Villegusien to Domarien circular loop

An idyllic walk through the woods and countryside of southern Haute-Marne.
With a bit of exploration to discover the paths through the woods.

Details

568329
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.51 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 541 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 545 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,181 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 922 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the edge of the Halte Fluviale in front of an old silo in Villegusien.
(S/E) Head north along Rue Derrière l’Olivette and continue to the junction with the D292.

(1) Turn right onto the D292 and follow it to the junction with Chemin aux Cartiers.

(2) Turn right onto this track, pass under a power line and follow it to its end. Continue along the small path through the meadow that follows it to the woods opposite.

(3) Enter the woodland. Follow the path branching off to the right which joins the farm track. Walk down to the Ru de Chassigny.

(4) Ford the stream, walk 100m and head up the path through the woods. At an old hunting lodge, turn right. Continue along the path through the woods. At the collapsed wall, turn right to head back down towards the road leading to Chassigny.
Alternative route: This section can be avoided by following the path from the Ru de Chassigny to the water intake station.
Cross the ford at the Ru Premier and follow the road for about 200 metres.

(5) Take a small path on the right which climbs into the woods.
Please note that the entire section that follows does not follow any path marked on a map.
At the Fontaine des Ermites, turn right and then left to head up into the woods.
Follow the paths to a passage that winds its way up between the rocks. Keep going straight on at every junction.
The path is very distinctive as it is man-made. Complete the ascent to the Trou aux Fées.
To cross the Bois de Mourie, follow the small paths, keeping to the GPS track. You’ll reach a large hairpin bend.

(6) Turn right. Continue on to reach another hairpin bend.
Alternative route: You can continue straight on to join the D149 at (9)

(7) Turn left, go downhill for 10 metres, then turn right and follow the mountain bike track until you reach the vicinity of the Ferme du Ru.

(8) Follow the farm track to the D149.

(9) Cross the D149 and take the track opposite until you reach a tarmac road.

(10) Walk through the woods, heading down towards the Ru de Chasigny.
Follow the path back up to the Combe au Maire crossroads.

(11) Turn left, pass through Combe Crousot and continue on to Dommarien. Walk down Rue des Groseilliers until you reach Rue du Calvaire.

(12) Turn right onto Rue du Calvaire and leave Dommarien heading north up the hill. You’ll reach a crossroads 50 metres before Notre-Dame du Bon Souvenir.

(13) Turn left into the woods and follow the track to a dirt track suitable for vehicles, which leads uphill to the junction with a white track.

(14) Turn left onto this track and join the D128. Turn right onto it and follow it as far as the Bise l’Assaut quarry.

(15) At the quarry, turn left (do not cross the quarry) and head down towards the Canal between Champagne and Burgundy. Turn right and follow the canal to the Villegusien car park (about 4 km) (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 988 ft - Old silo - Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne
  2. 1 : mi 0.16 - alt. 991 ft - Junction with the D292
  3. 2 : mi 0.55 - alt. 1,066 ft - Junction of the D292 and Chemin aux Catiers
  4. 3 : mi 1.71 - alt. 1,033 ft - Entrance to the woods
  5. 4 : mi 2.07 - alt. 974 ft - Ford at the Ru de Chassigny
  6. 5 : mi 2.52 - alt. 1,001 ft - Path to the Trou aux Fées
  7. 6 : mi 3.1 - alt. 1,165 ft - Hairpin bends
  8. 7 : mi 3.38 - alt. 1,073 ft - Change of route
  9. 8 : mi 3.83 - alt. 1,070 ft - Farm track after the Ferme du Ru
  10. 9 : mi 4.1 - alt. 1,076 ft - Entrance to the Bois de Sarrigny
  11. 10 : mi 4.57 - alt. 1,001 ft - A track suitable for vehicles in the Bois de Sarrigny
  12. 11 : mi 4.91 - alt. 968 ft - Croisée de la Combe au Maire
  13. 12 : mi 6.22 - alt. 938 ft - Junction of Rue des Groseilliers and Rue du Calvaire
  14. 13 : mi 6.75 - alt. 1,040 ft - Entrance to the woods
  15. 14 : mi 7.3 - alt. 1,024 ft - Exit from the woods. Passing close to the - Vingeanne (rivière)
  16. 15 : mi 8.14 - alt. 968 ft - Bise l’Assaut quarry
  17. S/E : mi 10.51 - alt. 988 ft - Old silo

Notes

Warnings.
This walk is not signposted. It follows private paths.
For safety’s sake, I recommend plotting the route on a paper map.
Streams are very sensitive to recent rainfall. They can swell rapidly and become impassable. I advise you to check the Météociel website’s rainfall archives page. Site

Worth a visit

Places to visit: Notre-Dame du Bon Souvenir in Dommarien.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
cuzcodom
cuzcodom

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with varied scenery.
A mobile app is essential (or even a GPS), as nature is reclaiming its territory and some sections of the paths have disappeared (particularly at the Ru farm).

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ThanrayJo
ThanrayJo

Hello, that’s right, there are no signposts, as this route – which I cycle frequently – is a combination of different paths, part of which is used for a mountain bike race, and it hasn’t been approved by an official body. Furthermore, the version I’ve posted on Visorando is a basic route with multiple variations that can extend the total distance to over 25 km.
I hope, at the very least, that you were able to enjoy it.

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

It’s true that with Visorando we often venture off the beaten track, so there are no signposts.

Visorando does not recommend relying on signposting as this can be altered or removed… whereas landmarks on the ground provide consistent information.

Visorando provides a detailed route description and an IGN map at a scale of 1:25,000. And, if you’re having a bit of trouble finding your way, Visorando offers a free virtual route marker: a GPS app.

See you soon

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DUCHAUD
DUCHAUD

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk – it’s a shame there aren’t any signposts!!!!

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ThanrayJo
ThanrayJo

Thank you for your feedback.

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bibi2549
bibi2549

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very good – we really enjoyed the route round the lake. Thank you – we’ve left the map in the chalet so that other people can enjoy it too. Thank you, Visorando.

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