Eclépens – Chavornay via the Entreroches Canal

An easy walk through the beautiful forests of the Gros de Vaud. The first part of the route follows the remains of the Entreroches Canal – an attempt in the 17th century to link the Rhine basin with that of the Rhône – and ends by following the River Talent.

Details

n°35882010

Creation:
03 Jul 2023

Last update:
08 Jul 2023

Last review:
23 Mar 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 7.88 mi
Average duration: 4h 20
Difficulty: Average
Back to start: No
Ascent: + 807 ft
Descent: - 820 ft
Highest point: 2,014 ft
Lowest point: 1,463 ft

Country: Switzerland
City: Eclépens
Start: N 46.656899° / E 6.552278°
End: N 46.710214° / E 6.568637°
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Description of the walk

Start from the Place de la Gare in Eclépens.

(S/E) Turn left and immediately take the underpass on the left, following the signs for “Canal d’Entreroches” for 400 metres.

(1) Follow the canal’s educational trail to the left until you reach a bridge over the railway tracks.

(2) Follow the path which climbs to the right through the forest until you reach a place called La Tilèrie, where it joins a small tarmac road.

(3) Follow this road to the left, cross a small bridge and then head up a forest track to the right. When it joins the district road, follow this to the right for about a hundred metres and then turn left towards Le Coudray, which you’ll reach after crossing over the motorway. Ignore the yellow signpost urging you to turn right at the entrance to the village; instead, carry on along the main road until you reach the village boundary.

(4) Take a small road on the right towards Goumoens-le-Jux. A little further on, pass through this charming hamlet. Ignore a road on the right and you’ll come to another road on the left.

(5) Take the small road branching off to the left across the fields towards the golf course (Chemin du Brésil). Walk alongside the golf course, continue straight on at the entrance and follow the yellow signposting to a crossroads.

(6) At an altitude of 602, turn left, cross a tarmac road, and continue along a good forest track which descends to the banks of the Talent. Pass the mill (now an organic farm) and continue for about a hundred metres.

(7) Head down to the left onto the path that follows the river and reach the hamlet of Vieux Moulin. Walk through it, turning right onto the road for a short climb of about 100 m.

(8) Turn left onto a local track. Walk past a vineyard and follow the signposts which lead, through the village, to Chavornay station, the end of the walk (S/E).

Waypoints

S : mi 0 - alt. 1,480 ft - Eclépens station
1 : mi 0.27 - alt. 1,490 ft - Entreroches Canal
2 : mi 0.77 - alt. 1,542 ft - Bridge over the railway line
3 : mi 1.71 - alt. 1,726 ft - La Tilèrie
4 : mi 2.76 - alt. 1,942 ft - Le Coudray
5 : mi 3.66 - alt. 1,926 ft - Goumoëns-le-Jux
6 : mi 4.56 - alt. 1,982 ft - Point 602
7 : mi 5.91 - alt. 1,604 ft - The Mill - Talent (rivière) - Suisse - Affluent de la Thièle
8 : mi 6.58 - alt. 1,532 ft - Le Vieux Moulin, vineyard trail
E : mi 7.88 - alt. 1,463 ft - Chavornay station

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5

Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5

Ease of following the route
4 / 5

Route interest
5 / 5

sf60ch

23 Mar 2026 at 12:48 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk, with plenty of variety. We did it in early March when the daffodils were in full bloom! The section through the Entreroches Canal is very short, but it’s interesting to wander amongst the remains of a bygone era and a project that never came to fruition. We downloaded the ‘gpx’ file onto our phones. It proved very handy as on two or three occasions it wasn’t obvious which way to go (just by looking). The ‘gpx’ file worked a treat. Thank you, Visorando, for this lovely suggestion!

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annecornut

28 Oct 2024 at 10:11 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, varied walk, often through beautiful deciduous forests, passing through pretty villages.
A few useful details about the route, to avoid any hesitation:
1)- in (1), the path that follows the canal, which is partially filled in, is on the RIGHT of the small road taken in the direction of the Entreroches canal.
2)- at (5), after skirting the golf course, at the entrance, take the small road that goes uphill. At a bend in the road, look for the yellow markings on the left and enter the woods. At a crossroads, turn right for a few metres onto a track that joins the road. Take this road, then fork left (point 602??, not marked point (6)), cross a tarmac road etc....

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