Brancion via Mont Prevers and the Bois de la Dame

Head to Royer, a village situated 10 km west of Tournus. On arriving in Royer via the D182 and then the Route de Brancion, you will find a car park for walkers next to the village hall on Rue du Mousseau (signposted). Around ten parking spaces are available.

(S/E) Leaving the car park, turn right then left to head up Route de Brancion. At the junction, turn left onto Rue du Molas. At the next junction, take Rue de l’Église on the left.
Continue along Rue de l'Église, turn left to rejoin Route de Brancion and head right.

(1) On leaving the village, take the stony white path that branches off to the right and climbs. At the next Y-junction, keep right and then continue straight on to join the^GR®®76A(Chemin des Moines).

(2) Turn left and follow the path to the crossroads (elevation 385m). Head right and continue along the path as it descends. On leaving the woods, cross an open area to join the^GR®®76B.

(3) Turn right and continue to the wooden steps leading to the Grotte du Four de la Baume.

(4) Turn right to climb these steps. Descend into the grotto and then follow the path down behind it to rejoin the^GR®. Follow this path to the right until you reach the tarmac road. Just before this, look out for a path on the left signposted ‘Brancion’, which you should take on your return from the Chapelle de Brancion.

(5) Cross the D159 with care (bend) and take the road opposite to reach the Source de Naiguerre on your left; a little further on, you’ll see a wash house on the right. Then, continue straight on along Rue du Naiguerre, and at the next junction, turn left to reach the Church of Notre-Dame de la Chapelle-sous-Brancion. Walk round the building and then continue left to reach Rue des Nobles, which you should follow to the right until you reach the village exit.

(6) Turn left just before the last house to follow the Chemin des Sœurs. Take this path on the left, marked by a wooden sign saying “Chemin des Sœurs”, go through a gate and continue straight on to rejoin the road (D159). Turn left and head back down to the junction with the approach path.

(5) Turn right, then right again at the “Brancion” signpost spotted earlier. Follow the path uphill to the medieval village. Once in the village, walk up the street on the left to the church: a beautiful view of the valley and the hamlet of La Chapelle-sous-Brancion below.

(7) Head back down into the village to explore the site.

(8) Leave the medieval village via the single entrance gate and head back down the main road to the car park, where there are tables available for lunch if required: picnicking is prohibited in the village of Brancion by municipal decree.

(9) Return to the road and, as you leave the car park, ignore the first path leading off to the left. Take the second path and follow it straight on to the T-junction where it meets a GR®® trail^.

(10) Turn left and, at the next crossroads, turn right. Continue to the road (D182). Cross the road carefully and take the path opposite. After a few metres, at the Y-junction, turn right, pass by the base of the mast and continue downhill.

(11) Just before leaving the woods, leave the^GR®® 76B and take the dirt track on the left which climbs into the Bois de la Dame. At the junction on the edge of the woods (elevation 326), continue straight on, join a track suitable for vehicles and turn right to return to the village of Royer via Rue du Mousseau. This will take you back to the car park next to the Salle des Fêtes (S/E).

The castle and the church are listed as Historic Monuments.
The village of Brancion has been inhabited for 3,000 years.
From around the year 1000, thick fortification walls protected the village. These were rebuilt in the 12th century: the remains of a wall have been identified all around the village.

In the early 14th century, a large moat was dug at the foot of the castle, clearly separating it from the village, which was gradually expanding. By the end of the Middle Ages, the village was denser and more extensive than it is today. Remains of buildings from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries have been identified or excavated in various places. The whole area suffered greatly during the Wars of Religion at the end of the 16th century.

La Chapelle-sous-Brancion

Saint-Pierre Church overlooks the exceptional landscape of the Grosne Valley, shaped by several hundred generations of farmers. Small in size, the present church was probably built in the mid-12th century. It was surrounded by a necropolis larger than the current cemetery, the existence of which was confirmed by archaeological excavations carried out in the early 2000s.
In the^fifth bay on the north side lies the recumbent effigy of Josserand de Brancion. Murals painted in the late 13th century adorn part of the building, and the floor is strewn with numerous gravestones.

The Naiguerre spring and the wash house at Chapelle-sous-Brancion.

Four de la Baume Cave

The cave forms a sort of tunnel about twelve metres long that narrows as it penetrates the mountain. This cave was excavated in 1913. The excavations yielded remains from the Aurignacian period, including flint, various artefacts and animal bones (mammoths, rhinoceroses, cave bears and hyenas, lynx, reindeer, horses, etc.), as well as remains from the Neolithic period, such as human bones and coarse pottery. These remains are housed in the Prehistory Gallery of the Tournus Museum.