Mont de Pouilly, and the Hills of Solutré and Vergisson

Great hike!

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I did this walk at the end of December, on a Monday. We set off at 8am, with lots of fog and, above all, icy conditions, which made the scenery absolutely fantastic. At point 9, the passage to the left was impassable, so we had to do the purple loop of the route, which was very narrow, very steep and very rocky, with some difficult passages. In the mist, we couldn't see the distant landscape, but the frost around us was magical.

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It's a great walk, and I'd definitely recommend it, but in theory I'd say so.
Let me explain, the atmosphere was perfect, fog in the valley, a big blue sky and early morning sunshine at the end of the climb to Pouilly-Solutré. There's a small detail at the starting point: the car park is private and belongs to the Grange du Bois gîte/restaurant, so if there are any spaces available, plan to go there for a drink before or after the hike.
The panorama is magnificent, a mix of hedged farmland, forests, vineyards everywhere and the two rocks that pierce the fog lurking below.
The first few kilometres allow us to immerse ourselves in this rural landscape, and then the first nuisances appear as we get closer to the Solutré rock. As we quietly climbed Mont Pouilly, the beauty and false silence of nature were destroyed by multiple motocross passes. We saw them go by and heard them several times, more or less far away, and the unbearable noise echoed for miles around. Another tricky point for us hikers to deal with was the hunters with groups of dogs, who could be heard so far away that we wondered if we should continue... It was a good thing we kept going (saying to ourselves "come what may") because the finish at the highest point of Mont Pouilly is a marvel.
Finally, one last point of criticism, the Roche de Solutré is a tourist spot, too touristy. We arrived there at around 11am, too late to avoid the parade of families and non-hikers going up and down, although the climb is worth the diversions, the view from the top is marvellous and for the tricky descent on the Vergisson side, it's better to choose the less steep purple route, which is quite slippery in this month of November.
Once past the rock, the peace returns, the villages are peaceful and it's up to you to decide whether to continue on to the Vergisson rock, which makes the walk 20km rather than 17km.
We were coming from Dijon, so the walk started at around 9.45am, so I'd advise you to leave earlier if possible... despite my criticisms, the surroundings are beautiful and the route can be idyllic.

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It's a great walk, and I'd definitely recommend it, but in theory I'd say so.
Let me explain, the atmosphere was perfect, fog in the valley, a big blue sky and early morning sunshine at the end of the climb to Pouilly-Solutré.
The panorama was magnificent, a mix of hedged farmland, forests, vineyards everywhere and the two rocks that pierced the fog lurking below.
The first few kilometres allow us to immerse ourselves in this rural landscape, and then the first nuisances appear as we get closer to the Solutré rock. As we quietly climbed Mont Pouilly, the beauty and false silence of nature were destroyed by multiple motocross passes. We saw them go by and heard them several times, more or less far away, and the unbearable noise echoed for miles around. Another tricky point for us hikers to deal with was the hunters with groups of dogs that we could hear not far away, to the point where we wondered if we should continue... We were right to continue (saying to ourselves "come what may") because the finish at the highest point of Mont Pouilly is a marvel.
Finally, one last point of criticism, the Roche de Solutré is a tourist spot, too touristy. We arrived there at around 11am, too late to avoid the parade of families and non-hikers, although the ascent is worth the diversions, the view from the top is marvellous and for the tricky descent near Vergisson, it's better to choose the less steep purple route, which is quite slippery in this month of November.
Once past the rock, the peace and quiet returns, the villages are peaceful and it's up to you to decide whether to continue on to the Vergisson rock, which makes the walk 20km rather than 17km.
We were coming from Dijon, so the walk started at around 9.45am, so I'd advise you to leave earlier if possible... despite my criticisms, the surroundings are beautiful and the route can be idyllic.

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This is a very fine hike with few visitors, except for the Roche de Solutré.
However, there is a mistake in the route as you descend from Solutré towards the Roche de Vergisson. It indicates a path that goes straight ahead (towards point 9). However, this does not exist and you have to follow the path to the right. However, the track is slippery.
Finally, the route is closer to 19 km than 18 km.

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Hello ! I took advantage of the event organised by the Macon Alpine Club. We successively climbed Mont Pouilly, La Roche de Solutré and La Roche de Vergisson. We also went as far north as the fortified (Roman) camp of Mont Monsard. An orientation table overlooking the Paris-Lyon TGV line. The climb is tricky in places, and the permanently installed rope is very useful. You'll need folding poles because of the space required. To put it simply, this is a superb hiking area for experienced walkers!

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I think there's a mistake on the Gpx track. On the descent from the Roche de Solutré towards Vergisson, the track goes straight down the slope (no path?) whereas the waymarked path goes completely to the right to return to the foot of the "cliff" and join the track towards the village of Vergisson.

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For practical reasons, we did this route from the Roche de Solutré (point 8 of the guidebook).
The route is fairly well signposted and explained, except near Vergisson (a little orientation never hurt anyone...).
The gradient and time taken are in line with the route, and even comfortable for experienced walkers.
The paths are easy, except for a few steep metres on the way down from the Soluré rock.

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We did this walk in 4? hours, not counting the breaks.
In fact, it's just over 18 km.
I recommend doing it in the direction from the starting point to Roche de Solutré and finishing in Vergisson.
The scenery is varied and very beautiful.
A walk worth doing.

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The explanations are not always very clear and there is not always signposting. A good place to grab a bite to eat: in Vergisson, near the town hall, picnic tables.

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The explanations are not always very clear

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Beautiful hike. Beautiful views. Not always easy to follow.

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Very nice walk. Beautiful views over the vineyards, not many people on Mont Pouilly, but the Solutré and Vergisson rocks are very busy. A long and tiring hike, but well worth it. On the other hand, doesn't it cover more kilometres?

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One of the most beautiful walks in the region.
A very popular route, only at the Roche de Solutré.
For good walkers

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Route description not always understandable. Very few signposts. Nice walk.

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