From the Church to Le Sully via the Cèdres de la Lavière

The route starts from the car park in front of the church.
(S/E) Head due west towards Lainsecq, following signs for Chauminet. Walk up Rue du Couvent, which, at the junction of five streets, is the left-hand-most road. Leave this street at the first junction and turn left. Follow the signs for Chauminet along this small road and take the third dirt track on the left; walk 250m and turn right.
(1). Walk through the woodland and, before entering the field, turn right and follow the edge of the woodland until you reach the small road.

(2) Turn onto the first path on the left – which is overgrown with grass – without joining the road. You’ll reach the hamlet of Chauminet. Turn right, then immediately turn left to take the tarmac path right at the start. Continue through the woodland and join the road, which you’ll need to follow to the left twice. Opposite the recycling point, continue to the left (Chemin de Vellery) and reach the main road (D125). Cut across this road to take Rue de la Sauvin, then turn left onto Rue Pautrat, then right. Follow this road to the drinking trough.

(3) When you reach the drinking trough, protected by low stone walls on the left, turn right (D125), then take the road on the right (towards Les Billards) for 250 metres and head right along the path through the woodland. When you reach the T-junction, turn left.

(4) When you reach the road, turn right and carry on, ignoring the tracks on the right. At the crossroads (D73), take the second road up on the right, passing between the wayside cross and the lime tree. Ignore the road on the left leading to Pesselière and continue along the road which, after about 300m, ends in a track; follow this track straight on.

(5) At the junction with the road, go straight on; facing the woods, turn left, then at the end of this small copse, turn right. Next, take the first path on the left to reach the hamlet of Les Roches. Turn left to follow Rue des Singes, which runs through it.

(6) After the last houses, continue along the road to the left until you reach the cedars of La Lavière.

(7) Continue along the route to reach Pesselière. At the first junction (sawmill on the left), turn right and head towards the Sully lime tree.

(8) Set off again along the street running almost parallel to the one you have just taken, leaving the Cross on your left; go straight on at the various junctions with the Place du Champ de Foire and take Rue du Chêne de Monteau, leaving it at the wide bend. At this point, turn right onto the dirt track that crosses the woods, head back down towards a road (D125), and at the recycling collection point, turn left.
At the junction (D73), turn right to reach the Place de l’Église (E).

This route is fully adaptable:
At the waypoint (4), take the dirt track opposite to rejoin the road leading to the starting village (total length of the circular route: 6.8 km).
At the waypoint (5), take the road on the left to reach the Sully lime tree, then rejoin the route from the waypoint (8) (total length of the circular route: 9.9 km).
The final section of the route is often very exposed to the sun, so caps, sunglasses and water are essential in summer.

This route, signposted in accordance with the signposting guidelines of the Puisaye-Forterre Community of Communes, is marked with the number 10 on yellow plaques or concrete posts on the ground. It was created by the association ‘À chacun son chemin en Puisaye-Forterre’ in January 2020.
If you have encountered any difficulties (obstacles, missing signposts, lack of maintenance, etc.), please report them to us here.

Along the route, there are numerous crosses and memorial stones to discover.
To round off this visit, a short detour along the Roman road that climbs up to the Montagne des Alouettes (see the walks in this area) offers superb views of the landscape. Among other things, there is a view of Le Roichat, one of the sites of the Battle of Fontenoy in 841 between Charlemagne’s three grandsons. King Charles the Bald is said to have set up camp there.
(7) Les Cèdres de la Lavière: this is a private burial ground comprising four graves, beside which four cedar trees were planted, of which only three remain.
Les Lavières: named after the limestone slabs in the ground: ‘laves’ (no relation to volcanic lava!)
In Pesselière: the lime tree, which was four centuries old in 1998; the site of Pesselière Castle, owned by the Lepelletier family of St Fargeau.
In Sougères: a 16th-century church and, near the village of Sougères, the Château-Blanc, which is said to have hosted Charles IX during the Wars of Religion (now a private residence).