Circular starting from Saint-Père

Hike starting from the small village of Saint-Père, with a visit to the stunning Notre-Dame church, a masterpiece of Burgundian Gothic architecture, passing by the two bridges of Pierre-Perthuis and the Pierre Percée site overlooking the Cure valley. On the way back, there is an alternative route along the Cure, then an ascent towards the vineyards with views of Vézelay.

Details

3920922
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.86 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 283 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 284 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 260 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 145 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park opposite the town hall.

(S/E) Turn right towards the church and you will soon reach Notre-Dame church. Continue until you reach a crossroads with several directions. Turn right onto the yellow-marked path and pass in front of the Manoir de Val en Sel lodge. You will soon see the red and whiteGR®® markings. Pass in front of a wash house and you will arrive at an inverted Y-shaped fork.

(1) Continue to the right on thisGR®® trail, entering a wood and keeping to the right. On leaving the wood, pass between vineyards and you will come to a GR®® crossroads.

(2) Leave theGR®® de Saint Jacques de Compostelle,GR®®654, on your right and continue opposite on theGR®®13, which is shared with theGRP®® Tour de l'Avallonnais. At the next intersection, continue to follow theGR®® 13 to reach the village of Foissy-lès-Vezelay. Turn right onto Rue Neuve, then continue to Grande Rue. Pass the dovecote located in a field on the left.

(3) Turn left at a right angle onto Rue du Lait, continue to follow the red and white markings and you will reach the village of Pierre Perthuis.

(4) Follow the D958 and cross it. Pass the old wall and continue along Rue de la Poterne until you reach the castle. At the bend, turn right onto the path leading downhill to the site of the old bridge. Cross it and follow the Cure upstream to reach the ruins of the Moulin de Gingon.

(5) Leave theGR®® 13 here and take the path uphill on the left. Join the Chemin des Chaumes and turn left. At the next crossroads, marked by a cross, turn right onto the D353.
Keep to the right and you will come to another Y-junction.

(6) Take the gravel path on the left and continue to reach the Roche Percée site.

(7) Return to the previous crossroads via the same route.

(6) Turn left onto the D353 to reach the village of Précy-le-Moult.

(8) Turn immediately left, then follow the first path on the left across the fields. Walk slowly and carefully, as in some places the path begins to disappear because farmers plough it, but it is marked. You will reach the junction with the D53 road.

(9) Cross it, then continue on the right bank of the Cure towards Saint-Père. After the Saint-Père campsite, follow Rue du Gravier to the left and join the junction with Rue du Pont.

(10) Here you have two options:
- head to the town hall car park (S/E) by turning left and crossing the bridge, then turning left towards the town hall,
- continue along the bank of the Cure, reach the lagooning station, turn right to reach a high point with a beautiful view of Vézelay.

(11) Continue to the right to reach the Route de Nanchèvre. Turn right onto this road, pass in front of the wine cellar and join Rue du Pont. Turn right onto this road to return to the crossroads you passed on the way out.

(10) Cross the bridge, turn left onto Grand Rue towards the Town Hall to find the car park opposite the Town Hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 147 m - Town hall car park - Église Notre-Dame (Saint-Père)
  2. 1 : km 0.77 - alt. 187 m - Inverted Y-shaped crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.2 - alt. 231 m - GR crossroads
  4. 3 : km 4.03 - alt. 192 m - Foissy-lès-Vézelay
  5. 4 : km 5.89 - alt. 179 m - Pierre-Perthuis - Vieux Pont de Pierre-Perthuis
  6. 5 : km 6.86 - alt. 158 m - Gingon Mill
  7. 6 : km 8.11 - alt. 198 m - Roche Percée crossroads
  8. 7 : km 8.8 - alt. 173 m - Roche Percée (Pierre-Perthuis)
  9. 8 : km 9.86 - alt. 219 m - Précy le Moult
  10. 9 : km 11.26 - alt. 164 m - D53 crossroads
  11. 10 : km 13.58 - alt. 148 m - Carrefour Pont de la - Cure (la)
  12. 11 : km 14.72 - alt. 177 m - Viewpoint over Vézelay
  13. S/E : km 17.86 - alt. 148 m - Town hall car park - Église Notre-Dame (Saint-Père)

Notes

No water sources identified on this route.
Hiking boots essential
Walking poles recommended for two sections, especially in wet weather.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

(S/E) Notre-Dame de Saint-Père Church, a masterpiece of Burgundian Gothic architecture, built between the13th and15th centuries. 50-metre-high bell tower.
(4) Ponts de Pierre Perthuis, above the Cure, the new19th-century bridge overlooks the old bridge or Roman bridge. Note: a scene from La Grande Vadrouille was filmed on this site, in which De Funès climbs onto Bourvil's shoulders.
(7) Pierre Percée, above a bend in the Cure, a natural site at the end of a path. The Pierre Percée site features an arch-shaped granite rock above the valley, with a hole measuring 6 m by 8 m.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
carinec21
carinec21

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike (a little longer here, at 18.36 km and 356 m of elevation gain). The hike is easy to follow and presents no technical difficulties (just a slightly high "rock" to climb down to see the pierced rock from below, but it's really not difficult). The church of Saint Père is very beautiful, the two bridges at Pierre-Perthuis with the famous scene from the film La Grande Vadrouille are nice to see (but quite crowded) and the Roche Percée is also very pretty. In short, a very pleasant 18 km hike!

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Cyril Drion
Cyril Drion

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

One of the magnificent hikes in our beautiful department!
There are lots of interesting things to see along the way!
The Val en Sel gardens are a must-see!
Thank you!

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canto89
canto89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on 2 March 2025. Very muddy banks of the Cure, and return to Saint-Père on paths rutted by tractors.
Otherwise, a very beautiful hike. Best done in dry weather...

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severemarc
severemarc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy route through vineyards and agricultural landscapes.

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lessibil
lessibil

Even so, right from the start, you cross the village of Saint Père and can visit the splendid Burgundian church, then enjoy views of Vézelay along the way.
As for shade, it is indeed a path through the hills with almost no trees (except at Pierre Perthuis) and a little far from the Cure, but you have to get back and there is no path that follows the Cure.

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Or élie
Or élie

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Apart from the stone bridge and the pierced rock, there's not much of interest for me... Unfortunately, the second part is quite far from the cure, and above all, there's hardly any shade along the way.
Otherwise, the route is perfect, and luckily for the end.

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mgnl
mgnl

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and varied route; very well signposted for the first 15 km (southern section) but almost no signposts on the circular northern loop (but no problem finding your way using the app!).
Thanks to those who mapped out this hike!
Well done and thank you, Visorando!

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PresidentMarc
PresidentMarc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb walk! Lots of beautiful views. A must-do!

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remi2000
remi2000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, lovely area to see, like the old bridge. Too bad it was under construction.
Thanks to whoever mapped it out.

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doudou70
doudou70
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike on a sunny day, with varied landscapes, vineyards, a bit of forest, a river, pretty villages, remarkable sites (castle, rock formation...) and, above all, superb views of Vézelay.
I recommend this hike as a lovely way to discover the beautiful Morvan region.

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