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Start at the car park of the Jacques Copeau Les Grandes Vignes Demigny multi-purpose hall.
Access the car park from the D19 by turning left towards Chalon-sur-Saône, then take the Montée des Poteaux opposite the old railway gatehouse on the disused railway line. There is an information board about the routes. Along part of the route, the ‘Discovery’ route (marked in purple) shares the path with the ‘Grande Boucle’ route (marked in yellow), the botanical route (marked in green) and the ‘7 Ponds’ route (marked in blue).
Purple markings
(S/E) From the car park, head onto the right-of-way of the old railway line and walk eastwards alongside the football pitch.
(1) Stay on the old railway line and continue straight on until you reach the edge of the Forêt Domaniale des Étangs at a place called Tirechat. Ignore the junctions on either side. At the edge of the woodland, leave the old railway line and turn left onto the forest track.
(2) At the information board about the walking routes in the car park, turn right onto the path until you reach the junction with the Grande Charrière de la Mailleroye. 20 metres before the junction, look out for the stump of the former listed Mailleroye oak. At the junction, turn right and continue straight ahead along the Grande Charrière de la Mailleroye. Ignore the next junction, which follows the route of the old railway line. Here, on the right, you’ll find the ruins of an old gatekeeper’s cottage.
(3) Leave the main Mailleroye track and turn right onto a straight path. At the end of the path, turn right onto the stony forest track.
(4) Turn left onto the straight path and follow it to the end.
(5) At the end of the track, turn left onto the stony forest track, then right at the signpost and continue along the straight track.
(6) At the end of the track, first turn left then right to join the Bois Milord track. At the end of this, turn left onto the Bois Milord path and follow it to the end to reach the junction with the Beaune–Verdun cycle route.
(7) At the junction with the cycle route, turn right and continue straight on along the forest track leading to the Étang de Vortoy.
(8) At the junction at a place called Le Triage, turn right towards Étang de Vortoy and continue straight on. 20 m after crossing the Ruisseau du Chambey below the pond’s embankment on the right, there is the option of a short round trip along the embankment (40 m). Carry on to the junction with a wide, gravel-surfaced forest track
(9) Follow it to the left until you reach the junction at Meix Humbert. Then turn right. At the next junction (elevation 202), turn right. Continue to the Bellecroix Pond embankment.
(10) With your back to the pond, walk down the embankment to a small bridge on the left which crosses the Ruisseau du Chambey. Continue straight on along the path that runs alongside this stream until the next junction.
(11) At the junction known as the Fontaine Barbachée (20 m to the right of the head of Étang de Vortoy), turn left onto the forest track. At the next junction (elevation 208), turn sharply right. Continue to a large cart track.
(12) Head left (north-west). Continue straight on along the gravel track until you reach the Drillères junction. Ignore the footpaths on either side.
(13) At the junction at the corner of a meadow, turn left onto the track leading back towards the village of Demigny.
(14) At the Fork in the road at a fenced-off meadow (elevation 213), turn right and continue straight on to Demigny Castle.
(15) At the junction, with your back to the château, head down the château’s driveway to reach the old railway line.
(1) Turn left to return to the starting car park after walking alongside the football pitch (S/E).
Association / Club / Walk leader
Easy 
Visorando Member
