Vareilles (Yonne) walks

A short, flat, easy walk or cycle (suitable for all types of bikes).Along the way, you’ll discover, amongst other things: the Ferme des Prés (a listed dovecote), the Ru de Vareilles, the village of Pont-sur-Vanne, the old railway line from Sens to Troyes, the Vanne (a Category 1 river), the Paris water pumping station in Chigy, the Lavoir à Moutons, the narrow streets of Chigy, the Fontaine Saint-Léger, and the church in Vareilles.

A walk through the Vareilles Valley to Vaudeurs along a quiet little road, then back via the hilltop hamlets surrounding this pretty valley. A few disused wells along the route, a Bollée windmill and a medieval tower, the Salazar Tower.

All around this route, you will find signs with QR codes telling you about the history of the places you encounter.

From Vareilles, discover the beautiful Champs-Fêtu forest, reforested at the end of the 18th century. You will walk along the wild boar park and arrive at the old Champ-Fêtu farm and its 35-metre giant sequoia.

From Chigy (Les Vallées de la Vanne) to Pont-sur-Vanne, this trail passes through natural sites included in the European Natura 2000 network, which recognises the richness of their flora and fauna. The dry grasslands on chalk offer significant and unique floral diversity. The view over the Vanne valley is breathtaking. Information boards along the route explain the site’s natural riches.

You will discover the village of Cerisiers, the old brick dryer and the Villechétive stud farm. It is a beautiful walk in the forest with a recommended detour to Les Brissots, a museum and cider producer.

This circular walk, which presents no major difficulties, offers varied and picturesque scenery (open views and woodland) along minor roads, tracks and forest paths.

This lovely route, which runs largely through woodland, presents no major difficulties, despite a fairly steep climb at the start and end of the walk. It offers fine views over the Vanne valley and the Eaux de Paris aqueduct, as well as the Yonne valley, where, against the backdrop of the Côte de Paron and the distinctive silhouette of Sens Cathedral (Saint-Étienne), stands the first Gothic cathedral ever built.

This route, which alternates between sections through woodland, along stream banks and across fields, offers sunshine in autumn and cool shade in summer. It takes us on a journey of discovery through Malay-le-Grand and the Vanne aqueduct. A good opportunity to remember that some of the watercourses in the Sénonais region supply Paris with drinking water.

This trail takes you on a discovery of Dixmont and Les Bordes via a themed route (marked in green) dedicated to the Resistance; it is dotted with information panels. It recounts the story of the two maquis groups known as “Bourgogne”, which were based in this part of the Othe Forest during the winter and spring of 1944. Walkers will thus learn about the lives and struggles of the maquis fighters, as well as the ‘sedentary’ Resistance fighters, who were numerous in the farms, hamlets and villages.

This easy walk takes you on a journey of discovery through Les Bordes and its hamlets. Above all, it allows you to step back in time to the summer of 1944, to follow in the footsteps of one of the maquis groups known as ‘Bourgogne’. This route, marked in yellow and dotted with historical information panels, recounts the attack of 3 August 1944, the lives and struggles of the maquis fighters, as well as the ‘sedentary’ resistance fighters, who were numerous in the farms, hamlets and villages.

This varied route allows you to explore the commune of Dixmont – the seat of a royal castellany in the12th century – and its surroundings. Of particular interest: the Priory of L'Enfourchure, founded by the Counts of Joigny in 1209. Ruined by the wars ofthe 15th and16th centuries, it was rebuilt in the16th century. Also visible along the route is the entrance to a former lignite mine, which was in operation duringthe 19th century.

This easy route takes you on a journey of discovery through Dixmont and its surroundings. Above all, it allows you to step back in time to the spring of 1944 and walk in the footsteps of a member of the Maquis known as "Bourgogne". This route, marked in red and dotted with historical information panels, recounts the attack of 15 May 1944, the lives and struggles of the maquis fighters, as well as the sedentary resistance fighters, who were numerous in the farms, hamlets and villages.

After admiring the church dedicated to Saint-Loup and the wash house dating from 1877, head towards the Hauts de Flacy via the Source Bézeaux and the Flacy forest.

Discover the village of La Postolle: the Church of Saint Joseph and Saint Fiacre, the Bollée windmill built in 1898, and its remarkable trees.

This looping route in and around Rosoy takes in the countryside around Sens, alternating between farmland and woodland. It offers beautiful views of the Yonne valley, as well as the city of Sens and its Cathedral of Saint-Étienne, the first Gothic cathedral. There is also a water collection aqueduct. Don't forget that some of the rivers in the Sénonais region supply Paris with drinking water.

Listening to the Cistercian Abbey of Vauluisant, discover the monks’ irrigation system, the old flour mill, the Saint-Thomas gate, the old farms of Vauluisant, La Singerie and the Vauluisant State Forest.

A discovery route around the Lancy Dolmen, situated in the Vauluisant State Forest.

In this forest, the boundary markers bear the coats of arms of three lords: Cardinal Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme, the Briçonnet-Raguier couple and the de Belleville brothers. These boundary markers must have been set in the ground around 1550, following disputes over the respective boundaries of their estates.

The path reveals the intertwining of the forest and human activities, agricultural enclaves, hamlets, logging areas, always close to the majestic atmosphere of the forest. From the top of these tall trees, centuries contemplate us. It also shows the first impacts of climate change, with dry ponds, emaciated trees and new species. It invites us to give the forest back its freedom to adapt and migrate at its own pace, to let it take control. The trail aims to restore a sense of confidence in what nature and the forest can achieve with and even without us. It is this forest that the Ruban Vert wishes to help migrate to the next forest massifs of the woods and ponds of the Gâtinais in Burgundy.

This pleasant circuit offers beautiful views of the town of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, thanks to its small climbs. The path across woodland provides shade on one-third of the route during sunny weather.

This route, which alternates between sections along cultivated fields and sections through woodland, offers beautiful views of the village of Passy, the Yonne valley, the lakes of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and the town itself. On a clear day, you can even see the bell tower of Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Sens.

This beautiful route on the hills above Villeneuve takes you through the lands of the Thénard bequest, whose properties were used to provide for orphans. The route follows theGR®213trail and then theGRP® Tour de l’Orvanne trail, and runs mostly through woodland. However, the very beginning and the very end offer lovely views over Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. The sites of the headwaters of the Ru de Bourienne and the Fontaine Rouge are well worth a visit.

The route offers a pleasant walk along the banks of the Yonne, then through woodland (a third of the route on forest tracks) or along small country lanes (a third of the route). A pleasant walk through the hamlet of Château, whose site – known for having been home to a powerful oppidum of the Senones Gauls – rises some 100 metres above a bend in the River Yonne, offering beautiful views over the valley and the neighbouring hillsides.

This beautiful route, which winds its way through the hills above Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, offers magnificent panoramic views of the town and the Yonne valley. It allows you to discover some of the many hamlets of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, as well as the town’s rich heritage.

Starting from the medieval village of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, why not give this easy walk a go? It will take you on a two-hour exploration of the lush countryside, after which you can enjoy a lovely view of the village below.

This pleasant, easy route is partly shaded in summer. The proximity to the water offers lovely views of the River Yonne and the fishing ponds at Villeneuve. You can spot a variety of wildlife and attractions… as well as anglers in action.

Animal-themed walking trail created by Year 4-6 pupils at Villevallier Primary School in June 2015 as part of the "Un chemin, une école" (One trail, one school) initiative run by the Yonne branch of the French Hiking Federation.