Circular route in the Bois de Vantoux starting from Ahuy

Forest walk starting from Ahuy and heading towards Vantoux.

Details

42344856
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.03 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 172 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 176 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 395 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 306 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Ahuy (21121)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.377994° / E 5.017097°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3022ET, 3122SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Start from the car park at the Ahuy sports ground.

(S/E) Head north-west and enter the woods. At a crossroads (elevation 319), go straight on. Pass under a high-voltage power line, continue along the edge of the woods, turn left, still keeping to the edge, and you will soon reach a junction.

(1) Turn right, enter the woods and take the left at the junction that appears immediately. Follow an uphill path heading west, ignoring all the side paths. After a right-hand bend, you’ll reach a T-junction.

(2) Follow the path on the right which descends towards the Château de Vantoux park. Continue straight on, downhill, until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Take the first path on the left at an acute angle. Cross two successive paths and continue to a third junction.

(4) Turn right. At the end of the path, turn right again. At the junction immediately ahead, turn left onto a partly stony path. Continue straight ahead and descend into the Combe Grivot.

(5) At the T-junction at the bottom, turn left. Follow the path straight ahead along the bottom of the valley, heading south-west.

(6) At a junction, turn left twice, following the signposts towards Hauteville. Climb up to a crossroads.

(7) Then turn right, heading due south. Ignore all the paths branching off to the right and continue to a new crossroads

(8) Continue straight on along an unmarked path. At the fork shortly afterwards, keep to the right. The path curves to the right (south) and leads to a T-junction.

(9) Follow the Chemin des Vaches to the left and pass under a high-voltage power line. At the fork that appears immediately, turn right and leave a building surrounded by trees on your left. Cross a small wood briefly and, at the next fork, keep to the right.

(10) At the next junction, take a path on the left, cross another path immediately and continue straight ahead (east-southeast). Ignore a turn-off on the right and turn left onto the path which leads back through the woods to Rue du Puits de Bois.

(11) At a fork, take the path on the left.

(12) You will come out onto a small road; follow it to the left and you will soon reach the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 319 m - Ahuy sports ground car park
  2. 1 : km 0.58 - alt. 311 m - Junction
  3. 2 : km 1.66 - alt. 382 m - T-junction
  4. 3 : km 2.96 - alt. 343 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 3.47 - alt. 370 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.98 - alt. 306 m - T-junction – Bottom of Combe Grivot
  7. 6 : km 5.32 - alt. 330 m - Junction
  8. 7 : km 5.78 - alt. 374 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 6.37 - alt. 391 m - Crossroads
  10. 9 : km 7.08 - alt. 374 m - T-junction
  11. 10 : km 8.03 - alt. 333 m - Crossroads
  12. 11 : km 8.44 - alt. 319 m - Fork
  13. 12 : km 8.81 - alt. 310 m - Road junction
  14. S/E : km 9.03 - alt. 319 m - Ahuy sports ground car park

Notes

The descent into Combe Grivot is steep.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Marc21
Marc21

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path is very poorly marked at times, but the walk is truly magnificent in the woods. Despite a few climbs, the walk is easy

Machine-translated

patetiti
patetiti

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

At point No. 3, it’s best to turn 45° to take the Grivor valley before reaching point No. 5, as the descent between points No. 4 and 5 is really difficult.

Machine-translated

chafouine21
chafouine21

Hello

It all depends on the time of year you go on this hike
We haven’t had that problem ourselves, though....

Machine-translated

Chabanis
Chabanis

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

This walk could be really lovely, if it weren’t for that ‘crappy’ section between points 4 and 5: a pathless stretch through the woods with broken branches, undergrowth and brambles (a GPS is essential), followed by a steep, slippery descent over scree down into the valley.
Wouldn’t it be possible to avoid these two difficult sections (even if it means making the route a bit longer) by using better paths?
If that’s not possible, it’s a real shame because we won’t be doing it again (we’re covered in scratches!!!)😩

Machine-translated

catherine bretin
catherine bretin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, very pleasant. Take care at point 3. The path veers off at a sharp angle and is almost worn away. It’s worth following the route using the app so you don’t have to search too hard.
Between points 8 and 9, there are lots of uprooted trees which could pose a hazard.
Apart from these details, I highly recommend this walk!

Machine-translated

jcehenne
jcehenne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant little walk. The path between (4) and (5), which descends into the Combe Grivot, is overgrown, but this isn’t a problem at the end of the season.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.