Circular route of the Château de Saulières and the Étang de l'Île

(S/E) Leave the car park and take the D11 road south (downhill), on the right-hand side (wide hard shoulder). Take great care at the bend where visibility is poor.

(1) Turn left onto an uphill farm track, "La Grande Hate", which runs alongside the campsite on the left. The track passes at the foot of a mobile phone relay mast.

(2) Turn right onto the farm track that passes below the Toureau de Remondot (the highest point in the area). The track quickly reaches the edge of the forest: on the left, a path leads to the Toureau de Remondot (off the route - climb from 390m to 435m, return trip).
The farm track turns into a wide forest lane and descends towards the D978 road, which it follows for the last few metres.

(3). Cross the D978 road with great caution due to the fairly heavy traffic on this road. Take the road opposite, which quickly turns into a farm track towards La Plaine.
100 metres after leaving the woods, at the crossroads of the path leading to La Plaine, continue straight ahead. (Reminder: do not turn right towards La Plaine farm, which is private property protected by guard dogs).
The path descends and quickly joins a wood, arriving at a crossroads with four paths.

(4) Turn right and, 100 metres further on at the next crossroads, take the path on the left.
At the T-junction, turn right.
Ignore the track on the right and continue left (the path on the right leads back to La Plaine) . The path runs alongside a large pasture on the right before arriving at the Étang de l'Île.

(5) When you reach the pond, turn right and cross the reservoir before heading up towards the Domaine Rousseau farm.
At the farm, turn right. The path then gives way to an uphill road leading to farm buildings on the right housing cattle.
The road continues to climb slightly towards Château de Saulières, then levels out.

(6) Go around the château and its chapel on your right (private property) before joining the D11 road at a place called Le Chemin, which you take by turning right.
When you reach the junction of the D11 and the D978, cross the D978 with great care due to heavy traffic at certain times of day and continue straight ahead on the D11.

(1). Continue uphill on the D11 road, preferably using the left-hand side of the road. After the bend, the route rejoins the car park, which marks the end of this walk (S/E).

Following two incidents: do not pass through La Plaine

The parking area is located along the D11 road below the entrance to the campsite (large grassy area on the right-hand side as you drive down the D11, before the left-hand bend).

This hike over varied terrain requires suitable footwear.

From June to September, it is possible to park in the campsite next to the reception area with the agreement of the campsite manager, who also runs a refreshment bar. From there, you can directly access the "La Grande Hate" path via a pedestrian gate. On your return, at the point (1), take the "La Grande Hate" path to the pedestrian gate of the campsite, which avoids walking along a section of the D11 road with poor visibility.

Hike modified on 11 October 2018 following two incidents at a place called La Plaine, which MUST be avoided. For the record, following the first incident, the farmers at La Plaine put up a "Private Road" sign AFTER the first incident and have a threatening dog running loose. This is why the route has been modified to keep this otherwise interesting hike safe.

Saint Péreuse

Saint-Péreuse overlooks the Veynon valley and is located on the border between the Morvan and Bazois massifs. In 1860, it covered an area of 1,607 hectares, including 500 hectares of woodland. At that time, it was home to some fairly good quality vineyards. The highest point is at Toureau de Remondot, at 432 metres.

History

The commune of Saint-Péreuse is said to have been founded in the 5th century by a monk, Saint-Pétrusii, who came to spread Christianity. The name Solières - "Solis lucus" - tells us that this place was a wood dedicated to the sun. Those who were unhappy to see him destroying their idols and converting them put him to death. His remains were then buried at the site of his execution, and his tomb soon became a place of pilgrimage. An oratory was built there, which soon became an abbey that Charles the Bald gave to the Church of Nevers in the 9th century and which Charles III the Fat confirmed on the 15th of the calends of January 888. This monastery later became a chapter of canons. It is believed that the abbey house was located near the church, to the south.

In 1161, the Bishop of Nevers, Bernard de Saint-Saulge, acknowledged in his letters to Abbot Bernard II that the church was indeed the property of the Abbey of Saint-Martin d'Autun, and this donation was also confirmed by a bull issued by Pope Alexander III, who took refuge in France in 1164: "In Nivernensi episcopatu ecclesiam de S. Petrusio".
The land of Saint-Péreuse had the title of barony and was part of the county of Château-Chinon and part of the duchy of Nevers. It enjoyed high, middle and low justice and all the feudal rights of the time. Étienne and Jacques de Beaumont, knights, were its lords in 1285.
The village suffered several fires, including one in 1847 that destroyed a large part of it. Ten years later, another fire destroyed the rest of the village. By 1865, it had been fairly well rebuilt.

Seigneury of Solière

Located on another plateau to the south, it has a beautiful castle built in 1786. Next to it is a Romanesque chapel built to the plans of architects Pierre-Félix Delarue and Andoche Parthiot. It is 12 metres long and 5 metres wide and was consecrated on 18 July 1859 by Monsignor Dominique-Augustin Dufêtre.

Places and monuments

Civil

Château de Saint-Péreuse: only two thick, solid walls remain near the new cemetery. This fortress was besieged in July 1474 by the troops of Louis XI, and it was certainly at this time that it fell into disrepair. It was completely ruined by 1555. That year, Anne de La Tornelle, wife of Jean de Saint-Père, Baron of Chandiou, wishing to pay homage to her suzerain for his vineyard at A La Taulpine, appeared on 4 October before the gate of his castle, now in ruins and decay, knelt down and kissed the threshold of the gate.

The 15th-centuryChâteau de Besne was remodelled in the 19th century, when its moats were filled in.

18th-centuryChâteau de Saulières

Section of the ancient road:
Gallo-Roman remains were found in Saint-Péreuse and Villars. This section of road is located on the western edge of the commune and served Moulins-Engilbert to Blismes. It certainly played an important role in the Middle Ages, connecting Vézelay and the southernmost regions, cutting across the major communication routes. Its route crosses the seigneury of Chandioux.

Remains of the Gibet, consisting of four posts, each planted in a kind of stone block, joined at the top by a wooden frame and held in place by struts. This symbol of the high, medium and low justice rights possessed by the seigneury of Saint-Pereuse was located in the 15th century at its highest point, at Toureau de Remondot. In 1945, three stones forming this structure could still be seen, but today only one remains.

Schools
The first public school for boys dates back to 1865. Girls attended a convent school in the hamlet of Le Chemin, three kilometres from the village. It closed in 1892 following the opening of a girls' school in the village in 1885, in a rented house. As the town hall and boys' school buildings were very dilapidated and in danger of collapsing, the municipality decided in 1897 to build a school complex for both boys and girls.

Religious
Saint-Péreuse Church
The old church was a 12th-century Romanesque building with a shallow apse and a barrel-vaulted choir, topped by an unsightly tower. The nave, with its heavy wooden gallery, was characterless, except for a 14th-century trefoil side door, which had been bricked up. Dedicated to the country's patron saint, whose feast day is 12 November, the new church is located at the western tip of the plateau with the presbytery. Rebuilt in 1864 to plans by Andoche Parthiot, an architect from Château-Chinon, it is in the Neo-Romanesque style in the shape of a Latin cross, built of granite. It has an apse choir, a transept and a nave preceded by a bell tower and an octagonal spire. It is 34 metres and 40 cm long, 16 metres wide at the cross and 8 metres wide at the nave. It cost 40,000 francs, of which 10,000 francs were provided by the houses of Saint-Maur and Saint-Péreuse, which in return were granted the concession of the side chapels, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Péreuse, paying a rent of 25 francs to the factory for this concession.
Presbytery: Dating from the early 19th century. It was used for services in the period prior to the reconstruction of the new church, which explains the presence of the holy water font from the old building. This room was used for horses and also as a woodshed. Restored after being abandoned. It was used for religious instruction.
Natural heritage
A pedunculate oak tree is listed in the inventory of remarkable trees in the Morvan. It is located in a place called La Pommeraie. It is 14.5 metres high and has a circumference of 5.25 metres. This tree is hollow and can be entered.
(Excerpt from Wikipedia)