The Celtic Camp: The 30 cottages and the Petit Auxey mountain

A beautiful, slightly challenging hike, with magnificent views over prestigious villages and vineyards (Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet) and an extraordinary collection of cottages.

Details

1217066
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.23 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 413 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 413 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 436 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 259 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Auxey-Duresses (21190)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.986197° / E 4.745884°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3024OT, 3025SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Auxey-Duresses church car park.

(S/E) Head east towards the village center for a few metres, then turn right into Rue du Pont Boillot.
Turn right after the bridge over the Ruisseau des Cloux,

(1) Take the first path on the left, which climbs up through the vineyards. After 250m, leave the track for a path on the left, marked Yellow-Red. Follow the path (2 steep climbs) until you come to another path to the right. Leaving the yellow-red markings, take this path to the right until you come to a scree slope to the left, the start of the Celtic Camp.

(2) Follow this scree slope. At the end of the scree, take the left-hand path. At the next crossroads, take the path on the left that leads to the statue of Saint-Christophe.

(3) Head due south along the botanical path to the orientation table.

(4) Continue along the botanical path until you come to a white track, which you turn left onto until you reach hill 403.

(5) Take the second path on the right, the one that goes downhill. Leave a track on your left. At the next junction, turn left, then right (north).

(6) After 700m, turn left onto the gravel path that climbs for 150m, then leave it to take the path opposite, which descends until it joins the Sentier des Cabottes.

Turn left (signposted). Follow this path, signposted all the way, to discover the 30 numbered cottages. After cottage no. 13 (elevation 434), you can return to a beautiful viewpoint (Falaise d'Orches, Saint-Romain).

(8) Rejoin the previous crossroads and turn left to continue along the Sentier des Cabottes.
Reach cottage no. 30 at 273 m asl. Leave the Sentier des Cabottes (cottages) to the right and turn left (north) onto the path leading to Petit Auxey. Reach a crossroads.

(9) Continue straight ahead. Cross the D973 (with care) to reach the D17e. Follow it to the right for 40m, then turn left into Rue de la Fontaine, passing the Saint-Symphorien church.

(10) Turn left up Rue du Lavoir. Leave the wash-house on your right and take the gravel path that climbs steeply to the left (north-west) towards Montagne du Petit Auxey. Reach a hairpin bend.

(11) Follow the path in a north-easterly direction, above the vineyards, go straight on past hill 377, then after 500m, turn right onto the path leading down to Auxey-Duresses. Join the GR®76 and follow it to the right for 150m.

(12) At the kiosk crossroads, turn right onto Petit Auxey. Go straight ahead. At the entrance to the hamlet, turn left onto Rue de Borgey, then right onto D17e for 100m. Then turn left, cross the D973 and rejoin the path junction you passed earlier.

(9) Take the left-hand path. Continue along the Chemin des Naupages.

(1) Cross the bridge to the left to reach the starting point at the church car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 261 m - Auxey-Duresses church car park
  2. 1 : km 0.26 - alt. 260 m - Carrefour de la boucle
  3. 2 : km 1.23 - alt. 377 m - Mount Milan Celtic camp
  4. 3 : km 2.15 - alt. 365 m - Statue of Saint-Christophe
  5. 4 : km 2.51 - alt. 385 m - Orientation table on the botanical trail
  6. 5 : km 3.43 - alt. 404 m - Code 403, on the right
  7. 6 : km 4.38 - alt. 330 m - Left fork
  8. 7 : km 4.95 - alt. 308 m - Start of the Sentier des Cabottes
  9. 8 : km 7.48 - alt. 433 m - Viewpoint
  10. 9 : km 11.02 - alt. 269 m - Second loop crossroads
  11. 10 : km 11.46 - alt. 278 m - Church of Saint-Symphorien Petit Auxey
  12. 11 : km 11.9 - alt. 365 m - Lyre-shaped vines and viewpoint
  13. 12 : km 13.7 - alt. 277 m - Carrefour du kiosque, on the right
  14. S/E : km 16.23 - alt. 260 m - Auxey-Duresses church car park

Notes

The trail of the cottages is closed on Sundays between October 15 and February 28 (hunting).

Worth a visit

(2) The scree at the start of the hike is in fact the ruins of a fortified Celtic camp on Mont Milan. Along the way, we can make out a few remains of the enclosure, access to the camp and buildings. It covers an area of 1.5 hectares.

(3) From the orientation table, a magnificent panorama of the vineyards, the plain, the foothills of the Jura and, weather permitting, a view of Mont Blanc.

(7) Cottages were once used as shelters by winegrowers, shepherds and farmers. Most of them date back to the first half of the 19th century. Built of flat, dry stone, they were gradually abandoned. This perfectly signposted tour reveals a wide variety of cottages (numbered from 1 to 30), which volunteers have worked hard to restore.

(10) Church of Saint-Symphorien de Petit Auxey, classified as a Historic Monument, originally belonging to Saint-Symphorien d'Autun, then to the Abbey of Cluny, it features a facade with bell tower and portal dating back to the end of the 12th century.

(11) Lyre-shaped (or Y-shaped) vines. This choice of vine shape has a number of advantages: erosion control, "upright" work, better sunlight for the plant, so more quantity and quality, less disease, so fewer treatments. Disadvantage: harvesting cannot be automated.

The church of Saint-Martin d'Auxey-Duresses, topped by a tufa limestone bell tower, is usually open to the public. It is home to a magnificent triptych of the Nativity of the Virgin, recently restored and well documented (fact sheets on site), to be admired both open and closed.

Along the way, you'll also notice the irreparable damage caused to the box trees by box moths.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 27 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 28866269

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

all in all, nothing to complain about

Machine-translated

ben1
ben1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting hike, the Celtic camp, the Cabottes trail, and magnificent views of the vineyards. It's a shame the sun wasn't really shining that day.
We didn't realise that the Cabottes trail (in very good parish specific to Brittany condition) was closed due to hunters (hunting on Sundays), and we heard gunshots all afternoon!
Thank you for this discovery hike.

Machine-translated

Puge
Puge

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with paths sheltered from the sun... a lovely surprise. Thank you

Machine-translated

billbock
billbock

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

magnificent walk, very varied except for the end towards petit auxey which is less interesting

Machine-translated

Randonneur-120
Randonneur-120

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

It's a pity that the boxwoods have been devoured by the boxwood borer, which sometimes creates a ghostly setting....
Disappointing hike....site of the Botanical Garden....the various shrubs advertised are non-existent..... devoured by the bugs!
The Cabotes site has been invaded by moths, which were hanging around as we passed along the paths.

Machine-translated

Coviaux
Coviaux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice, sporty hike, with no route problems and a wide variety of scenery. No doubt good trail training, there are lots of repeats and it's quite technical in places on the Cabottes path.

Machine-translated

monique.1954
monique.1954
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The routes are very well laid out, with detailed information on viewpoints, etc.

Machine-translated

Chipie21
Chipie21

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk, with the added bonus of the beautiful Cabottes path, most of which is shaded for the first part, which is important in these hot weather conditions. The return via Petit Aussey is sunnier and offers beautiful views after a slightly steep climb.... Very good signposting. Thanks for sharing.

Machine-translated

Borosmoke
Borosmoke

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Typical Côte d'Or landscapes. There are also 30 cabottes to enjoy. A 4-hour walk that's well worth the effort, with no difficulties whatsoever.

Machine-translated

doug63
doug63

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, sheltered in the mossy undergrowth with the box trees greening up, then on the other side exposed to the sun, with a view of the vines. In very hot weather, the second part can easily be avoided.
The Cabottes trail is truly amazing, and we highly recommend this walk.

Machine-translated

DROUILLOT
DROUILLOT
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you Philjacque for the good description and interesting details of this beautiful route. Don't do it when it's raining because of the steep climbs in (1). We did it on a sunny day and took full advantage of the palette of autumn colours over the woods and vineyards: magnificent!
Well done and thank you to the volunteers for restoring the cabottes.

Machine-translated

poucito
poucito

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route was taken in fine weather and varied: uphill and downhill, mossy undergrowth, meadows, very wild, the grapes were ripe, a few viewpoints, benches and nice picnic tables, but be careful as we saw 2 vipers. On the path to the cabottes you go round in circles until you lose your sense of direction, but the cabottes trail is well signposted;
Thank you to the person who mapped out the route and to those who signposted the cabottes trail.
We discovered some backpack huts!

Machine-translated

morantal
morantal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Super walk, impeccable signposting, great panorama, various and varied cadoles.
This spring there are many flowers, some of them rare and protected.
The start of the walk is shady, but the end is well exposed to the sun.
I recommend this outing, which can easily be shortened.

Machine-translated

teddy.masson
teddy.masson

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

nice hike
14km on my gps
4h walk without a break except for the photos of the cabottes, which are very pretty to look at
magnificent view of the mont d'auxey at the end of the route, especially in autumn above the vines
first ascent and the last a little steep but not difficult

Machine-translated

Eymard Franck
Eymard Franck

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. Beautiful views and varied landscape.
The Cabottes trail can be shortened as it feels like you're going round in circles, so look out for the signposts when you're in a meadow to go straight back down to Auxey Duresses.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.