Chaource – Etourvy

(S) Walk round the church to reach Place de la Fontaine, then turn left onto Rue des Fontaines (D444) towards the secondary school.

(1) Take the second street on the right, Rue des Cannes, which forms part of the^GRP® des Vallées de la Sarce et de l’Hozain (GRPVSH) – look for the white/yellow markings and the ‘Meubles Robert’ sign. Carry straight on along the^GRP®, pass the pumping station on your right and continue until you reach the D34.

(2) Turn right for 50 metres, then left immediately after the bridge, continuing to follow the^GRP®. The trail winds through a series of left and right bends before heading straight on to the D203.

(3) Turn left and, at the entrance to Lagesse at the junction after the cemetery, leave the GRPVSH and turn right onto the Voie Basse, which leads to the junction with the D125.

(4) Turn left and, 30 metres after passing Rue du Guet Joly on your left, turn right onto a stony track with white and yellow markings on the corner of the house on the right. Follow it straight on, passing a first path on the left and a second on the right, until you reach the junction where it meets the^GRP® des Vins et des Fromages (GRPVF) coming from the right. A triple wooden sign reads ‘Chesley 1h’.

(5) Carry straight on along this^GRP®, following the yellow/red markings, until you reach the D27.

(6) Cross the D27 and follow the^GRP®, which bends sharply to the left (90°) before joining a road at the entrance to Chesley.

(7) Turn left, staying on the GRPVF, turn right onto Rue Cadet (D3), then, after the church, turn left and then right behind the War Memorial.

(8) Head slightly to the left and, before the bridge over the Landion, turn right at a 90° angle to follow the river. Continue to a junction at the Fontaine Saint-Blaise (ford on the left).

(9) Do not cross the ford but take a stony path on the right which leads uphill (mountain bike marker no. 4–5). The^GRP® marker is on a tree 50 metres further up. Follow the^GRP® (yellow/red markings).

(10) At the edge of the woodland, turn left at a 90° angle, follow the path with the woodland on your left, then turn right to reach the entrance to Etourvy.

(11) Turn left, then right onto Route de Chesley to enter the village. Walk past the church and continue to the town hall, where the route joins the^GR®654(E).

• Water points:

Lagesse Cemetery.
Chesley Cemetery, 250 metres to the right at the entrance to the village.

• A farm shed provides shelter for a snack break, 100 metres before the entrance to Chesley (please do not leave any unpleasant traces behind).

In Chaource:

• The church with its famous Entombment by the Master of Chaource, the nativity scene, the treasure and the statues.
• The Cheese Museum.