Sentier Colette - Walking with Colette

Marked hike N°1.
This trail, dedicated to Colette, was opened in 1993 by the pupils of the Colette college of Saint-Sauveur en Puisaye. Along this trail, everything recalls the works of this author, born in Saint-Sauveur en Puisaye in 1873. The author has described her birthplace so well - that even though she has given other names to the villages and characters, you can sense her literature at every corner.

Details

40287
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 92 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 100 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 287 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 223 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/F) Starting from the Colette Museum (car park below) go down the alley of lime trees and turn right onto «Rue de la Roche». After 50m turn left onto « Rue Colette ».

(1) Pass between the house, birthplace of Colette, on your left and the «front garden» to your right and immediately turn right onto «Rue des Gros Bonnets», then straight ahead onto « Rue du Bourg Gelé » (the Post Office will be on your left)
At the intersection, opposite the war memorial, head down to your left (road to St. Amand) for 80m and where the road makes a 90° angle, cross over to take the road opposite « Rue de Moutiers. »
Pass under the railway bridge and turn right to take the path that leads to « La Marseillaise»

(2) When you get to the hamlet, take the path to the left before the railroad. Continue on the main path. After the last house on the left there is a small path to the right (3) that allows for a round trip to the Batisse Potery.

(4) On the main path, cross the little bridge over the Loing River reaching Moutiers by turning right twice along the small tarmac road.
When you get to the village, explore the church (6) to the left along with the public wash-house coming from the left and the village square featuring the fontain of monk Glabert (5) and the former Abbey (remains) on your right.
At the stop sign, turn to left and go past the church, a monument known for its superb cloister and classified murals. At the end of this road turn left and go up as far as the crossing «the Lorets» (leave the stone path and choose the tarmac road 100m further on).
As you pass by the «Croix St. Pierre», made from Puisaye sandstone, you'll get an idea of the hardness of this rock. You'll discover the former extraction quarries by taking the dirt path just opposite at the next cross roads. Stroll along this path full of history. Once on the road, cut across the railway track and take the road opposite which goes past the church. Go up this road which runs partly along the back of the house and garden of Colette and at the top turn off to the left then to the right to reach the museum.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 269 m - Musée Colette
  2. 1 : km 0.09 - alt. 266 m - Maison natale de Colette
  3. 2 : km 1.32 - alt. 237 m - Railway line not to be crossed
  4. 3 : km 1.64 - alt. 223 m - Small footbridge over the Loing - Loing (le)
  5. 4 : km 2.45 - alt. 227 m - Fontaine du moine Glaber
  6. 5 : km 2.53 - alt. 227 m - Eglise Saint-Pierre de Moutiers-en-Puisaye
  7. 6 : km 4.16 - alt. 284 m - Saint-Pierre Cross
  8. 7 : km 4.67 - alt. 258 m
  9. 8 : km 5.44 - alt. 245 m
  10. S/E : km 5.76 - alt. 269 m - Musée Colette

Notes

The markup is provided by the Association A chacun son chemin en Puisaye-Forterre following the graphical charter of the Community of Communes of Puisaye-Forterre in the way of the description and bears N°1. The presence of the markup, however, requires that you leave at least with this description and the attached IGN map.
In case of problems, thank you for completing this questionnaire (1 to 2 minutes only).

Worth a visit

Nearby - To visit:
The Colette Museum
The site of the Batisse: after the last house of the « Marseillaise hamlet (3) take the path which at first looks like the beginnig an entrance to a field and continue for 600m reaching « Batisse Potery » and the coated oven.
(5) The fountain of monk Glaber.
(6) The Church at Moutiers.

Should the desire to follow in the footsteps of Colette interest you, themed hikes with a guide are offered by the Tourist Office upon reservation.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 29 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
ChrisBillard43
ChrisBillard43

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A walk that allows you to discover the typical landscapes of Puisaye in the footsteps of Colette.

Machine-translated

OT Puisaye-Forterre
OT Puisaye-Forterre

Hello choupette77,

Thank you for your message.

See you soon on the trails of Puisaye

The team at the Puisaye-Forterre Tourist Office

Machine-translated

choupette77
choupette77

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well-marked trail with lots of undergrowth

Machine-translated

c1gag
c1gag

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

an easy route, it was hot that day, a good part of the route is wooded, pleasant in this weather

Machine-translated

Cath61
Cath61

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very well signposted route

Machine-translated

11vains
11vains

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Interest in visiting Moutiers church+++

Machine-translated

Ludal89
Ludal89

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pity poorly maintained circuit, with trees across the path in several places and tall grass (over 1.90m).

Machine-translated

catherineridray
catherineridray

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty and easy walk, perfectly signposted.
Nice stop in Moutiers with picnic tables and the incredible frescoes in the church.
Finishes on a high with a visit to Colette's house.
I would recommend

Machine-translated

scalp92
scalp92

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy and pleasant walk
Be sure to stop off at the Moutier church, which is guaranteed to dazzle.

Machine-translated

fcarmen5@gmail.com
fcarmen5@gmail.com

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did it on the morning of 8 May. It had been wet for several days beforehand and the lower parts were difficult to access, but everything else was passable with good shoes.
There's a marker missing on the route, but with the description and the map, no problem...
To be done when the museum and the Maison Colette are open, but the Moutiers church is well worth a visit. It took us 3 hours but we also had an 81 year old so it's accessible to everyone...

Machine-translated

DanMichninhug
DanMichninhug

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello
This is a very easy walk, which takes you deep into the writer's country.
Do it after visiting Colette's house.
I would recommend
Michel

Machine-translated

POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★
• Edited:

Hello Montereau77,
Thank you for your comments.
At no point in the description is there any mention of explanatory panels on this route. It's first the museum, then the house where Colette was born that can be visited and that talk about this writer. It would be a waste of money and time to put up signs here.
On the other hand, a walk entitled In Colette's footsteps, with commentary and texts read along the way, is organised during the summer.

Machine-translated

Montereau77
Montereau77

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

Where are the information panels relating to Colette's works?

Machine-translated

POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Hello Martine,
Thank you for your comments .
That's the whole point of this route: to immerse the walker in the atmosphere and childhood of Colette. Admittedly, the landscapes have changed a little, but the essence is still there.
As for the frescoes in the church at Moutiers, I don't know what she would have thought or written about them (they were discovered and showcased at the end of the 20th century), but it's certain that she wouldn't have remained unmoved.

Machine-translated

Martine hofer
Martine hofer

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb, easy walk, and the narrow paths are very pleasant in the autumn sunshine. What's more, the frescoes in the Moutiers church are a must-see. We were delighted with the fascinating visit to Colette's house and were able to experience the atmosphere of her childhood along the way. Highly recommended

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.