-growing and agricultural past is evident in the presence of numerous vaulted cellars and barns.

The Cure Valley is comparable to the Dordogne Valley in that it bears witness to human presence from prehistoric times to the present day. It has been a hub of communication and life for centuries.
In Arcy sur Cure, the river has carved out a network of caves in a coral massif that emerged during the Mesozoic era. This group of caves provided refuge and sanctuary for our ancestors, who lived there for nearly 200,000 years. The remains of their occupation (archaeological sites, prehistoric engravings and paintings) are a rare testimony to humanity.
To find out more:

The Bridge
The first stone of this structure was laid in 1758 on the site of an old bridge built in 1302, which was completely ruined in 1645 due to lack of maintenance. Between these two dates, the crossing was made by boat (in 1669, it capsized, claiming fifteen victims).
The current bridge was a major investment. Completed in 1769, this elegant structure is remarkable for its "humpback" architecture. It has three arches measuring 10 to 13 metres. The triangular piers of the bridge facilitated the passage of timber trains.
The stone cross on the bridge was erected in 2000. It is an exact replica of the one that existed before the French Revolution.

The Chastenay Manor
Listed as a historic monument, it is located in the hamlet of Val Saint Marie, about 800 metres from the caves, on a cliff overlooking La Cure. The Château du Chastenay was rebuilt in 1549 within an older fortified enclosure. It has an elegant façade with a turret and a hexagonal stair tower. Its rich and elegant sculpted decoration evokes certain symbolic motifs that can also be found in the Chapelle du Beugnon, a former outbuilding of Le Chastenay. Private property.

The Beugnon Chapel
This small, stately building, listed as a historic monument, measures 11 metres by 5 metres and was built around 1540. Its patron saint is Saint Roch, because at that time, the valley was suffering from terrible plague epidemics, and the chapel was built to place it under his protection. It has a remarkable portal. Its triangular pediment is decorated in the centre with a large scallop shell. Inside, near the altar, the old "piscine" echoes the decorative motifs of the portal. These distinctive features, among others, indicate that the chapel was a stopping place on the road to Santiago de Compostela. The 1648 pilgrims' guide indicates that the fourth route, that of Vézelay, passed through the hamlet of Le Beugnon. It is owned by the municipality.

The Caves of Arcy-sur-Cure
A visit to this major archaeological site allows everyone to discover the riches left behind by prehistoric man: cave paintings, bones, lamps (booking recommended for organised archaeological tours).
Two galleries have been carved out by the waters of the River Cure. Stalagmites, stalactites, lakes and geological formations bear witness to the wonders created by nature.
The Grande Grotte is open to the public from April to November.
For more information:
Prehistoric caves dating from the Palaeolithic era, privately owned. Listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments by decree of 12 November 1992. List of listed caves: Grande Grotte, Abri du Lagopède, Grotte du Cheval, Grotte de la Hyène, Grotte du Trilobite, Grotte des Ours, Grotte du Renne and its Schoepflin gallery, Grotte du Bison, Grotte du Loup, Grotte du Lion, Grotte des Fées, Grotte des Deux Cours, Petit Abri, Grand Abri, Grotte des Goulettes.
The caves take you on a journey of discovery into a mysterious world of shadows and dim light, in the
bowels of the earth, between galleries, giant chambers and underground lakes. The tour lasts 1 hour. Bring
warm clothing, as the caves are 12°C.
Source: official website of the municipality