A corner of Morvan around Lormes

An easy route visiting the Narvau Gorges and Waterfall, several ponds, beautiful forests, and a few fields and pastures. We will finish with a visit to the church and the panoramic viewpoint of Mont Saint-Alban.
Requires a good sense of direction and, if possible, the use of the GPX track.

Details

15860326
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.09 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 381 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 373 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 549 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 298 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Morvan
  • ⚐ District: Lormes (58140)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.290394° / E 3.815557°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2722ET, 2723ET, 2723SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the large shaded car park on Les Promenades in the town centre in front of the medical centre and hospital.

(S/E) Walk along Les Promenades to the southern end and take the lane that heads south-west (Rue de la Chaise aux Dames). At the end of the tarmac road, turn left onto the small path that descends towards the Gorges de Narvau. At the first fork, leave the path that goes straight ahead and take the one on the right that descends.

(1) At the next fork, take the path on the left that descends towards the footbridge that you can see. Cross the stream and climb up on the left to the viewpoint overlooking the waterfall and the picnic area.

(2) Turn around, cross the stream again, retrace your steps to a fork and turn left towards the Grotte des Fées. Then go back a few metres to take the stairs down to the stream. At the bottom, cross the stream on a wooden footbridge and then follow its left bank. Pass a concrete footbridge and cross a little further downstream on two successive wooden footbridges. You will soon reach the point where the well-maintained path turns right to return to Lormes.

(3) Leave this path and continue straight ahead, downstream, on a barely marked trail that follows a low wall of large stones. Quickly ford the stream and climb up opposite on a barely visible trail that ascends diagonally and passes upstream of a large, remarkable oak tree with low dead branches.
You will arrive at a sort of sunken path, bordered on the left by old barbed wire. As soon as the barbed wire breaks, climb a little further to the left to find a good path, which you follow to the right.

(4) After about 1 km, after seeing a narrow meadow below, just after leaving the coniferous forest (spruce?), there is an area where the undergrowth is relatively sparse, marked by a large beech tree on the right-hand side of the path. Climb through the woods for a few dozen metres to reach the D170. Follow it to the right for about 700 m.

(5) Just before leaving the forest, at the end of a right-hand bend and before the beautiful straight stretch, take the forest path on the left (marked yellow-green).
At the first fork, leave the sunken path that branches off to the right and stay on the left-hand path that climbs uphill.

(6) At the second fork, stay on the good forest path on the left and leave the poorly maintained path on the right that climbs uphill (leaving the yellow-green markings). Continue along the path to a T-junction and turn right. You will soon come to another T-junction and find the yellow-green markings again.

(7) Turn left and you will soon reach fields on the left-hand side of the forest. At the fork (elevation 424), do not go straight ahead towards the houses, but turn right onto the path that passes in front of a shed. Continue to the tarmac road and follow it to the Étang du Goulot.

(8) Go around the pond on the left on the very good path, return to the D17 and follow it to the left for 500 m to the hamlet of Fraifontaine.
Turn left, then quickly leave the main path and turn right just after the pond onto the path that climbs up alongside the pasture. You will come to a T-junction.

(9) Turn left to visit the pretty hamlet of Moulin du Bois, its mill and its pond.

(10) Turn around and head back to the T-junction.

(9) Continue straight ahead along an elegant tree-lined path. After about 500 m, at the fork (elevation 454), take the left path, marked yellow-green, which climbs quite steeply and is sandy with some stones and rocks. Follow the path, which cuts across a few bends in the main forest track. Arrive at the D6 and follow it to the left for about 200 m before turning right onto the first forest track.

(11) A picnic table a short distance from the road provides a comfortable place to rest under the oak trees. Follow the path for about 100 metres, then turn left at the fork.
Then follow this forest track, avoiding the various logging tracks, which are clearly more recent. After a thalweg, you will arrive at a disused pumping station (which can still be used as a shelter).

(12) Do not go to the station; if you do, turn back 50 metres.
Look for tracks on the right, heading north, between plots 25 and 23 (blue paint). The path, which is well marked at the beginning, becomes very overgrown and poorly maintained.
You will come across a trail coming from the right, which is also not very clear... but you must continue uphill, then the trail slants towards the small stream, which you must wade across.
On the other side, follow the well-marked path that climbs fairly steadily westwards.
Good forest road, to be joined through the woods. As soon as the path stops climbing, turn left until you reach the road. Cross it and take the path to the right of the pumping station.

(13) After 100 m, in a slight right-hand bend, take the path that descends to the left. You will arrive at a low point where the path becomes very rough. Climb up opposite. Halfway up the slope, the path improves. Follow it to the crossroads with a forest path to the left. There is a pond on the right.
You will come to a few houses and a small tarmac road at an elevation of 456 metres.

(14) Turn right onto a good straight path. Pass above the waste collection centre and arrive at the first crossroads. Go straight ahead (right) for 100 metres.

(15) Turn left at a 90° angle onto the road that leads back to the centre of Lormes. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, passing in front of the hospital to climb towards the church. Go around the church on the right to reach the viewpoint.

(16) Descend via the lane behind the church, which leads back to the car park. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 433 m - The Walks
  2. 1 : km 0.66 - alt. 381 m - Fork in the road. Return to the viewpoint
  3. 2 : km 0.8 - alt. 383 m - Picnic at the waterfall - Auxois (rivière) - Affluent de l'Yonne
  4. 3 : km 1.39 - alt. 302 m - Return from the Tour des - Gorges de Narvau
  5. 4 : km 2.26 - alt. 309 m - Large beech tree
  6. 5 : km 2.85 - alt. 323 m - Start of the path on the left
  7. 6 : km 3.3 - alt. 370 m - Fork to the left
  8. 7 : km 4 - alt. 413 m - T-junction
  9. 8 : km 4.76 - alt. 421 m - Étang du Goulot (Lormes)
  10. 9 : km 6.68 - alt. 444 m - Fork - Return to the mill
  11. 10 : km 6.78 - alt. 436 m - Le Moulin du Bois
  12. 11 : km 9.93 - alt. 519 m - Route D6
  13. 12 : km 12.27 - alt. 441 m - Layon parcels 25-23
  14. 13 : km 13.09 - alt. 487 m - Layon elevation 485
  15. 14 : km 14.03 - alt. 458 m - Path elevation 456
  16. 15 : km 14.94 - alt. 448 m - Carefour
  17. 16 : km 15.85 - alt. 453 m - Église Saint-Alban (Lormes)
  18. S/E : km 16.09 - alt. 432 m - The Walks

Notes

All shops in Lormes

No difficulty, but you need a good sense of direction as there are very few markings and several short sections of rough terrain.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 1508521

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route sometimes tends to use shortcuts when there are more clearly marked or even signposted paths nearby. This can make it difficult to follow, especially on old farm tracks that are no longer used and are overgrown with vegetation.

For convenience, I use the app to try to follow the route, but honestly, the app is not up to the task. It's better to take the time to download the GPX file and use another app. I don't have a Strava subscription, but I might get one.
I really like Visorando, I'm a subscriber, and I'd like to see simple links to apps like Strava or Whympr. I'm also going to look into built-in apps, such as on a watch or something more readable.
Thank you, Visorando, and to everyone who provides content.

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DidierE
DidierE

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Set off in the Narvau gorges with their interesting waterfall, part of the route is misleading, requiring off-road navigation to find the path again, return to Lormes with its pond, walk mainly through woodland so very few views, mostly mountain bike trail with very steep climbs.
18 km / 560 m elevation gain measured with a GPS watch, not 16 km/380 m.

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Riviere.ip
Riviere.ip

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Due to strong winds, many trees have caused a change at point 3. Do not cross the two wooden bridges; instead, turn left onto a sloping path that follows the stream. Logging operations have left deep ruts that are often filled with mud... Otherwise, no problems. Enjoy your hike.

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coin1956
coin1956

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At point 2, do not cross the two footbridges: we could not find the path indicated at point 3, so we walked along the river.
At point 12, the path is not very easy to see on the right between plots 25 and 23 and, as indicated in the description, is not very well marked

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alain94visorando
alain94visorando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very varied and fairly physically demanding hike. Beautiful landscapes of the Morvan

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Wermeer
Wermeer

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike!

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gilb4
gilb4

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful trail, but almost impossible to do without GPS tracks. However, we did it with our eleven-year-old child, who was also very happy. It is shaded, requires a bit of searching, has a beautiful waterfall, beautiful swans along the pond, and a giant umbrella to shelter from the rain. Highly recommended

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cuzcodom
cuzcodom

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful, varied and shaded walk. Okay, the drought has reduced the waterfall, but we knew that.
The swan is still there. Don't hesitate to take a look at the pond on the right after point 13: we were able to chat with the new owners (Dutch), who were very welcoming (let's hope it lasts...)

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Marianne et Heidi
Marianne et Heidi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this beautiful and varied walk! However, we think the length has been underestimated: we cut straight from waypoint (10) to (12), and even so we still covered 14.5 km without getting too lost! Be careful, at (3), the stone wall is not visible at the start of the small path; you'll find it a little further on. We can confirm that a GPS is essential, and a good sense of direction is also useful, as you sometimes have to go through the woods to reach a new path. We enjoyed searching for these paths and appreciated being in the forest almost the entire time. We even avoided the 700 m stretch of road on the D170 between (4) and (5) by taking a nice little path overlooking the road on the left-hand side.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the Morvan forests. A very beautiful waterfall and its well-maintained surroundings. The path that descends towards the Torrent and runs alongside it is pleasant. At point 3, the path is not very well marked. At the start, there are logs on the ground that you have to step over, and a few minutes later you come to a low wall of large stones, which confirms that you are on the right path. At point 4, the large beech tree is marked with a small red dot and from there you climb into the forest, without any markings for about 50 metres, to reach the D170 road. The rest of the circuit is easy to follow. We stopped for lunch on a bench by the magnificent Goulot pond in the company of a beautiful white swan. The forests we passed through were very beautiful and shady. We had a fleeting encounter with a deer. A very enjoyable hike in the wilderness. Despite yesterday's rain, the trail was neither muddy nor swampy.
PP and MM

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Claude L2.
Claude L2.

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties.
Perhaps I wasn't clear enough in my two warnings, first in the introduction, "Requires a good sense of direction and, if possible, the use of a GPX track," and in the information section, "You need to have a good sense of direction, as there are very few markings and there are several short sections that are a bit off-road."
I created this route when the terrain wasn't particularly dry, but it's true that some sections are a bit wild: this is indicated in the description. It was necessary to create an interesting day-long loop because there are no continuous trails or paths around Lormes.
For future adventurers: section 12-13 is also quite "wild" and requires some off-road navigation: be prepared.

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epiluc91
epiluc91

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

It was probably not the right time of year to go on this hike. The Narveau Gorges are completely in the shade, which is a shame. From point 3 onwards, it's a nightmare! The ford is quite difficult to cross and then we come to a wet area where we sink into the mud. The trail next to the old oak tree no longer exists, and we found ourselves completely stuck in huge brambles that we thought we would never get out of. On top of that, there was no GPS connection! Finally, completely scratched and muddy, we finally found the "sunken path", which is currently regularly blocked by fallen trees. We never saw the "big beech tree" but arrived on the main road just before the right-hand bend, without turning left (which was just as well). It was between 6 and 8 o'clock, but tired and frustrated, we returned to Lormes by road from 8. In short, I strongly advise against this hike at this time of year.

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