The three ponds loop

Marked hike N°44.
Across the woods and the fields, passing the ponds, you will discover areas where the earth has been shaped into artistic creations and pottery.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.99 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 103 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 105 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 270 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 210 m

Description of the walk

Depart from the church carpark in Moine Glaber (Monk Glaber) square.

(S/E) Take the direction of the village centre, at the square of the city hall, veer right and follow Rue de la Forge. At the « stop » sign, take the dirt path in front of you.

(1) When you reach the main road, turn left along the roadside for 400m and then turn left again towards Proux de la Route. This little road becomes a dirt path. Stay on this main path, then turn right at the T-junction. Continue straight on until you reach a little paved road. Cross the road and continue straight on opposite you. Follow this road towards Belles Fontaines. After 150m veer off on the path to the right. Follow this path, ignoring any turnings off into the woods or fields. When you are nearly at the bottom, this path becomes difficult to cross so you need to turn left on the path with signs, between this wood and the old path to arrive at the first pond: Charmoy pond.

(2) Go up the road to the right and then take the first road on the left. After a crossroads (the path on the left is private, flanked by two columns). The path in front of you follows a moor of woods that keep you separated from Bourdon reservoir (really wild area).
Take this path for 450m or so then turn right (3). this new path goes up regularly and it leads to a path that is more widely used.

(4) Turn right. When you reach Guérins, turn left (the entries on the right lead to the farm). Cross the D85 road and walk down the little paved road toward Clergeaux. Just before Clergeaux, turn right along the dirt road. Keep walking until you reach a crossroads, where you turn left. Cross Petits Clergeaux. The road becomes a path, crosses the railroad, and passes the Loing. When you reach the road, turn right until you reach the dyke of Moutiers pond.
Do not hesite to do a return trip to see the dyke before you continue on the little road that runs alongside the pond on the left.

(5) When you reach the crossroads, turn right, cross the bridge that spans the stream and continue until you reach the junction with the D85.

(6) Cross the railroad and turn left right after this path: in the direction of Moutiers to reach the original carpark. (7)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 225 m - Church car park - Fontaine du moine Glaber
  2. 1 : km 0.94 - alt. 244 m - Exit onto the D85, keep left
  3. 2 : km 2.39 - alt. 266 m - Crossing with the D66 road
  4. 3 : km 3.83 - alt. 223 m - Charmoy pond
  5. 4 : km 4.48 - alt. 220 m - Crossing of 4 roads
  6. 5 : km 4.89 - alt. 217 m - Turn right along the meadow on the left
  7. 6 : km 5.73 - alt. 259 m - At the end of the road, turn right
  8. 7 : km 6.12 - alt. 264 m - Crossing the D85
  9. 8 : km 6.75 - alt. 268 m - Exit onto a side road
  10. 9 : km 7.78 - alt. 219 m - Exit onto a transverse road
  11. 10 : km 8.39 - alt. 220 m - Etang de Moutiers en Puisaye
  12. 11 : km 10.24 - alt. 222 m - Passing between the tail of the pond and the marshes
  13. 12 : km 11.22 - alt. 229 m - Arrival on the D85
  14. 13 : km 11.48 - alt. 221 m - Loing (le)
  15. S/E : km 11.99 - alt. 225 m - Church car park

Practical information

Some paths are wet during the winter and even muddy in the rainy season. Wear appropriate shoes.
If you want to extend this hike for 2 km, at point (6), after passing the railroad, take the path that follows the road below. Through the trees, you have beautiful overviews of the village, the old abbey and the church of Saint-Pierre. On this little path, you can cross the road to reach the pottery of La Bâtisse and visit it (you have to pay)
At the end of this path, turn right on the sunken path and walk down. Cross the Loing on the little bridge that passes over it, go up for 100m to reach a little road and the village of Moutiers. This hiking trail is marked by signs placed on wooden boards and even on the ground with yellow signpostings (PR®). Number 44 corresponds to the signposting.

In the nearby area

Photographs and observations during the hike.
In the village, visit the church (7) and its wall paintings, the spring of Monk Galber, the newly renovated wash house. Nearby, the kiln of la Bâtisse.
Passing between point (2) and (3), you walk alongside the swamps and Bourdon reservoir. This place is wild and really beautiful, especially during the winter. Many species of birds can be found in these old swamps where there are also carnivorous plants (Droséra) at the water level.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Clarity of route map
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
roro1677
roro1677
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant walk in fine weather, well signposted, little frequented, allowing you to see the wildest part of these lakes (we went as far as the Bourdon beaches where there were more people).

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Lefebvre Christian
Lefebvre Christian

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

Hello,
Very nice walk representative of Puisaye Forterre: sunken path, pond etc...
Very well signposted on the ground.
To avoid the road at the end of the walk, we opted to join the walk around the Moutiers lake by crossing the dyke and following the lake on the other bank along the old railway line.
Thank you Gérard for this route as well as all those in this region.
Christian Lefebvre

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Hello TDahlem,
Thank you for your feedback and for mentioning the left/right error. I have corrected the error in the description.

  • As far as the ponds are concerned, you can indeed do part of the circuit around the second one (the former Bourdon pond), but on a partly private path. As this route is listed on the PDIPR in the Yonne, this is not possible.
  • The person responsible for prescribing the route - the commune of Moutiers-en-Puisaye - is not in collusion with the hospital or the local doctors, and in some places the paths are stony, in others muddy, each region has its advantages and disadvantages, but there's nothing we can do about that.
  • As far as the signposting is concerned, visorando is not responsible for it, but the author of this hike points out that it does exist. Now, what do we mean by standard markings? Amandinebaudry's previous message confirms that the signposting is of good quality, so what happened on your route?
  • It's worth pointing out that this route has been downloaded more than 150 times since it was posted online and has been widely distributed in the Tourist Information Offices of Puisaye-Forterre.
  • It should be noted that the description and the 1:25,000-scale map form a whole and complement each other very well.

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TDahlem
TDahlem

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Easy to follow map. Incorrect description (confuses left and right).
Hike advertises 3 ponds but carefully avoids the second, although there are paths around it.
What's more, the state of the paths (stony) leaves a lot to be desired (could the prescriber be a nurse afraid of the nearest hospital closing?).
Marking is sparse and non-standard.
The landscape deserves better than these inconveniences.

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Amandinebaudry
Amandinebaudry

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 05, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pretty walk in the heart of the Puisaye that envelops you in a feeling of fulfilment. Of all the walks I've done in the Puisaye-Forterre, this is my favourite!
What's more, it's very well signposted.

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