State-owned forest and ponds from Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux

Departure and parking opposite the town hall of Saint-Nicolas-lès Cîteaux.

(S/E) Set off along the D8 for about 50 metres, then take the white path straight ahead towards the conservation orchard. Continue past a pond on your right and the orchard on your left, and keep going straight ahead on this good path that crosses the fields. After a final path on the left, the trail becomes a dirt track and descends towards the Étang des Fontaines.

(1) Note the two hydraulic structures and continue straight ahead through the undergrowth.

(2) On this good white path, take the path that leads to the Étang des Routes and its small islands. Retrace your steps, rejoin the forest road and follow it to the left. Continue in this direction until you reach the large crossroads with the Route Forestière de Berrault at a large car park.

(3) Go straight ahead towards the Maison Forestière de Broin.

(4) Before reaching it, turn right onto line 329 328 and enter the woods. Continue along a long straight line without any particular difficulty, although some sections may be soggy. This will take you to a new forest road, where you should turn right and continue for about 200 metres.

(5) Turn left onto line 319 and cross the woods in a straight line. This section is a little hillier and wetter than the previous one. You will reach a new forest road, the Nuits-Georges à Broin road.

(6) Turn right and join a new forest road. At this high crossroads, you will have a view of the wine-growing coast opposite. Turn left. This section is a little hilly and leads to a new crossroads, recognisable by the huge thuja trees on the right.

(7) Take the forest road on the right and a little further on you will reach line 237 238.

(8) Turn right into the woods and cross them: this is the most difficult section, with two easily fordable ditches, a few embankments and puddles on the line, but no real difficulty! Continue straight ahead to the Nuits-Georges to Broin Forest Road, turn right and after 400 metres you will find line 303 on your left.

(9) Follow it through the woods, then into a much more open plantation. When the path branches off slightly to the left, look for and take the small passage on the right which joins a good path 5 m to the right, clearly visible behind the trees.

(10) Take this path on the left to reach the edge of the woods and return to the open farmland. Cross a small bridge and head for the hunting lodge, which resembles a caravan.

(11) Then take the wide white path on the left, which leads through the fields with views of the forest on the left and the vineyards opposite. Note the forest house on the left, then the first houses of the village. At the entrance, turn right onto the cattle tracks along the road and, at the roundabout, turn right to reach the town hall (S/E).

Many of the paths marked on the maps no longer exist or are impassable. Please stay on the marked paths to avoid any inconvenience (puddles, brambles, trees, ditches, etc.).

The soil in the Cîteaux forest is particularly clayey, so it is best to do this hike in dry weather, in spring or summer, otherwise boots will be very useful.

Cîteaux Abbey north of Saint-Nicolas.