Saint-André-le-Désert circular

The village of Saint-André-le-Désert is located between Clunisois and Charolais. I suggest this short walk in the heart of the Charolais cattle breeding region. The paths run through a landscape of rolling hills and hedgerows. You will pass through small hamlets with stone houses and places steeped in history. Suitable for families.

Details

845023
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.46 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 177 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 177 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 368 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 227 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the church car park.
(S/E) Take Rue Saint-André towards Le Pâquier (road sign). Take the first lane on the left and at the bottom of it, turn right onto the D14 road. Follow it for about 500 metres.

(1) After the small bridge, take the road that climbs to the left towards "Champ Gelé" (road sign). Pass the farm of the same name and continue along the path to the crossroads. There, turn right and keep right towards "La Goutte par Le Supoy" (yellow sign) until the next crossroads.

(2) At the crossroads, turn left onto the path following the signs for "Liaison route Saint-André-Le-Désert" (yellow sign). Follow it until you reach a crossroads. There, turn right towards the hamlet of Le Supoy, which you can see above. Continue until you reach the hamlet.

(3) At the crossroads in Supoy, ignore the road that descends to the left and continue straight on until you reach the edge of the hamlet. Continue along the path, ignoring the other paths that join it.

(4) At the crossroads, at the end of an S-bend, turn left onto the grassy path that descends towards "Gros Chigy" (yellow sign in the hedge). Follow it to the D14 road, cross it and take the path opposite that climbs towards Mazilly. You will come to a small road; follow it uphill to Mazilly.

(5) In Mazilly, take the second alley on the right (post box). At the end of the bend, turn right onto the path that winds between two buildings (note the rounded corner of the house on the left) and climbs alongside a row of fir trees. Follow this path, which runs alongside a beautiful stone wall, until you reach the road coming from Saint-André-le-Désert.

(6) At the crossroads, turn right and stay on the road that gradually descends towards the village of Gros Chigy. Pass the first calvary and continue straight downhill to the second calvary. The castle is in front of you. At the crossroads, go straight on along the road that climbs towards "Le Bourg Rameau par château" (yellow sign). Continue past the castle until you reach the third wayside cross.

(7) Take the road that climbs to the left, towards "Le Bourg Rameau" (road sign). Immediately after the farm, leave the road temporarily and take the path that climbs to the left. When you reach the hamlet, you will find the road again. Turn left, then take the first right. At the wayside cross, turn right and continue to the next crossroads.

(8) Turn left towards "La Croix de Saumont" (yellow sign) onto the path that passes in front of a radio tower and leads to a place called En Saumont. Continue along the road, pass the cross and continue to the bend in the forest.

(9) Leave the road and take the path on the left (marked by large stones) towards "Reuil Saint-Jean" (yellow sign). Follow it downhill until you reach the road (Saint-André-le-Désert church in sight). Continue along the road, passing a pond and then the cemetery before reaching the car park in front of the church again (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 257 m - Parking at Saint-André Church
  2. 1 : km 0.64 - alt. 250 m - D14 / Champ Gelé junction, on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.07 - alt. 239 m - Crossroads on the St-André-le-Désert route, on the right
  4. 3 : km 3.23 - alt. 245 m - Le Supoy crossroads, straight ahead
  5. 4 : km 3.92 - alt. 245 m - "Le Gros Chigy" crossroads, on the left
  6. 5 : km 5.15 - alt. 280 m - Mazilly
  7. 6 : km 5.52 - alt. 316 m - La Perrière crossroads, on the right
  8. 7 : km 6.35 - alt. 309 m - Le Bourg Rameau crossroads, on the left
  9. 8 : km 7.21 - alt. 365 m - La Croix de Saumont crossroads, on the left
  10. 9 : km 8.52 - alt. 306 m - Reuil Saint-Jean crossroads, on the left
  11. S/E : km 9.46 - alt. 257 m - Parking at Saint-André Church

Notes

No special walking equipment required.

Worth a visit

- The Romanesque church of Saint-André-le-Désert.

- Gros Chigy Castle: (private property, not open to visitors)
12th-century castle. It was destroyed several times between 1361 and 1477. It was rebuilt in 1435 by Claudine de Vaux, wife of Guillaume de l'Aubépin. In 1794, the castle was in ruins and sold at auction as national property. The Ducrot family was forced by the revolutionaries to continue its destruction. After the revolution, the family stopped destroying the castle. In the 19th and 20th centuries, it underwent restoration and renovation. In 2009, it was still owned by the Ducrot family.

- The Saint-Michel shrine (off the trail). This is a small building housing a bas-relief of Saint-Michel (19th century). To see it, continue along the road at point (9) for about 400 metres and then return to the trail (a detour of about 1 kilometre).

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Philippe-17
Philippe-17

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely, uncrowded walk. Please note that the yellow signs in the hedges have disappeared, but it is easy to follow the trail.

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Coriandre54
Coriandre54

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

First of all, thank you to Philippe for sharing this hike with a reliable description and GPX track! Despite the clear directions, I still got lost twice, but thanks to the GPX track, I was able to find my way back!
It's a lovely route that passes through pretty hamlets with stone houses and winds through beautiful countryside. Note that at the start of the route, there are about fifteen minutes on a small road and then, between two paths, you take small roads.

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Marijea
Marijea

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed this hike, which is accessible to everyone and offers beautiful scenery. It's impossible to go wrong with the clear and easy-to-follow explanations. Well done!
Picnic at the start of term and St André outing

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MHM
MHM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Quite a nice walk, but it's a shame that sometimes you couldn't see anything because the hedges were so high.

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MARTDomi
MARTDomi

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike

Unfortunately, some landmarks are missing... (second yellow sign, third wayside cross, of which only the base remains).
The words "chemin herbeux" (grassy path) could replace the second "yellow sign planted in the hedge"* since it has disappeared.

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Basses
Basses
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful landscapes in this countryside. Our only company was cows. Point 8 is not very clear. Fortunately, we downloaded the map onto our phone, so we knew right away if we were on the right route. We met the writer-landlord, who showed us around the castle courtyard and told us a little about its history.
We did this on Easter Sunday in beautiful sunshine.
Recommended for lovers of nature, beautiful landscapes and beautiful old stone houses.
Easy hike.

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RD7163
RD7163

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, easy hike that takes you through charming hamlets with stunning views of Cluny and Charolais.
It should be noted that the trails are very well maintained; for example, the grassy paths are mowed.

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fada82
fada82

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy but very pleasant walk through gentle, peaceful countryside.

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patetmap
patetmap

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant and easy hike. Do not hesitate to spend a little extra time visiting the hamlets you pass through.
The description is very well done, and it is essential to follow it so you don't get lost.

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DAVIN
DAVIN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful walk accessible to all, passing through charming hamlets and offering stunning views. The directions are very clear and the numerous signs are reassuring. The paths are very pleasant as they are very well maintained.

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chassignol
chassignol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello, Thank you to Philippe for providing excellent explanations for the guidebook for this pleasant hike.

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zazounet01
zazounet01

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A short, easy walk.
The end of the route was not very clear...
We arrived by another route... but we got there in the end.

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lemi
lemi

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy and very pleasant walk around the village of Saint André le Désert.
The 12th-century Romanesque church is very beautiful. Inside, a well-written document explains the history of the building and provides some local historical information.

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