Circular walk starting from Viévigne via Bèze

Head to Viévigne and park in the town hall car park on Rue de l’Église.

(S/E) Set off to the left, with your back to the town hall, to reach the junction where the Chemin de Fontaine Tresie (or Trésille) begins. Turn left and follow this tarmac road, which becomes a stony track as you leave the village, heading towards the fields. It veers to the right towards the gas station in the distance, crossing a dry ditch. When you reach the T-junction at elevation 249, turn left.

(1) Follow this field track continuously until it joins a transverse dirt track. Then turn left and follow this stony track to its end at elevation 254. Turn left.

(2) This path heads towards a copse of trees in the distance on the right. Well before reaching it, turn right at the first junction of tracks. The field path climbs the hillock then drops down the other side, revealing a new landscape. At the bottom, it meets a cross-path. Turn left and head straight on until you reach the D112. Turn right onto this road.

(3) Walk _carefully_ for about sixty metres before turning left onto a stony track that continues across the fields. It comes to an end following land consolidation, despite its continuation being marked on the IGN map. You must go up on the right to go round the field.

(4) Follow the grassy path to its end for a few dozen metres, then head along the edge of the fields, veering to the left (in a curved semicircle). Look out for the old Épenouses farm and the left-hand side of its wooden fence. Head back down along the field to join a grassy path running along the left-hand side of the property.

(5) In front of the main entrance to the old farm, join the tarmac road, pass the entrance to the Petit Hector farm, then go under the viaduct of the old railway line (VF) before reaching the D960 straight ahead at the entrance to the town of Bèze. Turn right.

(6) Follow this road _carefully_ as it descends, first on the hard shoulder and then on the left-hand pavement, towards the village. When you reach a sign indicating a ‘Stop’ 150 metres ahead, turn left into Impasse des Lilas.

(7) At the edge of the built-up area, the tarmac road becomes a stony track and then a completely grassy path. It ends at the old railway line. Turn right to follow a dirt track to the next junction, where you can cross the tracks. Turn left.

(8) Just after crossing the railway line, keep to the right to head towards the woodland. At the next Fork in the road, just before the woodland, keep to the right again. Continue along this fairly wide path through the woodland. It emerges to cross between fields in a hollow, then enters the woodland again. Follow it straight ahead for a long stretch until it reaches a fork in the road. Turn right here.

(9) Immediately afterwards, it veers to the left whilst climbing slightly, before descending again alongside a row of fir trees; follow the path to the right. When you reach a T-junction, turn left. The path heads straight on before veering left and climbing. Once you reach level ground, take the first path on the right (line 15) to join a wide, stony white track at the other end. Turn left.

(10) Follow this track in a straight line until it veers to the right. You can take the path on the left at this bend to get closer to the first Dame Alix pond (private property).
Continue along the original track, go through a gate before veering left to walk along the edge of the fields, keeping to the right. The track is now straight.

(11) Just after a slight bend to the left, turn onto a path on the left which leads to the second Dame Alix pond, with houses in sight (private property). Retrace your steps.

(11) Continue along the original path as you leave the woodland (with fields on your right) until you reach the 242-metre mark, where the path veers sharply to the right. Then turn left.

(12) This path enters the undergrowth. Shortly afterwards, at the Fork in the road, keep to the left. It heads straight into the Bois du Four until you reach the first T-junction (lines 22/23). Turn left, then immediately right (there is a Yellow Cross painted on a tree).

(13) The path continues deeper into the woods until it reaches another junction with a stone marker 7/9. Move about 3 metres to the left to take the path on the right (slightly indistinct yellow markings). This route does not correspond to the route shown on the IGN map. This path winds its way past stone marker 8, then under a hedge of fir trees before emerging at the edge of the woodland, into a field.

(14) Follow the grassy path which branches off to the left at the edge of the woodland and, a little further on across the fields, joins a wide, white, stony track at elevation 266. Turn right to enter Viévigne via the Chemin des Essarts, then the Rue de Montrivaut, until you reach the wide, open junction with the D960.

(15) Cross this road _carefully_ and take the D112 opposite, heading towards Tanay and Mirebeau. Follow the Grande Rue to the next junction (marked by a wayside cross) and keep right onto the Chemin de la Fontaine Tresie, which leads back towards the Town Hall, turning left onto the Rue de l’Église. You will arrive at the car park (S/E).

You may wish to bring walking poles in wet weather and/or when crossing wooded areas.
It is not advisable to follow the route of the old railway line that served the silos, as it is dangerous and overgrown with dense vegetation (trees and brambles).

- The Petit de Viévigne family, known by their titles since the 14th century. Jacques Petit de Viévigne, alias Taupin, was an honorary councillor at the Superior Council of Martinique in 1786.

- Disused railway line between Marcilly-sur-Tille and Mirebeau, which once served the numerous silos along its route.

- Bèze: a tourist attraction featuring its caves, the Bèze resurgence and its medieval buildings.

- The Dame Alix ponds: both are on private property but can be approached quite closely.