Circular in the upper Mâconnais region starting from Chasselas

A magnificent hike starting from Chasselas. You can enjoy the magnificent view of the two rocks, Solutré and Vergisson, from Mont de Pouilly, as well as the beautiful paths of the Grange du Bois. You will discover the wine-growing landscape as well as the fields and forests of the region with the Grange du Bois. A challenging hike that will delight lovers of the great outdoors.

Details

5156972
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.29 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,785 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,775 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,313 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,033 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at Place de Chasselas.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, set off to the left, walk 200 metres and, at the cross, take the path on the left, then turn right onto the dirt track.
Cross the D31 road carefully and continue straight ahead on the path surrounded by vineyards. You will reach a clearing after passing under a power line.

(1) Then make a large circular loop to the left to cross this clearing and reach the summit of Mont de Pouilly

(2) Continue to the right on the marked trail, passing Petit Mont. Begin another gentle climb and at the next crossroads, turn left to reach Grange Pile of Stone Gathered from Fields. Continue north, then take the D54 road to reach a picnic area below Roche de Solutré.

(3) Continue uphill, crossing a clearing via a dirt track. Pass through several meadows shaded by trees. Continue straight ahead until you reach a crossroads, then turn left to reach the Priory of La Grange du Bois.

(4) Take the road that leads to the car park of the Grange du Bois tea room. Carefully cross the D31 and D627 roads, then turn left at the intersection in the middle of the houses onto the path that climbs southwest to the heights of the Grange du Bois. This is theGR®76Amarked in red and white. Continue climbing and pass the Ancien Télégraphe.

(5) Continue climbing until you reach the highest point, then follow a nearly flat path to arrive at a place called Les Pieds.

(6) Continue along theGR® to reach the hamlet of Prémessin.

(7) Leave theGR® here and take the path on the left which, via a steep descent into Combe Froide, ends at the Ruisseau de Prétu crossroads.

(8) Turn right, continue on almost flat ground before ending with a short descent to reach the Croix de Pruzilly crossroads (elevation 421) and turn left.

(9) Then begin another gentle climb and walk alongside the hamlet of Plassy. Turn left at the next crossroads to reach the crossroads of the road leading to Haut du Bois de Leynes.

(10) Head north on the path, cross the woods and, after a 90° right turn, you will come to the Chasselas vineyards. Follow them on the left, enter Chasselas and continue along Rue de la Grande Charrière to return to the car park at Place de Chasselas (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,037 ft - Place de Chasselas car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.89 - alt. 1,417 ft - Clearing
  3. 2 : mi 1.45 - alt. 1,555 ft - Mont de Pouilly
  4. 3 : mi 2.45 - alt. 1,339 ft - Picnic area - Roche de Solutré
  5. 4 : mi 3.25 - alt. 1,634 ft - Priory of La Grange du Bois
  6. 5 : mi 4.31 - alt. 2,182 ft - Viewpoint over the region
  7. 6 : mi 4.97 - alt. 2,244 ft - Les Pieds
  8. 7 : mi 5.49 - alt. 2,205 ft - Hamlet of Prémessin
  9. 8 : mi 6.22 - alt. 1,516 ft - Prétu stream
  10. 9 : mi 7.53 - alt. 1,378 ft - Croix de Pruzilly
  11. 10 : mi 8.3 - alt. 1,325 ft - Road junction
  12. S/E : mi 9.29 - alt. 1,037 ft - Place de Chasselas car park

Notes

The start of the hike is in open terrain through vineyards towards Mont de Pouilly, but there are many shaded areas along the way.

Worth a visit

(1) View of the two rocks on the right.
(4) View of the priory and the two rocks.

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 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
jeanlouispe
jeanlouispe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike offering beautiful scenery

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GuyLeroy
GuyLeroy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is magnificent, with elevation changes and many interesting viewpoints. The path between points 7 and 8 is steep but very interesting with a beautiful panorama of the mountains. In dry weather, it is easy and presents no difficulties. I imagine that in wet weather it must be very slippery and challenging. Currently (early August 2025), this path is closed due to forestry work. We got through without any problems as the foresters weren't there. The end of the route is a bit tedious on the road. However, we highly recommend this beautiful route. We didn't meet anyone else.

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User 22995683

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, shaded in places.
Easy to follow thanks to the app and real-time tracking on my iPhone.
The route is accessible for an average hiker.

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volaille
volaille

Overall rating : 2 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Poor directions from start to finish. We didn't see much of the hike described on the website – we couldn't find our way using the directions provided. We were forced to improvise another route. We had to use our mobile phones to geolocate ourselves: we were lost.
Not knowing the area, the description is very disappointing.
However, the route we improvised was very beautiful.

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Valerie VANIER
Valerie VANIER

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
We started off in the wrong direction because there is another cross towards the castle and we didn't see the first one.
Park in the car park on the left at the entrance to the village, which is neither near the town hall nor the church, as is often the case.

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FTM
FTM

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and varied hike starting in the vineyards and continuing through the forest with stunning views. The route is fairly easy to follow until you reach the Grange des Bois, but after that the signposting becomes more unpredictable, especially on the descent towards Chasselas
It should be noted that you follow the GR 76A and then the yellow markings. In particular, at the Pruzilly cross, do not take the path to the left before the cross, but the one just after it. There is a risk of confusion.
The route seemed longer than indicated, more like 18 km (5½ hours' walking), but it is a beautiful route that is particularly recommended in autumn

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algay
algay

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, lovely scenery

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henri01
henri01

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Part of the route is very steep and slippery, and when it rains, it practically becomes a stream.
The eastern part of Premessin, especially from point 642 to point 463, is above the cold valley.
Next time, I think I will take the circuit in the opposite direction, so that I have this difficulty at the beginning of the route and on the way up.
Thank you for your route.
Best regards.
Henri 01

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fred_chalon
fred_chalon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, but quite challenging nonetheless. It just goes to show that Solutré Vergisson isn't the only place worth visiting in the Oin region. It's best to take your mobile phone with you, as it's always difficult to follow the instructions in the description alone. I definitely recommend it.

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Margaut01
Margaut01

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in three parishes (to Brittany) with magnificent views
Don't miss the path that descends when you arrive in Premessin; it is marked with two wooden posts before the first house on the left

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gerardpierre
gerardpierre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route. A magnificent view of the Solutré rock and Vergisson after only a few minutes' walk. From point 3 to 4, a very pleasant path through the undergrowth. It's a shame that the priory at La Grande des Bois is not open to visitors. As for the village's tea room and lodge, it is only open from 5pm onwards and from Thursday to Sunday between July and September. At point 7, at the end of the dirt track on the CD 627, take the path that descends a few metres further on and to the left. There are no markings, except for two wooden posts. The descent is a little difficult due to the numerous stones. Take the mountain bike trails from time to time. In summary, thank you to whoever mapped out this beautiful route.

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PHGASSE71
PHGASSE71

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the sunshine. We took a wrong turn at the barn in the woods, took the D627 and then turned off onto the GR76D, forcing us to turn back towards Rontémonard.
Between points 7 and 8, it is better to take the parallel path used by mountain bikers, as it is less rocky and therefore less tiring on the knees. Before reaching point 9, part of the path is private and is no longer maintained. Once you reach the cross, make sure you take the right path down towards Malatray. Otherwise, thank you for this beautiful route, which took us 5 hours to complete.

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monsieurpointu
monsieurpointu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On the descent between 7 and 8, there are parallel tracks made by mountain bikers that are much easier to ride on and avoid the numerous holes and loose stones on the main trail.
A very pleasant hike with little tarmac. Thank you to the contributor!
Practical information: Dry toilets in the car park at the start.

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monsieurpointu
monsieurpointu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On the descent between 7 and 8, there are parallel tracks made by mountain bikers that are much easier to ride on and avoid the numerous holes and loose stones on the main trail.
A very pleasant hike with little tarmac. Thank you to the contributor!

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mimiche1954
mimiche1954

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this beautiful hike in glorious weather with stunning views of the countryside
Please note, however, that if it rains the day before, the ground can be slippery between points 7 and 8, at around 9 to 10 km, where there is a steep descent on a stony path.

Info: there is a table and bench where eight people can eat between points 6 and 7, approximately 8.5 km at an altitude of 684 on the map.
It was too late for us, so we ate 500 m before that on some logs.

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