Blin Farm – Druyes Valley

Marked hike N°51.
From the old medieval castle, discover a village built between an old, partly dried-up marsh and a cliff. Druyes Valley offers a green setting that contrasts with the chalky rocks that support the ruined building.

Technical sheet

203120
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 169 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 168 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 236 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 163 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Depart from the castle carpark (la Ville).

(S/E) Take the street that leads to the castle passing under the city gate. pass to the right of the castle, go down on the path which ends on a small path. Keep descending to arrive Place Jean Bertin. Turn left, then right to cross the bridge which is above the Druyes River. Go along the street to the church.

(1) Take immediately the right before the town hall the pedestrian path (Chemin des Sources).

(2) After going in front of a tavern located on the left, take le path going up in a vegetal part. Take a look to the lake. Halfway up the climb, fork left in the first path.

(3) Arriving on an old railway, turn left, cross on the viaduct and enjoy the point of view on both sides.At the end of this part, cross the road D104. This new asphalt road ends quickly as a dirt road which bypasses the football stadium and arrives on road D148.

(4) o straight to go down in the path.

(5) At the place where stop the border hedges, take a pin on the left. Go up on the steep path and join a large and stabilized road. Take it by the right, arriving at the Blin’s Farm.
4 : Go straight
5 : Pin turn on the left.

(6) At this junction, turn slightly left and then take the road in front of you, toward Fontenailles. Go past Rue des Roussiottes on the left and continue down Rue des Grandes Chenevières until you reach the pond on your left.

(7) Head North-West along Rue des Railly. This ends in a path. Go through the undergrowth and continue walking down Morin Valley.

(8) Bear left, ignore the first path off to the right and climb up along the wide path on the edge of some woodland. Leave this woodland and keep walking until you reach a double crossing of 6 roads and paths (9). Make sure you take the third path on the right for almost 1km.

(10) Go straight on at the crossroads toward the half-buried reservoir. When you reach the D104, turn left, then after 50m, go up the dirt track on the right that leads to the carpark. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 208 m - Château Fort de Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines
  2. 1 : km 0.73 - alt. 169 m - Eglise St Romain
  3. 2 : km 0.88 - alt. 171 m - Take the path to the left of the lake
  4. 3 : km 1.62 - alt. 196 m - Turn left towards - Viaduc de Druyes-les-Belles Fontaines
  5. 4 : km 3.09 - alt. 206 m - Go straight on
  6. 5 : km 3.5 - alt. 167 m - Left hairpin bend
  7. 6 : km 4.35 - alt. 166 m - Blin farm, spring and fountain. Towards the - Druyes (rivière)
  8. 7 : km 6.58 - alt. 232 m - Describing a left/right
  9. 8 : km 7.21 - alt. 230 m - Pond (former drinking trough)
  10. 9 : km 8.18 - alt. 195 m - Fond de la Vallée Morin
  11. 10 : km 8.91 - alt. 226 m - Double junction of 6 roads and paths
  12. 11 : km 9.89 - alt. 220 m - Go straight ahead
  13. S/E : km 10.46 - alt. 208 m - Château Fort de Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines

Practical information

This trail can be done cycling. Sources and fountains are numerous but the water is not drinkable even if it’s very clear. A lot of ducks live in the marsh and makes the water unfit for human consumption. This trail is offered by the Tourist Office of Puisaye-Forterre.
The markup is provided by the Association A chacun son chemin en Puisaye-Forterre following the graphical charter of the Community of Communes of Puisaye-Forterre in the way of the description and bears N°51. The presence of the markup, however, requires that you leave at least with this description and the attached IGN map.
In case of problems, thank you for completing this questionnaire (1 to 2 minutes only).
Careful when crossing roads.
Druyes-les-Belles-Fontaines got, in 2017 the label Cité de Caractère de Bourgogne - Franche-Comté.

In the nearby area

There are many viewpoints along this route.
Highlights: the postern, the castle, the wash house just before the first bridge, and the church. Also: the galleries, the ephemeral exhibitions, and the broken linden (at the bottom of the church)
This village is classified as a "major touristic site", where Captain Cognet and the engineer Jean Bertin (creator of the hovertrain and hovercraft) were born.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
boiz89
boiz89

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Nothing to add, everything has been said in the previous messages

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remi2000
remi2000
• Last modified:

parish specific to Brittany, very nice walk, very well marked out and very pretty landscape

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Cyril Drion
Cyril Drion

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Varied landscapes and a great picnic at Druyes!

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Gavroche89
Gavroche89

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant walk on 14 July in the sunshine.

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Charon
Charon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : May 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

This is a very pleasant walk with varied scenery.
Certainly more popular later in the season than at the beginning of May.

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fescof
fescof
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Well signposted for a very pleasant loop. The visit to the castle and the upper town surrounding it, the village below and the tour of the surrounding countryside all add up to three or four hours of pleasure. There was no particular difficulty on the route (the steep incline indicated is in fact quite slight and very short).
It was early in the year, so I couldn't say whether the route is frequented in season. But it's definitely worth the effort. I'll do it again in the autumn.

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GéClo
GéClo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

An easy walk in very hot, dry weather, but with some shady sections that make it enjoyable.

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remi2000
remi2000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Very nice parish specific to Brittany, very well explained and beautiful scenery.

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Almaz
Almaz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

We did this walk during a small window of sunshine between the incessant rain, and were delighted with the scenery, the fresh air and the many watering holes. The route is very pleasant in autumn, and we didn't see anyone.
The last part was a bit monotonous, but overall it was interesting and beautiful.

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Alain89
Alain89

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice walk, but in my opinion, it should be done the other way round to finish in the village of Druye.

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Patrickso
Patrickso

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beware of the signs, which are sometimes non-existent! the walk is pleasant.

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traîné.pattes
traîné.pattes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Dec 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We just added the passage through the "Panama" valley
Nice hike
Sincerely
Françoise

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Dryse
Dryse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant, easy walk with some lovely views. Druyes castle is superb, as is the village. A large part of the walk is in the open, so be careful on a sunny day. The signs are sometimes non-existent, so check the description.

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Good evening V.Levavasseur,
It's true that the description in Fontenailles wasn't sufficiently detailed, which has now been corrected, but I've stuck to the route drawn up by the Forterre communauté de Communes and published in 2000. Thank you for pointing this out to me.
The Yonne on foot route, published in October 2005, is a little longer (loop via the Saint-Martin farm to the north). It was recently re-marked by the FFRP89 in the same direction (apparently) as the present description on visorando.
I have also added the diversions via the Panama Canal which, despite the signs, passes through private forest roads.

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VLrando
VLrando

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Hello
Small problem in Fontenailles: if you go by the commentary and the map, you can't find the pond... It should say: take the 1st street on the left just after the Fontenailles sign, opposite a dirt track. This is the rue des Roussiottes, and you'll come to the pond, so change the route on the map slightly.

Despite very random signposting, this trail is not difficult to follow and is a great way to get to know the Forterre countryside.
The Druyes les belles fontaines route Topo FFR "Ll'Yonne à pied n°23" is identical, but in the opposite direction. I did both versions and found No. 23 more interesting, as you approach the viewpoints from the front, and it is very well signposted in yellow/red.

You should indicate the possible diversions via the Panama Valley, as you do on the route
"Le viaduc de Druyes".

Yours sincerely V.Levavasseur

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