From Pont l'Évêque to Couhard via the Gorges de Brisecou road

Starting from the lovely Vallon lake, discover magnificent views of Autun from the Gorges de Brisecou forest road.

Details

408070
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.13 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 209 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 209 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 515 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 305 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Morvan
  • ⚐ District: Autun (71400)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.955314° / E 4.316517°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2824OT, 2925SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Start from the car park opposite McDonald's. Follow the banks of the lake to the tennis courts.

(1) Join Rue Louis Aragon by passing between the grounds (several routes possible). Turn right onto Chemin des Ragots. Pass the equestrian centre and the municipal golf course and continue to the D680. Turn right towards Chalon for 150 metres.

(2) Take the Route Forestière des Gorges de Brisecou and follow it until you reach the fork at the waterfall (3)

(4) Continue to the paved road at the iron bridge.

(5) Turn left for 200m, then turn right onto the Montmain path.

(6) You can stop for a break at the shelter at the old Montmain farm. Otherwise, continue straight ahead on a small forest road (with signs describing the different tree species) which will take you back to the heights of the hamlet of Couhard and the D120.
(7) Turn left, then right, opposite the Auberge de la Cascade. Turn right twice more, pass the small church in Couhard and you will reach the Pyramide de Couhard car park.

(8) At the far left of the car park, take the marked dirt track (GR®®131-137) and descend to the Chemin des Ragots.

(9) Turn right onto the paved road and almost immediately left onto a small dirt track that passes between the houses. Back on the paved road, turn right and follow the cemetery until you reach the motorhome parking area.

(10) Continue the route downhill towards the Vallon lake (you can take a detour to the Roman theatre). When you reach the lake, follow it on the left to return to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 306 m - Leisure centre - Plan d'eau du Vallon
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 306 m - Lake train
  3. 2 : km 2.29 - alt. 357 m - Forest road
  4. 3 : km 5.26 - alt. 465 m - Fork towards the - Cascade de Brisecou (Autun)
  5. 4 : km 5.89 - alt. 487 m - Path to the waterfall
  6. 5 : km 6.01 - alt. 491 m - Iron Bridge
  7. 6 : km 6.53 - alt. 514 m - Montmain Farm
  8. 7 : km 7.57 - alt. 427 m - Junction with the D120
  9. 8 : km 8 - alt. 397 m - Pierre de Couhard
  10. 9 : km 8.67 - alt. 318 m - Junction with the Chemin des Ragots. Cemetery - Lycée Militaire
  11. 10 : km 9.26 - alt. 316 m - Roman theatre
  12. S/E : km 10.12 - alt. 306 m - Leisure centre

Notes

Car parks, motorhome parking, function room hire, water points, toilets, restaurants and picnic tables at the leisure centre and around the valley lake.

At (4), i.e. 100 m before reaching the RD120, a small path on the right allows you to shorten your hike by passing by the Brisecou waterfall to arrive at (8).
This corresponds to the purple route on the map.

Worth a visit

For children, there are playgrounds and the Autun Vapeur Parc miniature train (near the tennis courts).
For older children, there are water sports on the lake (fishing, sailing, canoeing, etc.), a skate park, tennis, golf, miniature golf, a fitness trail, a horse riding centre, a swimming pool with a relaxation area and a bowling alley.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
fanfan
fanfan
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, Thank you for this lovely route.
We got a bit lost at the start along the pond, following some of the signposts and the description. Not knowing the area, it was difficult for us to guess where Rue Louis Aragon was, but looking at the map of the route helped us get back on track.

There was a lot of tarmac at the start, which was a shame.

The forest section is very pleasant, but we left it shortly before point 4 to descend towards the waterfall via a hairpin bend, marked GR, to point 8, where we rejoined the original route.
There were a lot of people on this part of the route.

The area around the pond is very pretty and pleasant.

Thank you very much.

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Igor le breton
Igor le breton

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The beginning is a bit concrete, with a few cars at the start.
The rest is very good, with rivers, woods, scenic views and a botanical trail.
It ends with some points of interest in the town, so I would recommend it.

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Corbeau77
Corbeau77

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. At the start, you could start behind the housing estate instead of going down the street.
Then it's well shaded.

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Anne NLG
Anne NLG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great energy at Pierre de Couhard.
A magnificent path all the way. Forest, waterfall, views of Autun.

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TheFafette
TheFafette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short stretch of road at the beginning, but then it's forest all the way to the superb viewpoint over Autun. After the pyramid, instead of going down to the lake, we took a detour via Saint Blaise to reach Autun via the old town and the cathedral (add 30 minutes).

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jeacle
jeacle

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike!! Very pleasant... To be repeated in winter!!!!!!!

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lemoc
lemoc

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, fairly shaded hike on well-marked trails. At point 3, take the path on the right to descend to the waterfall (about 700 metres away).

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jeacle
jeacle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, stunning scenery...

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Théotihouac
Théotihouac

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A varied hike with a beautiful section through the woods offering lovely views of Autun. You can see the nearby Brisecou waterfall, which is well worth a visit. The hike ends on a high note with a peaceful path leading to the Couhard pyramid.

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coatpont
coatpont

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike through woodland and along a paved road. Stop at the car park to admire the view of Autun and the "pyramid".

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