Ochre wells trail in Diges

Parking is available in front of the town hall on Place Marie Noël.

(S/E) Head towards the war memorial, keeping it on your right as you walk up the street towards Montchenot. Cross Les Jolivets d'en Bas and continue until you reach the sign indicating the entrance to Monchenot.

(1) Immediately turn left onto a tarmac road (Chemin des Sables) for about 50 metres, then continue along the dirt track, leaving Rue des Châtaigniers on your left. Walk along the right-hand side of the football stadium. Cross the road and continue straight on along the road leading to Les Méhuts. Once you have passed the last house in the hamlet, the road becomes a track. In front of the woods, turn left and follow the edge on your right for about 100 metres, then walk along the fields and come out onto a road.

(2) Take it on the right and continue until you reach Bréviandes. Shortly after the farm, at the corner of the house, turn left onto the path to reach a crossroads. In front of you is an old open-cast ochre mine.

(3) Turn left and go down the road. Cross it and take the hard shoulder on the right. After walking uphill for 150 m, take a small entrance on the left down a steep slope. You will come out in a field. Walk 50 m along the undergrowth on the left and a field on the right. At the end, turn right for about 20 metres, then left into the undergrowth. When you reach a fenced field, turn right and stay on the main path until you reach a road.

(4) In front of you is a stretch of water that used to be an open-cast mine. Turn left and cross the Verrerie Haute, staying on the road. You will reach a crossroads with a path on the left and a small road on the right (opposite, there is a power pylon).

(5) Take the latter, which quickly ends at a crossroads. Ignore the two side paths and take the small path lined with pollarded trees that leads to the Butte d'Ocre.

(6) Do not go down this hill, but turn right and, after a large bend, arrive at the foot of the hill. Continue along the path which runs alongside a field and arrives at a place called Le Château. Leave the next two roads on your right as you descend and reach the D159 and the hamlet of Sauilly. Before crossing, take a look opposite towards the fortified farm.

(7) Turn left onto Rue de l'Ocrerie and pass Chemin de la Ferme. At the first fork, turn right and, in the bend, head towards Les Mourrons - Les Brots. Walk past an old industrial building on your right, which is the former ochre factory and its drying room.

(8) Continue until you reach a Y-junction. Turn left, still heading towards La Chenée - La Croix Joubelin. Take the first path on the left before La Chenée (La Chesnaie).
At the fork, leave this well-marked path and turn right onto a grassy track. Ignore all side paths until you reach a service road near a house on the right. Continue along this road and descend towards the EDF enclosure (transformer and distribution station).

(9) Cross the D459 with caution and take the path opposite. Walk along the fence on your right and pass under the high-voltage lines, keeping to the track that follows the ditch on the left. Descend into the wooded area and, after a stream (not always full of water), climb back up, keeping to the main path to reach the hamlet of Les Groniers.

(10) Turn left, then right at the T-junction and follow the road for about 800 metres.

(11) Turn left towards La Verrerie Haute - La Tuilerie (signs on the left). At the first dirt track, turn right and follow it. Quickly enter the undergrowth. Pass the first turn-off on the left and descend along a ravine on the left.

(12) Cross the small tarmac road and take the green path opposite. Pass under the high-voltage line and slip into the woods on the left. Ignoring the side paths, follow the marked route and then continue downhill along a sunken path. You will come to a side path, with the D4 on your right.

(13) Turn left onto the road without crossing it. Keep to the left-hand side as you pass the wash house. Continue climbing carefully and turn left at the first crossroads. Climb Chemin de la Garenne, leaving the stadiums on your left, and in front of the post office buildings, descend Rue de l'Ocre to reach the war memorial and Place Marie Noël (S/E).

This heritage-rich route requires a little time to take in its essence. Good footwear is necessary given the diversity of the paths taken.
The section of road after (10) is not very busy. Nevertheless, remain vigilant. At the top of this road, the beautiful panorama that unfolds before your eyes makes up for this inconvenience.
This route is marked in accordance with the signage charter of the Puisaye-Forterre Community of Communes and is numbered 114 on yellow plaques.
The signage was installed by the association À chacun son chemin en Puisaye-Forterre in June 2023.
If you have any concerns, please fill in this questionnaire (it only takes 1 to 2 minutes).
Please take care when crossing roads.
However, the fact that the trail is marked means that you should set off with at least this description and the accompanying IGN map and/or the Visorando app.

(8) In Sauilly, the former ochre factory has been awarded the "^20th Century Heritage" label. In addition to open-cast mines, there are also shaft mines. For safety reasons, the entrances to these shafts have been blocked.