Oppidum du Vieux Dun and Étang de la Creuse

Parking at the Dun-les-Places church car park. Access from Quarré-les-Tombes via the D10 and D211, from Montsauche-les-Settons via the D236 and from Brassy via the D6.

Yellow markings (sparse)

(S/E) With your back to the church entrance, follow the small road to the right (north). Ignore the C2 road to the left towards Vieux Dun (sign). At the corner of the town hall, turn right down a shaded path.

At the bottom of the descent (house), turn left (north). At the next fork, take the left-hand path (VTT signpost). Go first west, then north, between meadows, woods and plots planted with very small conifers (future Christmas trees).

(2) At a fork in the road, look for a signpost on the right.
N.B. The signpost states that this is where you'll find the GR^®13, but on the 1/25000 map and in the field, the GR^®13 is further north.
Follow the sign for "Le Vieux Dun", i.e. the left-hand path. At the next crossroads, head roughly north-north-west (VTT signpost). Continue through undergrowth, following along a field on your right for a while, before finding an isolated red and white beacon. Turn right onto a wide track.

Red and white markings

(3) Follow the wide track to the left (north-west), through undergrowth. In a more open area, ignore a track start on the right and come to a crossroads.

(4) Then continue roughly opposite (MTB marker 2-4-5) and immediately turn left downhill. Go West-South-West, then West, with a large plot of fallow land on your right, and soon the houses of Bonaré in sight. Reach the village.

(5) Take the small road to the right and drive through the village. As you leave the village, ignore the track to the right and continue straight ahead (north-west) on a track. Descend between two hedges, cross a stream and climb back up. You come to a small road (isolated house on the right) and follow it to the left for just a few metres.

(6) At the crossroads, take the small road to the right (north). After the gate of a house and a pond on your right, the road gives way to a path: reach the "Grande Barre" information sign. Continue north towards Saint-Marc (sign). The path climbs and curves left between hedges. Reach the hamlet of Vieux Dun.

No markings

(7) At the crossroads, leave the GR^®13 and turn right (north) towards Pont du Vieux Dun. After approx. 200m, leave the road and turn sharp right onto Chemin de la Chapelle. On the right, in a paddock, you'll see the remains of the Eglise Saint-Martin (church) and the new Chapelle Saint-Marc. Continue left (west), then quickly right (north) along the path. At a fork, take the left-hand path slightly uphill, between a large meadow on the left and a wood on the right. Enter the wood and reach Chapelle Saint-Marc.

(8) Go past the chapel and, just behind it, head downhill on a faint path through conifers. Quickly reach a perpendicular forest track and follow it to the left (south-west). The track descends. When it meets another track coming from the right, continue to the left, still downhill.

(9) At the next crossroads, with another track coming from the right and the bare rock on the left, turn left again (south) and go up into the forest. Leave the forest and walk between hedges bordering meadows. At a T-junction, turn left and walk alongside a house (no. 7). At the next T-junction, turn right. Go downhill between the houses to reach the Vieux Dun crossroads.

(7) Turn right (south) and momentarily find the red and white GR^®°13 markings. After approx. 200m, at n°12, continue South uphill (leaving the GR^®13 to the right). Pass the Chemin du Loriot coming from the right, then start downhill on the road. At the bottom of the descent, after an information sign, find a junction between the road and a path.

Very sparse yellow markings
There are mainly a few yellow crosses indicating the direction not to follow.

(10) Take the unmarked path to the right (south-west) (do not follow the yellow signpost indicating "Le Champ Rebouleau" on the left). Continue along the edge of woods and meadows, then enter undergrowth. At a fork, take the right-hand path. Immediately afterwards, ignore a track coming from the left and continue south-west, descending steadily. This leads to a small road with a bridge on the right.

Turn left, passing a barn and a house on your right. At a fork in the road, continue left. You will come to a crossroads (sign "Interdit aux plus de 9 tonnes" on the left).

(12) Turn right (south) onto the downhill path, ignoring the left- and right-hand paths. Cross a stream and come to a pond.

(13) Fork right, immediately cross a very small asphalt road overgrown with grass, and head south-west (azimuth 240 to be precise). Walk between hedges, with a large meadow topped by the Champ des Bondias hillock on your left. Cross a stream and then the D6 (be careful). Turn left onto a wide track (VTT marker 3-5). Turn right and climb up to Étang de la Creuse.

(14) Turn left (east) onto the pond dike. Continue east on a good track, ignoring the left and right trailheads. At hill 502, turn left, i.e. North-North-East. Continuing in this direction, the path soon gives way to a small road. Reach a crossroads in the hamlet of Mézocdefroy.

(15) Turn right onto the small road lined with houses, which runs parallel to the D6, visible on the left. Join the D6 on leaving Mézocdefroy (triangular plot, sign). Follow this road for just a few metres and, when it bends to the left, continue straight ahead on a smaller road (signposted "30km/h limit"). Drive along the cemetery on your right and continue eastwards. At a T-junction (house with green shutters on the right as the road bends), turn left. Cross the D6 and rejoin the starting point (S/E).

Hiking boots required.

No water points on the route. Shelter available at Chapelle Saint-Marc (open) (8).
In Dun-les-Places: grocery store between the church and the town hall and bar-restaurant on the C2 road to Vieux Dun.

1:25,000 scale map essential (at least the one accompanying this description). Compass useful.

Hiked twice by the author, the first in October 1980, the second on June 12, 2015.

Vieux Dun oppidum:
To the north and south of today's Vieux Dun village lay a Celtic oppidum dating from around the 5th century BC. This oppidum is of the "promontory fort" type. The top of it was located on the site of today's Chapelle Saint-Marc (8), on a summit overlooking the confluence of the Cure from the south-east and the Ruisseau de Saint-Marc from the south-west.
If you follow the forest track past the chapel, you can appreciate the protection afforded by the site's steepness. On the much less steep southern slope, the oppidum was protected by two ditch and rampart systems. Archaeological excavations revealed that the first "Petite Barre" ditch was located at the level of the large meadow to the south of Chapelle Saint-Marc (shortly before (8)), the second "Grande Barre" being located at the level of the place named 'Champ Rebuleau', between (10) and (6). Today, there is hardly any visible trace of this oppidum for the casual walker, who can nevertheless read with interest the information panels shortly after (6) and shortly before (10).
Source: Revue Archéologique de l'Est, volume 58, year 2009, pp. 143-145.

Churches and chapels :
- Eglise Sainte-Amélie (19th century), neo-Romanesque, Dun-les-Places (S).
- Remains of Eglise Saint-Martin (15th century) and new Chapelle Saint-Marc (19th century), at the northern end of Vieux Dun, shortly after (7).
- Chapelle Saint-Marc (8) extremely simple architecture, with no steeple, and very understated interior decoration.

Monument and memorial :
On June 26, 1944, in retaliation for acts of resistance in the region, 27 men from Dun-les-Places were shot and, over the next two days, the village was set on fire. The monument stands opposite the church entrance (S/E). A memorial was inaugurated in May 2016.