Cluny circular from Blanot

Park in the car park in the village centre of Blanot, near L’Étape.

(S/E) Turn right, passing the book exchange, the wash house and the fountain, and follow the signs to the cheese shop.

(1) Turn left immediately after the car park and follow the tarmac path, which becomes stony, until you reach the^GR®76A(red and white markings) at the Péluzot junction.

(2) Follow it to the right. Walk past a large shed and continue straight on until you reach the D146. Without crossing the road, turn left to leave the GR^®. Cross the esplanade diagonally to the left towards the portable building. Go round it on the left. Walk down the path to join the D15, veering slightly to the right before reaching the road.

(3) Cross straight ahead. Follow the path down (you’ll need to cross the road to see it). At the tarmac track, turn right. Walk past two lagoons, the water source (1949) and then the cemetery. Enter Donzy-le-Pertuis following signs for ‘Le Bourg’ and arrive at Rue des Sabots. Turn right onto this street and head towards the church.

(4) Continue south along the Grande Rue. Turn right onto the Chemin des Paillis – recognisable by its embankment of vegetated boulders – and carry on until you reach the Stop signs.

(5) Cross the D15 at the second ‘Stop’ sign to take the path opposite. At Les Quatre Vents, carry on straight ahead until you reach the ‘Stop’ sign.

(6) Cross the D15 once more to join the^GR®76A(red and white markings), which runs alongside the bus shelter on the right and enters the Bois de Donzy towards the Croix Montmain. (Follow these markings all the way to the Croix Montmain.) Walk up the path. Ignore the wide forest track on the right. Follow the red and white markings along the Chemin des Brigands.

(7) When you reach a large crossroads/open space, leave this path and take the Chemin des Argolets, which the^GR® follows, descending steeply to the right. Stay on this wide path; shortly afterwards, you’ll pass a hunting lodge. Continue straight ahead across the open space.

(8) At the Bourcier junction, ignore the Chemin des Dames, which branches off to the right, and the path leading off to the left; instead, carry on straight ahead, entering the woods and very quickly beginning a steep climb. At the top, turn right and begin the descent, still following the^GR®, until you reach the Col de la Croix Montmain and its picnic area. There is also a memorial stone commemorating the sacrifice of the group of resistance fighters stationed here during the Battle of Cluny in 1944.

(9) Cross the D 134 and take the path opposite. Leave the^GR®76Aand follow the^GR®76D, which branches off to the right.

(10) Turn right at the next junction. Walk past a spring: the Fontaine des Croix.
Once dedicated to Saint Radegonde, it was believed to cause death, perhaps due to the presence in the water of buckthorn, whose bark has purgative properties. On Ascension Day, young women hoping to marry within the year would go to this fountain to plant a small cross made from twigs gathered there. The tradition continues to this day.
Follow this path downwards, ignoring any other paths that may cross it.

(11) Go straight on at the junction marked by a bench made of weathered pallets. Continue down the stony path, which soon becomes tarmacked as you pass La Gremoule, and you will soon reach a road running parallel to the TGV railway line.

(12) Follow it to the right and go under the tunnel on the left. Head downhill opposite. Ignore the dead end on the right to reach the road. Turn left before the tunnel. Cross the car park on the right to join the greenway just above a recycling centre.

(13) Turn right onto it at the skateboard park and leave it shortly afterwards via a footbridge/staircase on the left.

(14) Cross it and follow the path that continues from it to reach Rue des Griottons. Cross the street and take the path opposite. Turn right onto the footpath before the Passerelle de la Servaise. Walk alongside the Grosne and join the Route de Bellecroix, then turn left onto it and cross the Pont de la Levée.

(15) Head towards the centre of Cluny via Rue de la Levée. At the tourist information office, take Rue du 11 Août 1944 to the right. Turn onto Place du Marché and walk up Rue Victor Duruy to the right, which runs alongside a boundary wall. Admire the ruins of the old abbey before climbing the steps to reach Rue de l’Abbatiale and the Abbey Museum.

(16) Turn right and walk past the town hall. Go round it on the right to enter a park. Cross the park diagonally before going down a flight of steps and walking up Rue Kenneth-John Conant on the left.
Kenneth-John Conant was an American specialist in medieval architecture. From 1924 until 1976, he excavated the remains of Cluny Abbey, and his work is still regarded as authoritative. The town honoured him by making him an honorary citizen.
Turn right in front of the stud farm, following the bridleways along Rue Porte de Paris. Just before reaching the Tour Ronde, turn left between the two quarries to join Route de la Roseraie.

(17) Cross the road at the traffic lights and take the path on the right after passing through the wooden gate. Cross the small bridge, then the footbridge further to the right. Then take the first left and walk alongside the racecourse until you reach a small tunnel that passes under the greenway (former railway line).

(18) Cross it and take the path on the left. At the bend, leave the path and continue along the footpath which climbs back up to the greenway at point 46. Follow it to the right until you reach the junction just before the Chapelle de Cotte.
This deconsecrated Romanesque chapel, adjoining a former priory/hermitage, belonged to the Cluny estate. Its façade is adorned with Lombard arcades. It features an oblong dome beneath a bell tower that has since disappeared. A small apse is also incorporated into the building. Unfortunately, the site is not open to visitors, so you will not be able to see the remains of the painted plasterwork.

(19) Turn right onto the yellow-marked path which leads uphill. Follow it straight on, through the Bous de Cotte, until you reach the Route de Cluny.

(20) Head up to the left, then turn immediately right onto the path, still marked in yellow, which enters the Bois de Gessy and winds its way until it crosses a path leading to the few houses in Narancy on the left. Follow it until you come face to face with a farmhouse with red shutters.

(21) Then take the path on the right. Ignore the path on the left marked with a Yellow Cross – identifiable by the post topped with a yellow cap indicating the presence of underground gas – and continue to the signpost: Sous la Roche.

(22) Turn left and join the^GR®76Aat L’Alleu. Carry on straight ahead and head down to the D117.

(23) Head up the D117 on the left, then take the second path on the right towards Notre-Dame des Roches.
If you wish, carry on to the Notre-Dame des Roches site, 100 m to the left of^{the GR®76A}, then return to the^GR® to continue.
You will then pass the signpost for Chemin Faîtral. Carry on to the next signpost indicating the directions for Buisson du Fournil and Col de la Percée.

(24) Leave the^GR® here and head uphill to the left. Before entering the woods, turn right and follow the path down to the D 146, which runs through the village of Blanot.

(25) Turn left onto it, then leave it immediately via the narrow lane that descends to the right, running alongside a cowshed. This will take you to the centre of the village and the starting point of this walk (S/E).

Public toilets are available in the village car park in Blanot, at the start and finish point of this walk.

Remember to bring water and wear suitable footwear.
There are no particular navigation difficulties; the route, which largely follows the^GR®76A, 76D and the greenway, is well signposted.

The cheese shop in the centre of Blanot is open every morning from Tuesday to Saturday and offers a range of goat’s and cow’s milk dairy products.

There are several types of accommodation available in the village

In Cluny, you’ll find a full range of shops

Several places to visit:
- the village of Blanot, either at the start or end of your walk, with its Merovingian tombs, its Romanesque Church of Saint-Martin, its priory, its wash houses, its communal oven and its pottery...
- Saint-Julien Church in Donzy-le-Pertuis.
- the Croix Montmain memorial.
- the Fontaine des Croix.
- Cluny, of course, with its narrow streets, historic sites, stud farm and equestrian facilities.
- The Chapel of Cotte.