Autun - Saint-Sernin-du-Bois

This hike marks the start of the Grande Traversée de la Bourgogne du Sud (Great Crossing of Southern Burgundy), which, together with the Grande Traversée de l'Yonne and the Grande Traversée du Morvan, make up the Via Burgundia. Starting from Montereau-Fault-Yonne, this route takes you to Mâcon, crossing history through heritage and diverse landscapes.

Technical sheet

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Caution, this route is Very difficult

This route requires a long and/or intense effort, either because of the difference in altitude or the distance involved, or both. In certain situations, there is also the possibility of technical and aerial sections.

  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 25.70 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 9h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: No
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 587 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 448 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 570 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 306 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Morvan
  • ⚐ District: Autun (71400)
  • ⚑
    Start: N 46.954569° / E 4.293346°
  • ⚑
    End: N 46.840974° / E 4.432104°
  • Accessible from the train station Gare d'Autun.
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2824OT, 2925SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S) From Autun station, turn slightly left to reach Square des Droits de l'Homme, then right onto Avenue du Général de Gaulle. Follow this beautiful tree-lined avenue to the large square, where you can admire the small Autun theatre and the town hall on your left.

(1) Cross the Place du Champ de Mars to reach Rue de l'Arbalète. On your right, you will see the Hôtel de la Poste and Saint-Louis. Shortly afterwards, take the first street on the left (Rue de l'Arquebuse) until you reach Place Anatole de Charmasse and the Autun military school.

(2) Continue along Rue des Enfants de Troupe, which climbs slightly, then Rue Gaston Jouet, which turns slightly to the right before reaching the cemetery entrance. Leave this street and take a path that runs along the cemetery wall to descend to Rue de la Maladière. Cross the street and continue until you reach Chemin des Ragots near the old locks.

(3) Take the path opposite, marked GR®131 and GR®137, which climbs gently through a meadow towards the Pierre de Couhard. Take the time to explore this site and enjoy the beautiful view of Autun, which you will soon be leaving behind.

(4) The route then passes by the church, where you will also find a beautifully restored wash house. Take the path to the left of the church. You will then enter a small wooded valley with a well-channelled stream. This will take you to the Cascade de Brisecou waterfall, in the last granite outcrops of the Morvan.

(5) Cross the stream that feeds the pond in the valley below and immediately take the first path on the right, avoiding the large white path that branches off to the left (which you will come across again a little further on). Follow this small path along the bottom of the valley until you reach the D120 road, which you must cross. Just opposite, take a small steep path that climbs up the wooded hillside and heads to your left. A little further on, it joins a wider path, where you will find the GR®131 and 137 trails. Turn right until you reach the crossroads.

(6) Turn left towards the south-east onto the marked path that climbs up the Bois Derrière hillside and leads you to the pumping station above the road. Below on the left, you will see the junction with the D120.

(7) Take the small road on the right which leads to the very pleasant Étang des Cloix, where you will find information panels about the flora and fauna of this lake.

(8) Turn left just at the start of the lake and continue along a good path that runs alongside it, then turns right and enters the Bois de le Tommère, a beautiful deciduous forest. The path then turns quite sharply to the left and takes you back to the D120, which you cross at the Blanchots equestrian centre.

(9) Continue straight ahead along a small road, then leave it and take a good path on the right that crosses a meadow to a hedge.

(10) Turn left and follow the hedge to the 555 metre contour line, then turn right towards the Croix de la Barre, which is located in a field but slightly off the path.

(11) Shortly after this, the path slopes down to the right and gently descends to a good track which you follow on the left and which leads you to a place called Montmaison.

(12) You are still on the GR® 131-137. After crossing a wide white path, take a trail to the right of the houses at elevation 484. It descends steadily through wooded areas or along meadows to the place called Bière.

(13) Continue left on the paved road, then turn left again at the first crossroads. The small road will take you to Moulin Guinot, where you can admire the small reservoir just after crossing the Rançon.

(14) Follow the small road on the left, which runs along the Rançon valley and leads to the hamlet of Velay.

(15) Then turn left towards the ford and, without crossing it, take the path on the right to reach Les Cloux (a house), which you will reach after crossing the river.

(16) Continue and, further on, take the path on the right at the bottom of the valley, which will soon climb up a small valley before crossing a stream and turning right. It then climbs again to take you to the hamlet of Montromble, which has a few houses.

(17) Follow the road, which is now paved, before joining the D287. You are now in the middle of meadows. When you reach the crossroads,

(18) Turn right towards the edge of the Planoise forest. You will leave the main road and take a forest path that is initially fairly flat, then descends slightly until it crosses the Boutiche stream (elevation 511).

(19) After crossing the stream, the trail turns sharply to the left and climbs up a white path. Turn right and continue along this good path until you reach a reservoir and a small retention basin.

(20) At the Haut-Rançon reservoir, leave the GR® 131, which turns right, and take a good path that continues straight ahead before descending towards the bottom of the valley where the small river that feeds the Haut-Rançon reservoir flows. The river crossing can be tricky in heavy rain, in which case it is best to follow the GR® trail. After crossing the river, climb a little to take the right path that leads you to the reservoir on your left. Follow the reservoir and pass it to reach a fork.

(21) After the lake, follow the path that turns sharply to follow a slightly steep path on the right that climbs back up to the plateau, then turn right to follow a contour line that you will follow until you reach the D680 road, where you will come out opposite the Étang de la Noue.

(22) Continue straight ahead, skirting the lake on your left, and pass the Noue farm (which is also a snail farm). Shortly after this, leave the tarmac road and take the Allée Verte on the right, which is a good, grassy path heading south-east. Follow it to reach the beautiful and very wide Chapelle hill.

(23) Follow it to the right until you reach elevation 533, where you will cross Allée de la Pissoire.

(24) Turn left and follow this lane until you reach a field.

(25) The path takes you to the left of the field, skirting around it and following the edge of the woods before coming to a few ponds at the end of a meadow. The path then heads south and passes above the Cascade de la Pissoire waterfall, located below but which you can visit with a quick detour.

(26) Continue along the main path, which turns left onto a good track. Take this track on the left to cross the Ruisseau de la Pissoire, then turn right onto a path until you reach the Saint-Sernin-de-Bois sports centre.

(27) Turn right onto Allée de la Fontaine Sainte towards the lake. You will then walk alongside the football pitch. Continue and turn left onto the path that follows the lake shore.

(28) Join the Route de Sernin, cross it and take a path on the left before returning to the village. At the bridge (Rue de la Bruyère), cross the road and take the path that runs along the lake shore. This will take you to the centre of the village where you will find the town hall, a sort of castle attached to the village church (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 306 m - Autun station
  2. 1 : km 0.65 - alt. 327 m - Town hall, Place du Champs de Mars
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 337 m - Autun - Lycée Militaire
  4. 3 : km 1.68 - alt. 318 m - La Vielle Ecluse, Chemin des Ragots
  5. 4 : km 2.37 - alt. 397 m - Pierre de Couhard
  6. 5 : km 3.2 - alt. 410 m - Cascade de Brisecou (Autun)
  7. 6 : km 4.22 - alt. 506 m - Fourche, Chemin de Montmain
  8. 7 : km 5.19 - alt. 541 m - Pump station
  9. 8 : km 5.86 - alt. 553 m - Étang des Cloix (Autun)
  10. 9 : km 7.42 - alt. 563 m - Les Blanchots (equestrian centre)
  11. 10 : km 8.14 - alt. 558 m - Haie
  12. 11 : km 8.97 - alt. 555 m - Croix de la Barre (Broye)
  13. 12 : km 9.78 - alt. 484 m - Montmaison
  14. 13 : km 10.66 - alt. 375 m - Beer
  15. 14 : km 11.38 - alt. 337 m - Guinot Mill - Rançon (rivière)
  16. 15 : km 12.01 - alt. 353 m - Le Velay
  17. 16 : km 12.74 - alt. 358 m - Les Cloux - Rançon (rivière)
  18. 17 : km 14.3 - alt. 519 m - Montromble
  19. 18 : km 14.78 - alt. 554 m - Crossroads on the D 287
  20. 19 : km 15.81 - alt. 510 m - Boutiche stream
  21. 20 : km 17.23 - alt. 501 m - Réservoir du Haut Rançon
  22. 21 : km 18.35 - alt. 494 m - Crossroads - Rançon (rivière)
  23. 22 : km 19.46 - alt. 529 m - D680 - Étang de la Noue
  24. 23 : km 21.25 - alt. 534 m - Sommière de la Chapelle
  25. 24 : km 21.88 - alt. 533 m - Allée de la Pissoire
  26. 25 : km 22.68 - alt. 522 m - Field
  27. 26 : km 23.35 - alt. 518 m - Pissoire Waterfall
  28. 27 : km 24.48 - alt. 453 m - Saint-Sernin sports centre
  29. 28 : km 24.82 - alt. 444 m - Étang de la Velle (Saint-Sernin-du-Bois)
  30. E : km 25.7 - alt. 444 m - Town hall and church in Saint Sernin du Bois

Practical information

You can get to Autun from the SNCF train station and bus station. It's easy to stock up on supplies, buy what you need, or find a pharmacy.

You will then need to wait until you reach Saint-Sernin-du-Bois to find a grocery store, bakery or pharmacy.

Bus routes connect Le Creusot and the Le Creusot-Montchanin TGV station.

In the nearby area

Autun is a town with a rich and glorious past. There are many monuments, some of which date back to Roman times, offering visitors the opportunity to take their time exploring. There are old streets, impressive ramparts and a fascinating little19th-century Italian theatre. If you have time, you can also see a beautiful collection of medieval paintings in the town museum.

Along the way, the Couhard pyramid, the Brisecou waterfall and some beautiful ponds will catch your eye.

Starting from Montereau-Fault-Yonne, this hike takes you through history to Macon, allowing you to discover a rich heritage and a wide variety of landscapes. Find out more at www.viaburgundia.org.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.