Arthé circular

Signposted route N° 76
This route starts from Toucy, birthplace of Pierre Larousse, 19th-century grammarian, lexicographer and educator. It offers multiple viewpoints and panoramas along ridge lines. The sunken paths winding under a dense canopy of vegetation create a romantic atmosphere that you're sure to enjoy. Then, at the bend in the path, you'll fall under the spell of the magnificent Château d'Arthé.

Details

464563
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 192 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 186 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 300 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 188 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Puisaye
  • ⚐ City: Toucy (89130)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.73345° / E 3.294157°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2620SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Start from Place des Frères Genets car park.

(S/E) Enter the town centre via the small street to the right of the store with large windows. Follow Rue Paul Bert, go straight on up Rue de la Poterne to Rue Lucile Cormier. Turn right into this street, then immediately left into Rue Neuve.
Turn left into Rue Paul Defrance.

(1) Turn right into Rue des Montagnes. Leave the library on your left, and the secondary school on your right. Enter a side street (Avenue de Kusel).

(2) Cross the road to take the path opposite, signposted Chemin d'Arthé. This lane quickly becomes a road. Go past the right and left turn-offs to reach a tarmac road. Turn left for about 100m.

(3) Go down the track on the right, into the undergrowth. Forget all the side paths. A line of pollarded trees (also known as 'trognes', 'écornues'...) will guide you to the Maurepas ford. After the ford, climb back up along the fields.

(4) When you reach the road, go straight ahead and turn right at the bend. Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the nice ridge path.

(5) Pass the main entrance to Château d'Arthé. Continue straight ahead on the tarmac road through Les Bertheaux and then Les Laurents.

(6) At the crossroads leading to Bergenne, go straight on. Reach the D48 crossroads.

(7) Turn right and immediately left onto the dirt track. Pass a market garden and continue straight ahead. Reach the hamlet of Les Guerriers. The path becomes tarmac. Keep going and you'll find the start of a path on the right.
(8) Take this to join the D48 crossroads.

(9) Cross the road carefully to continue along the dirt track opposite. Continue until you reach the crossroads and turn left.

(10) Leave the driveway on your left and turn slightly right. Reach a road shortly after the transmission tower.

(11) Cross the road and continue straight ahead. Keep to this main path, leaving all the entrances on the right leading into the groups of houses.

(12) At the tarmac, continue with the gymnasium on your left. At the cross street, turn left. Continue along this main road, which slaloms between the embankments (beware, however, that this road is used by cars). At the car park, continue downhill past the church.

(1) Carefully cross the Rue du Marché and continue downhill for a few metres. Turn right to go up towards the church.
At the church entrance stairs, turn left again. At the end, turn right into a small square. Pass through the breach in the old ramparts and down the flight of stairs which, after offering a fine view of Place Pierre Larousse, lead to this space. Go past Rue Verger, Rue Paul Bert and then Rue Colette on the left. At the crossroads with Rue Emile Genet, turn left into the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 188 m - Place des Frères Genêt
  2. 1 : km 0.33 - alt. 203 m - Round trip crossing point - Eglise Saint-Pierre de Toucy
  3. 2 : km 0.92 - alt. 244 m - Avenue de Kusel / Chemin d'Arthé junction
  4. 3 : km 2.25 - alt. 278 m - Chemin creux du Bois des Quatre Francs - Pyramide du Loup
  5. 4 : km 3.53 - alt. 223 m - Ru de Maurepas (cours d'eau) - Affluent de l'Ouanne
  6. 5 : km 4.63 - alt. 279 m - Road junction
  7. 6 : km 4.92 - alt. 277 m - Château d'Arthé on the right
  8. 7 : km 6.83 - alt. 269 m - Junction of 3 roads and 1 path
  9. 8 : km 7.69 - alt. 251 m - D48 junction
  10. 9 : km 8.83 - alt. 298 m - Grassy path on the right
  11. 10 : km 9.75 - alt. 295 m - Crossing the D48
  12. 11 : km 10.06 - alt. 292 m - Three-way junction on paths
  13. 12 : km 10.48 - alt. 300 m - Path in the undergrowth opposite
  14. 13 : km 11.36 - alt. 249 m - Road/street transition
  15. S/E : km 12.31 - alt. 188 m - Place des Frères Genêt

Notes

The route through the Bois des Quatre Francs (woods) goes through some wet areas. This sunken path is typical of the Puisaye region. Lovely trees can be seen along the way.
This trail is marked in accordance with the Communauté de Communes de Puisaye-Forterre signposting charter, and bears the N°76 number on a yellow background. It was created by the association 'À chacun son chemin en Puisaye-Forte' in May 2021.
If you have any concerns, please fill in this questionnaire (1 to 2 minutes only).
Be careful when crossing roads.
Despite the mentioned signposts, you should at least have this description and the accompanying IGN map or the visorando application.

Worth a visit

At the entrance to the hamlet of Les Guerriers, observe the gable end of a barn with a stone covering: in some places, this covering exposes the masonry materials, in this case ironstone, flint and limestone.

On your return to Toucy, before (1), don't hesitate to enter the library and visit the area dedicated to Pierre Larousse.

100m below the car park, you'll find Saint-Pierre Church, built of ironstone in the 16th century, on the site of the ancient seigniorial fortifications.

Toucy, a popular Puisaye village for tourists, is definitely worth a morning's exploration:

  • Place de la République, with its statue of local hero Pierre Larousse.
  • Château de la Motte Miton with its round towers and dovecote.
  • The lake and its promenade.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
FRAN
FRAN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello and thank you for this route, which is well worth exploring.
However... it's a shame there's so much tarmac underfoot... another route could have avoided these sections... I'll come back and create a route through the woods after Arthe Castle...
Nevertheless, there are some beautiful views of the Puisaye region!
Thanks again

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marcus c2
marcus c2

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

it's a pity that the stretch of road is long to drive in dry weather because it's parish specific to Brittany.
done on 11 march2023

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OT Puisaye-Forterre
OT Puisaye-Forterre

Hello Cacienne,

Thank you for your comment.

Best regards,

Puisaye-Forterre Tourist Office.

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Cacienne
Cacienne

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, with a large part in undergrowth, which is not unimportant in very hot weather, very well described and signposted.
The only drawback: 2 to 3 km of small roads after the Château d'Arthé, but which pass through small hamlets with beautiful houses....
Definitely worth doing.

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

This route has been redesigned and signposted. The initial direction of the loop has been reversed to give a better perception of the viewpoints (May 2021).

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Schtroumpfettecardio
Schtroumpfettecardio

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike with 2 children aged 6 and 10. They loved it! A few muddy and even boggy sections, but lots of snow the week before. Definitely worth doing.

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Lncd
Lncd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 02, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk to discover the Château d'Arthé and its 600-year-old tree.

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REMYTOT
REMYTOT

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A LITTLE FLOUD IN THE ROAD labeled "chemin du TACOT". THERE WOULD BE NO INDICATION AT THE CROSSROADS OF THREE PATHS BECAUSE THE ONLY THING IS A CROSS WHICH INDICATES THE ABANDONMENT OF THE SAID CHEMIN DU TACOT, BUT NO MARKINGS ALLOWING US TO DIRECT OURSELVES TOWARDS THE CHEMIN D'ARTHE, SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUE FOR 200M ON THIS PATH HAVING THE CROSS TO JOIN THE D48 AND EFFECTIVELY AFTER CROSSING THE D48 FIND OURSELVES ON THE CHEMIN D'ARTHEE. IT SHOULD ALSO BE POINTED OUT THAT THE OAK MILLENAIRE IS IN THE CHATEAU GROUNDS. According to the history this oak is hollow, dug by the squire who wanted to be buried in it.
This story was told to us by a hunter we met on our walk. TO BE VERIFIED OF COURSE.

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OT Puisaye-Forterre
OT Puisaye-Forterre

Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

Best regards,

Puisaye-Forterre Tourist Office.

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Fleur de lune
Fleur de lune

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk through fields and woods. Lovely views over the Puisaye valleys. The description of the route is perfect and very well detailed. However, it was very muddy between points 9 and 11 after heavy rain during the week. But it didn't matter, it was a great walk in the sunshine.

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Daniel89
Daniel89

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Dirt track damaged by tractors, not recommended for children

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CSR
CSR

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a lovely walk, made all the more enjoyable by the autumnal weather. Despite two days of rain beforehand, the terrain was still passable. At this time of year, don't start the walk after 3pm as visibility is poor in the undergrowth, unless you are equipped with headlamps. The Château d'Arthé is barely visible despite the light foliage.
This walk took 2 hours 20 minutes.

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jclaude89
jclaude89

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Magnificent walk with no difficulties. Lovely panoramic views of the ridges and very pleasant lanes, paths and sunken lanes.

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kirkslash
kirkslash

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk with no difficulties, a very pleasant route through a beautiful hornbeam forest and some very fine views of the "crêtes". In the second part of the route, the walk on a busy road is a bit strenuous. A shorter or longer loop through the woods or fields would be preferable.

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noelpetit
noelpetit

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely route with no difficulties, very pleasant walk through a beautiful hornbeam forest and some very fine views over the rolling countryside. The only shame is that you can't get a better view of the castle, which is very well hidden in the dense vegetation. Lovely walk.

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