Bourges – Saint-Just – Route No. 01 of the Tour de Bourges

Starting point: Plan d’Eau du Val d’Auron.
Mendès France Esplanade. Marker at point 0 on the ground. (Pelles)

(S) Start on the right bank of the Plan d’Eau.

(1) Turn left after the second footbridge, cross the D106 and follow the route of
the old Berry Canal (Info 45), which has been filled in as far as the Etourneau lock but is navigable thereafter.

Km 7.55 Berry Canal, Vauroux lock.

Km 8.30 Berry Canal, Lassay lock.

Km 10.19 Plaimpied-Givaudins (Les Ponts) D46/Berry Canal.

(2) “Le Tour de Bourges” link. Saint Martin Abbey (Info 43).
Turn left onto the D46.

(3) Turn right towards Le Marais, Les Tureaux and Les Joncs.

Km 12.89 After Les Joncs, turn left and follow the road to Saint Just, via Rue de la
Surette and Rue de l’Auron.

Km 14.95 Turn left, pass in front of the church, then turn left again onto Rue du Point du Jour.

Km 15.49 Junction with the D2076; continue along the path opposite.

Km 15.98 Take the path on the left, pass in front of the Garde pylon (16.59 km)
to reach Soye-en-Septaine on Rue Saint Marc, tennis courts.

Km 19.10 Soye-en-Septaine (Rue Saint Marc, tennis courts).
(4) Connection to ‘Le tour de Bourges’.
Go straight on until you reach the D46.

Km 19.44 Turn left, follow the D46, go through the D46/D2076 roundabout and continue to
local road no. 4.

Km 21.54 Turn right onto local road no. 4, known as the ‘de Coulon’ road, which is tarmac-surfaced as far as La Largesse and then becomes an off-road track.

Km 23.10 At Coulon, turn left towards the Vauroux lock.

Km 23.62 Vauroux lock: take the towpath on the right, along the left bank. Follow the canal to the finish along the same route as on the outward journey.

Km 31.14 Finish: Val d’Auron lake.
Esplanade Mendès France. Point 0 marker on the ground. (Pelles)

Notes on difficulty:
An easy route in dry weather, with no particular difficulties apart from crossing the D2076 twice.

There are no risks on this route. Simply stay reasonably focused so as not to end up in the canal. This mishap has already happened to others.

The Esplanade Mendès France has a very handy water tap. A particularly pleasant route for birdwatchers (migratory and resident birds, nesting boxes).
You can spot various animals along the banks of the canal.

Accessibility:
All year round.

(Info 43) Plaimpied-Givaudins: Saint Martin Abbey, a jewel of Romanesque art (1080). Capital depicting the Temptation of Christ, carved by the same artist as the one in Nazareth.

(Info 45) Berry Canal: built between 1811 and 1841, stretching 261 km. Decommissioned on 3 January 1955.

The Tour de Bourges and its 11 connecting walks traverse the historic Berry countryside. They follow sections of disused railway and river routes.
Historic routes (the Way of St James, the Roman Road, etc.), engineering structures (viaducts), monuments (castles, abbeys) and places of remembrance (the Puits de Guerry) feature along the routes and mark out the routes.