Écuisses - Buxy

Departure from the town hall in Écuisses.

(S) Head south, cross the D974 and go over the bridge over the Canal du Centre.

(1) On the other side, turn left onto the towpath. Follow the canal on your left and ignore the first bridge on the left. Pass a lock and continue along the canal until you reach the next bridge (traffic lights).

(2) Turn right onto Route de la Garenne and cross the Dheune. Ignore another road on the left and turn right, then left. Continue straight ahead until you reach the cemetery.

(3) At the corner of the cemetery, take the path that branches off to the left. Enter the woods shortly afterwards. Follow this good path through the Bois Garenne until you reach a crossroads. Continue straight ahead, not far from the edge of the woods, then head south until you come to a meadow.

(4) Take the path on the left (at the edge of the woods), which descends slightly and leads to the Ruisseau de la Moucherie. Cross it before climbing back up to a good path at a place called Le Gué.

(5) On the left, take a good white path to a reservoir. Then turn right to reach and cross the Prédon farm. Continue along the path, now slightly uphill, and pass under a power line. At the next intersection, turn left into the Bois des Grands Vaux. Continuing uphill, you will come out onto a meadow before following the edge of the forest to a crossroads, where you leave the GR®.

(6) Stay on the larger path, now in the open, heading south-east (still slightly uphill). Pass under another power line and continue towards "les Champs Meunier". On your left, you will see the Canet farm, consisting of a small group of buildings. Shortly afterwards, you will find the path leading to this farm.

(7) Turn left at the crossroads, then left again to reach the small hamlet of La Chapelle de Villard and its famous chapel, located just after a large pond.

(8) Stay on the path to the left of the chapel, which will take you to L'Orme. Cross this and continue straight ahead until you reach a crossroads where you will join the D48 road and the GR®

(9). Turn right and follow the road south. Leave it before it joins the antenna a little further on the right. At an elevation of 436 metres, take a path that leaves the road. Further on, cross another road and continue south, passing to the left of a small peak. Then descend into a meadow. You will see the motorway that you will soon cross. Shortly after, the path turns left before joining the small road coming from La Vèvre. On your right, a small tunnel allows you to pass under the motorway.

(10) On the other side of the road, turn onto the first path on the left. The trail follows the GR® 76 D until it comes out onto a small road at a cross in Boujolle.

(11) Turn left to leave the GR®. Shortly after Boujolle, turn right and follow the first path that crosses a large meadow before gently descending to elevation 279 and rejoining the GR®7.

(12) Turn left towards the north, following the GR® markings until you reach a paved road located before the "En Ballat" farm, which you will see in front of you.

(13) Turn right and follow the road, then cross a bridge over the small River Guye. Continue east towards Moulin des Planches, then on to the hamlet of Les Lys, which you will see slightly higher up. You will find a wash house at the first crossroads.

(14) Continue straight ahead through a group of houses, then climb up a small wooded valley and follow it until you reach the plateau.

(15) At elevation 391, turn left and follow the edge of the woods. On your right, you will see a field separating you from a road that you will soon reach at elevation 402, also known as "Les Effondrés".

(16) Cross the road and continue along a path that is initially paved. Leave the main path when it turns right towards the Roche farm, which you can see a little further ahead. The small path you are now on climbs quite steeply towards a power line that crosses your horizon at Champ Taillon. Continue to elevation 399, where you will rejoin the GR® 76 and GR® 76.

(17) Continue straight ahead, following the GR® 76, to reach a small road a little further on that runs alongside the Goulot quarry, which you will see on your right as you continue straight ahead. A little further on, as you enter a wooded area, leave the white path that leads to the Chaume astronomical observatory on your left. Take the small road on the left that leads to the Moulin.

(18) Immediately turn right onto a path that descends towards a few houses. On your right, follow the small road that runs alongside vineyards and leads to the village of Davenay and the 315 coast.

(19) Turn left in the village, then when the road turns right, continue along the vineyard path which will take you to hill 266, above Buxy.

(20) Take another vineyard path on the right to reach Chemin du Jeu d'Arc. Follow this path to the right, then take Rue des Juifs opposite, which will take you to the centre of the village and Buxy Castle (E).

Public transport is available in Écuisses. For everything else, it is best to bring your own food for this stage.

It is easy to find water along the route, particularly in Saint-Julien-sur-Dheune, Chapelle-le-Villard and Le Lys.

In Buxy, you will find a tourist office, accommodation, transport on the Macon - Cluny - Chalon line and all basic shops.

In Ecuisses, take the time to discover the street art collections that adorn the village walls. You can visit the Villa Perrusson.

La Chapelle-le-Villard is an interesting place with an exceptional avenue of sequoia trees, which should be viewed from a distance as it is forbidden to venture near the trees (risk of falling branches).

Buxy: a beautiful medieval village worth exploring.

Hiking trails can be found on the ViaBurgundia website: www.viaburgundia.or.