A leisurely stroll starting from Pontailler-sur-Saône

Head to Pontailler-sur-Saône and cross the village via Rue du 8 Mai 1945 (D959). The starting point is on Rue Saint-Éloi or near the Place du Marché. Parking is available along the stretch of water leading to the port at La Vieille Saône.

(S/E) Start the walk heading towards the church. Go round the back of the market square and the church to skirt round it on the right. Join Rue du 8 Mai 1945. Walk along the right-hand pavement and carefully cross the bridge over the Vieille Saône. Continue to the next roundabout.

(1) After a slight detour to the right, head up Place Saint-Jean on the left. At the first right-hand bend, leave the street and climb more steeply opposite, between the houses, along a grassy path that ends in a stony track. Continue to the wayside cross, at the junction of four streets. Turn right into Rue aux Moines.
After 100 m, you can turn right up the path towards the mobile phone mast and the statue of the Virgin Mary further on (a lovely viewpoint). Retrace your steps back towards Rue aux Moines. Walk gently down it to the right until you reach the railway line.

(2) Turn left until you reach a narrow passage where you must cross the railway line, just after some bushes. Continue along the path running alongside the railway line, keeping to the right until you reach the D959.

(3) Cross this road opposite the industrial estate. Follow Rue des Métiers until you reach the edge of the woodland straight ahead. Turn left until you reach a dirt track crossing the road, near an electricity pole. Turn left and continue to the next junction.

(4) Head up Rue du Tillet on the right. The route runs between cultivated fields on the left and the edge of the Bois des Hies on the right. Carry on until you reach a three-way crossroads.

(5) Turn right onto the main, well-marked track. At the next Fork in the road, keep to the right and continue straight ahead until you come out onto a small road. Follow the road to the left, cross Rue de l’Église on the left-hand side and walk past the church on your left.

(6) Turn right into Rue Saint Sauveur and, shortly afterwards, turn left into Rue de l’École. You’ll come out onto the D976; follow it to the left (stick to the left-hand pavement after the traffic lights). After about fifty metres, cross the road carefully and follow a small road towards Heuilley-sur-Saône. Head down a steep slope on the left which leads to the banks of the canal (do not take the bridge).

(7) Turn right, go under the bridge and walk along the canal on your left-hand side. Go under a railway bridge and then a road bridge. This will take you to the Saône diversion canal.

(8) Turn right to pass the lock and the Maison du Tremblant. Then walk alongside the Saône on your left, following the old towpath to the harbour master’s office at the entrance to Pontailler (do not go under the road bridge).

(9) Just after crossing a tributary and before the road bridge over the river, turn right and follow the stretch of water until you reach the car park on Rue Saint-Éloi (S/E).

Picnic spots:
1) Mont-Ardoux: a table and benches behind the statue of the Virgin Mary.
2) Near Maxilly-sur-Saône, a picnic area under the trees, with a remarkable sessile oak on the left.

Outside wooded areas, on sunny days, bring a hat or cap. It can get hot on the dirt tracks.
In winter or in wet weather, wear walking boots for the grassy sections, which can sometimes be damp and therefore muddy.

Keep an eye on the banks of the Saône to spot numerous birds.
Lovely views of the canal and the two dams.

Pontailler-sur-Saône.

The statue of Mont-Ardoux and the overflow wash house.