Guédelon Trail

Marked route No. 23.
In the space of an hour, step back to the^13th century on a path steeped in legend and join the builders of fortified castles.

Details

n°38250

Creation:
02 Aug 2013

Last update:
12 Oct 2026

Last review:
13 Apr 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.07 mi
Average duration: 3h 00
Difficulty: Easy
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 269 ft
Descent: - 256 ft
Highest point: 974 ft
Lowest point: 745 ft

Country: France
Area: Puisaye
City: Treigny (89520)
Start/End: N 47.550714° / E 3.181634°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2521SB
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Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the Champ de Foire (motorhome site).

(S/E) Cross Rue du Petit Pont and take Chemin de la Déplaisance (the left-hand path) downhill, heading north-west. As you go, let a path branch off to the right. You’ll reach the hamlet of Les Jolivots (cross on the right).

(1) Then take the small road heading west (ignore the one branching sharply to the right, which serves a few houses in the village).
Carry on to the end, passing by the foot of Ratilly Castle on your left (you can walk round it if you wish).

(2) Carry on, passing the hamlets of Les Martins, Bourg-sans-Paille and Les Pautrats on either side.

(3) At the end of this road, which is lined with pollarded trees, take the sandy path heading north-west.
Pass the first junction on the right (a forest track) and carry on to the next junction.

(4) Take the path on the right and head downhill, passing a track on your right.

(5) Pass by the foot of the Neufs Pas site. Continue, keeping to the left, until you reach a main road (D955).

(6) Cross the road carefully, then head down to the right (the path runs alongside the woodland fence) to reach the site of Guédelon Castle.
At the end of your visit, retrace your steps.

(5) Turn left (visually, almost straight ahead). Cross the ford either via the footbridge or on dry land, depending on the water level of the stream. Ignore the path branching off to the left and head towards Château Colnot (a simple house on the right).

(7) Turn right, passing a small pond. At the fork in the road, veer right and you’ll reach a junction of five paths, including a wider forest track.

(8) Take the^second path on the left. Ignore a few side branches. After a clearing with a field on the right, a path appears on the right.

(9) Take this path and continue until you reach the first junction. Turn right, then left at the second junction. Afterwards, carry on straight ahead as you leave the woodland. This will take you back to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 771 ft - Fairground. Close to the - La Vrille
1 : mi 0.52 - alt. 823 ft - At the crossroads, on the right, there is a cross.
2 : mi 0.83 - alt. 892 ft - Château de Ratilly
3 : mi 1.35 - alt. 938 ft - Les Pautrats
4 : mi 1.91 - alt. 932 ft - Crossroads
5 : mi 2.77 - alt. 863 ft - Common starting and finishing point - Les Neufs Pas
6 : mi 2.84 - alt. 853 ft - D955 road - Chantier médiéval de Guédelon
7 : mi 3.76 - alt. 915 ft - Access via a small tarmac road
8 : mi 4.34 - alt. 899 ft - Crossroads where five paths meet
9 : mi 5.01 - alt. 863 ft - T-junction
S/E : mi 6.07 - alt. 771 ft - Fairground (motorhome area)

Notes

The path can be a little muddy towards the end of the route following recent rain. Food and drink available at the Guédelon site. A lovely walk to do with children.
This walk is recommended bythe Puisaye-Forterre Tourist Office.
It is signposted in accordance with the Puisaye-Forterre inter-municipal guidelines and is marked No. 23.
If you have encountered any difficulties (obstacles, missing signposts, poor maintenance, etc.), please let us know here.

Accommodation (bed and breakfasts, lodges and a youth hostel) and places to eat are available in the village of Treigny.
A designated car park for motorhomes is available in the village centre.

Worth a visit

Let us tell you the legend of the nine steps.
(6).
Don’t miss out on a full tour of Guédelon once you’re there.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5

Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5

Route interest
4.4 / 5

IsaBubu

13 Apr 2026 at 18:39

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

As I was staying in Treigny, I went on this hike to visit Guédelon Castle.
Like other hikers, I would say that the first part of the route is interesting, that Ratilly Castle is well worth a look (it’s very easy to walk around it) and that the legend of the nine steps is worth a smile.
As for the return journey, that’s another story; the path was completely rutted by logging machinery, with deep, very wide ruts filled with stagnant, very black water, which we had to work our way around through the woods and brambles.
If I’d anticipated that, I would have come back the same way I went

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Feanturi

29 Sep 2025 at 10:39

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant route. At the start of level 5, the path is a little chaotic due to timber skidding equipment. Still at level 5, there is a collapsed footbridge, but this is not a problem for the moment. The stream is dry. Otherwise, it is a relaxing and well-marked route entirely through the woods. Worth doing again
One last comment. At level 8, on the second path on the left, a yellow cross obscures the markings, which may confuse those who are not using a paper map or other form of guidance. You really have to step forward to see the markings.

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ERH

28 Apr 2025 at 14:33

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed the first part. I didn't enjoy the second part so much, because at the time I did it, that part was very bogged down and impassable for several kilometres.

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Revelatta2B

18 Aug 2024 at 16:24

Error in my review of our hike on 11/8/24. It was, of course, the Château de Ratilly!

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Revelatta2B

18 Aug 2024 at 16:20 • Edited: 18 Aug 2024 at 16:25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is easy to follow except for one section on the way back from Guédelon, where the GPS shows a path to the right but nothing. You have to continue for about 150m to find the path. Then the GPX track takes you right back to the path.
We arrived near Guédelon before 10.30am and the crowds hadn't arrived yet. Just two cars parked in the undergrowth.
The path is very rough on the way back.
It's a shady path, which, by the way, allows you to get away from it all at the Château de Ratilly and can also be a way to visit Guédelon for the brave.

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POULIN Gérard

20 May 2024 at 11:45

Hello scalp92,
I'm sorry about this delay. Incivility is everywhere. The car park is saturated during the months of May, July and August. Improvements have been planned for years, but nothing is happening on the ground.
I hope you enjoy your walks in this area, which is full of beautiful spots.

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scalp92

20 May 2024 at 11:29

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A varied tour but marred by the presence of cars parked in the forest near Guédelon
When you go on a tour, you don't expect to come across a car park in the middle of nowhere; either Guédelon enlarges its car park, or access across the forest is forbidden.
However, this minor inconvenience didn't prevent us from enjoying the walk.

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jjnp

15 Oct 2023 at 17:36

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice walk around Ratilly castle. It's a pity that part of the return path has been worn down by farm machinery and is much used by quad bikes and motocross bikes.

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Mpmaerten@

25 Jul 2022 at 13:21

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A passage on the way back is impassable due to trees that fell during the last storm.

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chaautaux

13 Jun 2022 at 21:58

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
Although we're using the GPS route, we've noticed that this little circuit is very well signposted.
We chose it this Sunday for its many shady lines.
Puisaye is a very wet region and the soil is "greasy". The thunderstorms at the start of the week left large puddles in critical places, but as the path is quite busy, the deviations on the wood are very marked.
Many thanks to you all.

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POULIN Gérard

27 Sep 2021 at 10:44

Hello FGN and thank you for your compliments on the waymarking. It's true that Visorando doesn't ask for any assessment of the signposting, but in Puisaye-Forterre, a number of routes are signposted in this way and I hope, like you and many hikers, that this work will continue in the future.
I hope to see you soon in this region.

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FGN

27 Sep 2021 at 09:06

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, often in woodland. I think that after rainy weather some areas are less passable, with deep ruts. Even though we're asked not to mention the signposting, it's perfect, with signposts at every junction. A perfect job has been done. I hope it will be maintained.

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Maya.B

22 Jul 2019 at 15:01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk, very well signposted. Passes through some very pretty and quiet forest paths.
We really recommend it.
And of course we recommend a visit to the château at Guédelon; a site in its own right where you lose all sense of time. Far from any motorised vehicles and with little network, people enjoy each other's company. It's a great place to discover new things and to get to know other people!

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jmgaeng

03 Apr 2019 at 12:33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very well signposted and pleasant tour. Guedelon is well worth a visit. This route can easily be combined with the "Water and Woods" route, as much of the section is shared.

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Jean-Baptiste PROTAIS

07 May 2018 at 17:25

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

What a pleasure it is to visit the Château de Guédelon halfway along the route and to get there on foot.
Getting there and back was no problem at all.
At the beginning of May, I didn't meet a single person on the route, but there were plenty of people at Guédelon, so it was great to have a picnic and visit.

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