Uchon, the land of rocks

Uchon is considered "the pearl of Morvan": a corner of unspoilt nature.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 20.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 537 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 537 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 675 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 315 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Morvan
  • ⚐ City: Uchon (71190)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.807017° / E 4.260947°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2824OT, 2826SB, 2925SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

The walk starts from the Auberge de Messire Jean car park (S). Turn left up the road. Turn right on the road towards Rochers du Carnaval. You then leave the GR® (white and red markings) for a PR® (yellow markings). You'll pass a paragliding departure point and a viewpoint indicator.

(1) Very faint markings. The trail is on your right about 20m before the Rochers du Carnaval. Hairpin bend descent. Take care in wet weather. Follow the PR® markings. Pass the Uchon church built on the rocks. At the church, take the road to the left, past the Oratory and then the cemetery, and continue along the road to the cross.

(2) At the cross, leave the PR® and go straight ahead on the road. Pass farm buildings and turn right at the signpost.

(3) At the signpost, follow signs for Les Gabets. Pass through forest.

(4) Leave the PR® for les Gabets and follow the PR® for La Tuilerie. Caution: in August 2015, the sign was broken and lying on the ground. At this junction, take a farm track which leads past a house. At the house (signposted "La Tuilerie"), turn left onto the road and then right onto the path at the signpost. Follow the path to Châtaignier.

(5) Turn right on the road and take the footpath on the right which takes you back to the road and Velle. In Velle, follow the road to the left and take the leftmost path with a wooden sign to Corcelle.

(6) Follow this path to a track.

(7) Turn right when you reach the track. There's a "La Certenue" sign at this point. Pass the hamlet. At the end of the hamlet, take the right-hand path which leads to a forest track. Turn right at the logging road and follow the path as it turns left and climbs.

(8) Leave this track by turning left, signposted PR®. At the start of this path through the undergrowth, there is a large water drain for about 100m (take care in winter).

(9) Turn left onto the forest track which leads to the miraculous fountain (a small staircase leads up to the fountain). After the fountain, at the crossroads, take the path opposite which leads you to the viewpoint indicator.

(10) Beautiful panorama and picnic table. Follow this path. At the next crossroads, take a short trip to the paragliding departure point then come back (another panorama). Back at the crossroads, turn left up this path to the Chapelle de la Certenue and then down the road. At the crossroads, turn right to the Montrion cross.

(11) At the cross, take the forest track on the right, following the GR®/PR® signs.

(12) At Quartillon du Haut, you'll see a "harmonie du temps" sign and, a little further on, a pile of rocks. An ideal spot for a break in the forest.

(13) At a crossroads, leave the GR® by turning right. At the crossroads, turn left onto the road alongside the Vauvillard pond, and follow this road to the crossroads at hill 617.

(14) Turn right and go straight ahead at the next crossroads, staying on the GR®131, which leads to the Étangs du Prieuré. The GR® runs alongside the Étang Neuf and takes you back to your vehicle.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 673 m
  2. 1 : km 0.76 - alt. 647 m - To the right, the path is almost completely unmarked
  3. 2 : km 2.04 - alt. 524 m - Leave the pr and go straight on
  4. 3 : km 3.02 - alt. 449 m - To the right: Les Gabets signpost
  5. 4 : km 4.95 - alt. 340 m - Leave "Les gabets" turn right
  6. 5 : km 6.37 - alt. 438 m - Turn to the right
  7. 6 : km 6.69 - alt. 473 m - Wooden panel direction Corcelle
  8. 7 : km 7.35 - alt. 476 m - Right panel i dictator la Certenue
  9. 8 : km 8.37 - alt. 571 m - LeftPRr caution winter brook chemin forest
  10. 9 : km 8.69 - alt. 604 m - Turn left onto forest track
  11. 10 : km 9.3 - alt. 623 m - Beautiful panoramic view
  12. 11 : km 12.2 - alt. 577 m - Montriond cross
  13. 12 : km 13.97 - alt. 602 m - harmony time work nice break
  14. 13 : km 14.64 - alt. 636 m - Leave the GR by turning right
  15. 14 : km 16.07 - alt. 617 m - Carrefour cote 617
  16. S/E : km 20.28 - alt. 673 m

Notes

This walk is best done in spring or summer, as there are many forest passages.

Worth a visit

Don't leave without a detour to Messire Jean's inn. From 4pm you can enjoy a "Morvandiau snack".

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 33 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Denis26
Denis26 ★

Thanks Eddy71, I've just modified the route and the description accordingly.

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Eddy71
Eddy71

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk that follows the route of a large loop in the uchon and certenue massif.
Magnificent views over the Morvan massif (mont beuvray, glux, haut folin,...) and the arroux and mesvrin valleys.
This hike is undoubtedly more enjoyable in spring/summer (in April/May, the omnipresent smell of broom adds an even nicer touch).

A few pointers (after 10 years there have been some minor changes):
At the start, just after the orientation table, the path winds to the left of the rocks rather than to the right.
At point 4, the signposted path no longer exists. Rather than crossing a field, simply follow the path around it.
The chapel at La Certenue is open on certain dates only, for example on certain days during the Easter/Ascension/Pentecost festivals. The Saone et Loire newspaper gives the dates and times when it is open.

Thanks to the author for this beautiful walk.

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aventurier71
aventurier71

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, but it was done in fog, which was a shame. Few roads and nice paths, some a bit slippery and rocky.

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Elise K
Elise K

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with a wide variety of landscapes (and very little traffic (we didn't come across any hikers)
We didn't find the path on the right before the 1st cluster of rocks...but there is a path that twists off to the left and quickly rejoins the track.

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combemale
combemale

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A great parish specific to Brittany, helped by the GPS. Because after the 1st cluster of rocks you really have to get going on the right slope and the track at the start is not obvious after that you can't rely too much on the markings.
Thanks for the audible warning when you change direction'.

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Jojo la trace
Jojo la trace

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk, would have been even more enjoyable with a little sunshine

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Pjsn
Pjsn

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful, long walk.
The beauty of the Morvan countryside.
A few tarmac roads but they lead to places that are part of the charm of this walk.
(The dryness of the season spared me the mud on the rest of the route).

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montagny
montagny

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely route, needed to trace in several places.
Very few people. Beautiful panoramas.

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macgyver1
macgyver1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A few difficulties because of the many paths, our GPS was a great help but a change of scenery guaranteed, great vegetation and rocks. A very good walk.

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claujack
claujack

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

chapel closed and of little interest, passage in the middle of cuts of horrible wood one can believe has a bombardment. these clear cuts are scandalous

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Coviaux
Coviaux

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk on 2 January, so it was very quiet (hardly any cars on the stretches of road, which shouldn't be the case in summer), but there was a risk of coming across a hunting area (which was the case for us on the climb to point 5).
A very pretty and varied circuit, with its woods, its ponds that look like little Canada, and the magnificent site of the Uchon rocks. It was just difficult to find the route to leave the Carnaval rocks, and as you can see from the comments, we also had trouble finding it. In the end, we had to go downhill a little on the estimate, aided by the GPS track, but it seemed to us that there was a way to go further to the left at the start of the rocks - and no doubt via a less steep and easier path.

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Syl59
Syl59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for sharing.
A much-appreciated walk with its autumn atmosphere and its share of remarkable trees; magnificent chestnut and beech trees all along the route.

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Zythos
Zythos

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very nice group trail.
Followed the route with the gpx track as there are quite a few crossroads where it's possible to make a mistake.

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mimijulien
mimijulien

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this long and beautiful walk (with no difficulty, apart from the mileage), which we enjoyed, but make sure you have your mobile phone or a map to follow the route, as there are many crossroads. When you reach the tourist site of Carnival Rocks, go down to the left.

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Claude-Meignen
Claude-Meignen

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk
We had a hard time at the start: at the rocks we couldn't find the way: yellow PR markings coming up but no start!
The section through Uchon is interesting!

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