Blanot – Vaux-sur-Aine – Blanot circular loop

A hilly route winding its way between the Clunisois and Mâconnais hills. Between Blanot and Azé, you’ll discover Vaux-sur-Aine and its castle, as well as La Bouzolle with its striking tower, much loved by Sacha Guitry.
In any case, this is a somewhat challenging route that requires a bit of stamina and an adventurous spirit. It’s not an easy ride, but it offers its rewards.

Details

n°10069870
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.17 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,985 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,969 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,791 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 837 ft

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in the village of Blanot, near Le Coing (formerly L’Étape),

(S/E) Leave the car park on the right, passing the book exchange, the wash house and the fountain.
Head towards the Grozellier cheese dairy on the right. Turn left immediately after its car park. Follow the tarmac path, which soon becomes stony, and join the GR®76A (red and white markings) at the ‘Péluzot’ junction.

(1) Continue to the right along the GR® towards the Col des 4 Vents.
Walk past a large shed and carry on straight ahead until you reach the D146 (signposted ‘Le Poirier du Prêtre’).
Without crossing the road, leave the GR® by turning left onto the esplanade.
Cross it diagonally to the left, heading towards the mast.

(2) Go to the left of the portable building and follow the path down to the D15.
Carefully cross the D15 to head down the path directly opposite (you’ll need to cross the road to see it).
At the track, turn left.

(3) Continue until you reach a path on the right leading to an abandoned building; turn right again to walk past it. Take the path that climbs until it ends, ignoring all the side paths branching off to the right and left.

(4) At the tarmac road, turn right until you reach the junction, then follow the sign for ‘Accès D15 5 t’ to the left. Ignore the path leading uphill to the right.
At the ‘Les Brosses’ signpost, take the narrow grassy path opposite.
At the crossroads, at elevation 461, head back up to the road, passing between a green transformer and

(5) the ‘Le Devant’ marker. Take the road on the right, towards Les Quatre Vents.

(6) After a steep climb, a short flat section and a gentle ascent, pass an electricity pole bearing a brown__/__ symbol and turn left onto a stony track. Pass the B1 observation post.
Follow this track, passing observation posts 18 and 17, to join the GR®76A at the Bois de Donzy marker. Turn left towards La Croix Montmain.

(7) Leave the GR® at the signpost in Charmoy and head left towards Azé.
Pass the tree marked with a Red Cross and a White Cross and a yellow line, then follow the path marked with a Red Cross, which will be signposted in yellow all the way to Vaux.
At the wash house, take the road leading uphill and walk through the village. Leave the yellow markings at Rue de la Liberté and continue straight on.

(8) View of the (private) château of Vaux-sur-Aine, built in the 16th century, featuring an open courtyard with a circular tower at one corner. The château itself is adorned with four towers of varying sizes. Continue to the next junction.

(9) At the Mont Pelé signpost, turn left onto the path marked in yellow, heading towards En Fourgeot.
About 850 metres further on, on the left, you’ll see a building with a wooden gallery and a rather unusual tower. This is La Bouzolle. Sacha Guitry is said to have stayed there on several occasions.
Join a small tarmac road at En Fourgeot. Follow it down to the left towards Moulin Fourgeot. When you reach a main road, turn left again.
Pass the picnic area, with its wayside cross and ‘Verger à croquer’, as you head down to the left.
Before reaching the junction with the D15, turn right at the Moulin Fourgeot signpost onto the Sentier du Buis and join the D15.

(10) Cross it carefully and follow the Chemin de l’Étang, opposite, towards La Goulouze.
There is an information board about the wetlands at the side of the path.
Carry on and you will soon pass the two ponds. At the ‘La Goulouze’ signpost, continue straight on until you reach the road. Follow it to the right for 150 m.

(11) Before the junction with another road, take the Chemin de Pratys on the left.
Follow it straight on until you reach a three-way fork in the road.

(12) Take the middle path, which forms a slight rise and is used by cyclists. You’ll see a __/__ signpost a little further on.

(13) Then take the path on the right, also marked by a __/__ signpost, to avoid having to climb over the fallen tree and rejoin the path a little further on.
Pass a tree on the right marked with the number 22, then shortly afterwards pass under three tree trunks in a bend to the right.

(14) Join a perpendicular path marked __/__ and follow it to the right.
(15) Ignore the start of the path and continue to the left, heading uphill.
Step over a fallen tree trunk and walk past a tree marked with a 12.
The path soon splits into several branches. Take the grassiest path on the left, marked by a cairn.

(16) Follow it to the crossroads, then take the path on the right uphill.
For your information, on the left, the second path leads to the old Crue farm, which provided shelter for the Blanot resistance group during the Second World War.
At the next junction, stay on this path, which slopes slightly to the right.

(17) At the ‘Bois des Brosses’ signpost, continue to the right towards Fougnières.
Join the GR®76A at a large crossroads. Follow it down to the left, then leave it almost immediately when it branches off to the left towards Mâcon. Continue straight on to Blanot Bourg.
Take the opportunity to admire the Merovingian tombs, the Priory and the Romanesque Church of St-Marin before returning to the starting point of this walk (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,161 ft - Village car park, near Le Coing, formerly Étape - Église Saint-Martin (Blanot)
  2. 1 : mi 0.7 - alt. 1,473 ft - Péluzot signpost
  3. 2 : mi 1.12 - alt. 1,467 ft - Portable toilet block. Join the D15.
  4. 3 : mi 1.81 - alt. 1,119 ft - On the right, near a building.
  5. 4 : mi 2.47 - alt. 1,424 ft - At the tarmac track, turn right.
  6. 5 : mi 3.26 - alt. 1,565 ft - Le Devant signpost
  7. 6 : mi 3.61 - alt. 1,683 ft - Symbol __/\__ and Observation Point B1
  8. 7 : mi 4.42 - alt. 1,693 ft - Signpost in Charmoy
  9. 8 : mi 6.01 - alt. 1,253 ft - Vaux-sur-Aine Castle
  10. 9 : mi 6.3 - alt. 1,234 ft - Mont Pelé signpost
  11. 10 : mi 7.55 - alt. 853 ft - D15. Near - Grottes d'Azé (Rizerolles)
  12. 11 : mi 9.35 - alt. 1,109 ft - Turn left onto Chemin du Pratys.
  13. 12 : mi 9.65 - alt. 1,198 ft - Marker __/\__
  14. 13 : mi 9.68 - alt. 1,201 ft - Marker __/\__
  15. 14 : mi 9.95 - alt. 1,391 ft - Marker __/\__
  16. 15 : mi 10.15 - alt. 1,496 ft - Ignore the path starting on the left
  17. 16 : mi 10.47 - alt. 1,729 ft - Crue junction
  18. 17 : mi 10.6 - alt. 1,788 ft - Bois des Brosses
  19. S/E : mi 12.17 - alt. 1,161 ft - Village car park.

Notes

Bring water and walking shoes; a small pair of secateurs may come in handy: the vegetation can be overgrown between the Chemin du Pratys and the Bois des Brosses. This section of the route may also be waterlogged or muddy in the wet season but is always accessible.

Toilets in the Blanot car park

Refreshments, food and accommodation available in Blanot and Azé

Food shops (cheese shop in Blanot; cheese shop, bakery and butcher’s/delicatessen in Blanot and Azé)

Market on Sunday mornings in Azé

Route updated on 12 October 2026

Worth a visit

Visits to the Blanot Caves in July/August and during Heritage Days in September, and/or the Azé Caves from April to the end of October, and/or the

(8) Vaux-sur-Aine Castle (not open to visitors)
(16) Ruins of the Maquis de Crue

A dip in the Azé outdoor swimming pool, open from June to the end of August

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
3.6 / 5
La Thébaïde
La Thébaïde

Hello,

Thank you for your comments; I hadn’t taken this route for several years and it’s true that it had changed somewhat. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to rediscover it, put the signposts back in place and update the description so that it reflects the route as it is now.
Thank you again, and I hope you enjoyed our region.

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User 29802572

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Whilst on holiday in the Cluny area, I was looking for a route for a fairly challenging day’s hike.
There are very few viewpoints, but there are still some lovely sights to see: the village of Blanot, the Azé caves...
Some sections are rather poorly maintained and, as the path isn’t signposted at all, the route isn’t always easy to follow.

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Serge71100
Serge71100
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A route with no particular difficulties. Lots of woodland and few views, especially in the first half of the route. Plenty of brambles and stinging nettles on the grassy paths; my friend was wearing shorts and she regretted it.
The final climb through the woods was very muddy due to the recent heavy rain. It took us 6 hours, including breaks, and we took our time.

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aventurier71
aventurier71

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, a lovely walk that I’d highly recommend. Lots of shade, very, very little tarmac. This spring, due to the high water levels, there’s a stream running across the path.

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La Thébaïde
La Thébaïde

Hello,

Thank you for this feedback, which has allowed me to revisit this route that I enjoy just as much as you do, not only for Blanot and Vaux but also because it passes through Azé halfway along, allowing you to stock up at the local shop or bakery, take a dip in the public swimming pool in summer, or have a drink at Romu’s or at the campsite, you can even take the time to explore prehistory by visiting the cave.
The return route via the Verzé doesn’t strike me as uninteresting either, though I must admit I’m not entirely objective.

As for the final stretch through the woods, I’d intended it to be ‘challenging’; I must admit I wasn’t disappointed, but I was very surprised to see just how much the brambles had taken over. Last summer’s rains and the sweltering heat of this one had kept me away from it somewhat; I really did feel as though I were walking through a jungle.
Since then, I’ve spent three days making it more inviting again, by clearing the undergrowth and adding a few signposts where they were missing, just as you rightly pointed out.

I hope that other ‘adventurers’ will dare to set out to explore this path, which winds its way over hill and dale, equipped with the secateurs mentioned in the practical information, and that they will thus help to keep it alive.
Trails thrive because volunteers, like me and like you, maintain them every time we walk along them.

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@urel
@urel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

We went on this walk in hot weather and enjoyed the sections through the woodland.
However, the route is very poorly maintained (or not at all in places) with overgrown vegetation, particularly when we lost the path towards the end of the walk (the section through the forest).
There was no sign of the path mentioned, just thick brambles which we were forced to push through…
Furthermore, the route offers no particular points of interest apart from the start and finish points (Blanot) and the section through Vaux-sur-Aine. This is very regrettable and, above all, not representative of the area.

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La Thébaïde
La Thébaïde

I’m glad I was able to give you that pleasure.
It’s true that, under normal circumstances, there’s already plenty of vegetation; I imagine these last fortnight or so of rather damp weather must have made it even more lush.
So do remember to bring your secateurs.....

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PHGASSE71
PHGASSE71

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We set off early in the morning and hiked in pleasant weather, with a little mist as we left Blanot. The trail, which we were partly familiar with having cycled it on mountain bikes, is very pleasant; you should expect to encounter dense vegetation along a third of the route (nettles and brambles). I’d downloaded the route onto my GPS and the route it plotted matched the description perfectly. We completed the route in just 5 hours. We only came across two mountain bikers and one jogger. We recommend this lovely walk, best done early to avoid the heat.

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