Moulin de Charlot from Pont au Pin

Hike mainly through the forest along the Saye valley. The route is shaded, mainly following paths through the undergrowth.
Moderator's note : route not accessible as of 09/06/2022, see reviews.

Details

2342294
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 30 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 30 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 51 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 18 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Moulin car park near the Pont de Charlot bridge.

(S/E) From the shaded car park at the mill, go around the left side of the lake.

(1) At the end of the lake, continue to the left, then take the stairs or the small path to access the railway line.

(2) Turn left and walk (north-west) along the Guîtres-Marcenais tourist train railway line. You will reach the old Marcenais station (passenger and freight).

(3) Continue along the railway line to the hamlet of Constant.

(4) Leave the railway line here and turn right to reach the Saye River before the hamlet of Pont au Pin. Cross it and take the road on the right

(5) Take the left road at the next crossroads. Continue to the Bois de Fonts Chaudes. Leave the road, then turn right at a right angle and cross the road you took earlier to join a track at the Font Male crossroads.

(6) Turn right, pass in front of the houses in Bardin before reaching the road running alongside the Ruisseau de La Moulinasse. Follow it to the right.

(7) Turn left onto the small bridge crossing the stream, but be careful as it is in very poor condition and you will probably have to wade across.
Continue south through the forest until you reach a road near Pont au Pin. Go around the hamlet of Jousson and you will arrive at the Terrier de l'Espi crossroads.

(8) Take the south-east path, which leads to a track before reaching the Pas du Loup crossroads.

(9) Take the road opposite and, at the crossroads, make a first turn right then left to take a path leading into the Bois des Charbonnières.

(10) Turn left and head north-east towards a track, which you take on the right for about ten metres.

(11) Turn left and head south, still in the same woods, until you reach the railway junction.

(2) Follow the same route back to the lake.

(1) Go around it on the left and take the footbridge to return to the Moulin car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 22 m - Moulin car park
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 19 m - Crossroads around the lake - Saye (ruisseau)
  3. 2 : km 0.48 - alt. 23 m - Stairs to reach the railway line.
  4. 3 : km 1.14 - alt. 29 m - Marcenais railway stations (passenger and freight)
  5. 4 : km 1.94 - alt. 32 m - Hamlet of Constant
  6. 5 : km 3.4 - alt. 26 m - Pont au Pin
  7. 6 : km 4.87 - alt. 50 m - Font Male
  8. 7 : km 5.57 - alt. 34 m - Small bridge in poor condition.
  9. 8 : km 7.28 - alt. 34 m - Terrier de l'Espi
  10. 9 : km 8.47 - alt. 21 m - Le Pas du Loup
  11. 10 : km 8.98 - alt. 22 m - Turn left at the fork.
  12. 11 : km 9.53 - alt. 34 m - Turn right at the fork.
  13. S/E : km 10.92 - alt. 22 m - Moulin car park

Notes

Caution: There are many junctions, so it is best to follow a GPS device, such as the one in this description.
(S/E) There is a picnic area near this point.

Worth a visit

Passing through the municipalities of Marcenais and Laruscade.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
HAB099
HAB099

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very shady, very little tarmac.

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AnneS@
AnneS@

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike!! A little busy around the mill, but very quiet the rest of the way. Very little road. The route is very scenic; I recommend it for nature lovers. Worth doing again.

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chipie33290
chipie33290

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very easy route through beautiful, shaded forests.
Thank you for this route.

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Alain L2.
Alain L2.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The route is very interesting, with lots of wooded paths and few roads.
Unfortunately, due to the floods in recent weeks, some sections are difficult or impossible to navigate, and the small wooden bridge across the river has been washed away.
Have a nice day
A.L

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Magimix
Magimix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike mainly through woods, oak groves and alluvial forest. Departure and return at the Charlot mill on the banks of the Saye (small restaurant open all day on Sundays in summer). As for the description, we forgot the printed map, so we only used the GPS and the GPX track, which worked well. It might have been more complicated at some crossroads without the GPS, as the paths to take are not always the main ones.
It is worth noting that there is a very large pidgeon hunting hut in the Charbonnières woods, which you have to cross, so be careful in autumn as the route may be closed.

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Geoffrey Robinet
Geoffrey Robinet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this beautiful route, almost entirely through the woods. In any case, there were very few paved roads and it was very peaceful on the weekend when I followed it... You do need to follow the GPS map on the app, as the information is sometimes insufficient to find your way around and get your bearings... I'll definitely be doing it again one of these days...

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Alain L2.
Alain L2.
• Edited:

The route is impassable today, closed for repairs and due to a tree blocking the route.
I hope it will be open again soon.

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la purge 33
la purge 33

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route is not signposted between points 5 and 7, making it very difficult to follow. The rest is fairly well marked.

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Julie33
Julie33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, we really enjoyed it. Personally, I only use GPS, so I can't say whether the explanations are good or not, but the GPS route is good in any case. I recommend doing it during the dry season because it's in the woods, to avoid the mud. Great scenery and very little road traffic, perfect for doing with dogs.

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vivoune
vivoune

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This route is pleasant because you are hiking in the woods almost the entire time, but it becomes monotonous after a while. Lack of diversity. In addition, it is essential to follow the route on the app to avoid missing paths that are not mentioned in the description. Important details are missing from the description, which is not obvious at times, especially when walking in the woods. For your information, the small wooden bridge is in good condition.

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback.

I loaded the route onto my GPS and the route is practically the same on the ground.

It's true that GPS makes things a lot easier.

Kind regards

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Alain L2.
Alain L2.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello
Yesterday afternoon, I accompanied my hiking group (around thirty participants) and received nothing but positive feedback.
I loaded the route onto my GPS and the track is practically the same on the ground.
There were a few muddy sections, but nothing too bad.
Next time, I'll organise a hike with the two circulars of Moulin de Charlot so that we can hike all day.
Thank you to the author of this route, and thank you also to the whole Visorando team for organising the site.

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

and add that we are heading right towards the north-west

In (2) "North-west direction" has been added.

See you soon.

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LM33
LM33

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello
Regarding the hike "Moulin de Charlot from Pont au Pin", first of all, the title does not correspond to the hike, which starts at Moulin de Charlot, returns there and passes through Pont au Pin. Secondly, and much more annoyingly, at point number 1, it says: "... take the stairs or the small path to reach the railway line"; however, the small path to climb the railway embankment is not visible because it is overgrown with brambles. As a result, point 2 is misleading. It says: "Turn left and walk along the railway line..." If you access the railway line via the small path (which is not possible as it is not visible and therefore inaccessible), you have to turn left. However, if you access the railway line by climbing the stairs, you must turn RIGHT and not left (to access the stairs, you must pass under the railway bridge that spans the Saye stream, which takes you to the other side of the path access). The reference to the small path should therefore be removed, point 2 should be amended, and it should be added that you should turn right towards the north-west.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover this beautiful walk.
Kind regards
LM33

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mbost
mbost

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

When you first arrive at the railway line, you need to turn right.
It's not always easy to find your way in the forest, especially towards the end.
It's pleasant in warm weather, away from the roads in the peaceful forest.

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