To Montigny-lès-Cherlieu Abbey

It’s well worth venturing deep into the woods to discover the ruins of the Cistercian Abbey of Cherlieu.

Details

1110741
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.99 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 177 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 176 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 343 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 237 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park next to the church in Montigny-lès-Cherlieu.

(S/E) Opposite the church, turn right onto Rue Notre Dame and take the second street on the left, Rue d’Envers. Take a small grassy path on the right that leads downhill and joins Rue du Pavé.

(1) Follow the D45, pass the tennis courts and then turn left onto a road.
200m further on, at the top of the first hill, just before the tarmac-to-gravel boundary, take a forest path on the left (small ditch). Head towards the wayside cross at the top of the hill. Continue straight ahead. (Follow the Yellow Circle markings carefully along this path)

(2) Take a narrow track and cross a forest path. Continue down a small path to reach the Cherlieu stream.

(3) To reach the abbey ruins, cross the bridge and walk through the hamlet. Then retrace your steps to continue the route. Follow the stream along the white path towards Ferry Farm.

(4) Then take the path on the right before the farm and continue to a forest track.

(5) Turn left and you’ll come out onto the D45. Cross the road and take the path opposite towards Chauvirey-le-Vieil.

(6) Turn right to head down through the woods and reach the Chapelle Sainte-Brice (a tiny chapel – small sign attached to a tree). Turn sharply right towards the chapel to reach a private pond (the path is a bit damp)

(7) Turn right onto the road which will take you to the D45 at the entrance to Montigny-lès-Cherlieu.

(1) Walk up through the village along Rue du Pavé, passing the wash house, then along Grande Rue and finally
Rue Notre-Dame (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 262 m - Parking next to the church
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 238 m - Pumping station - Ougeotte (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.72 - alt. 309 m - Summary
  4. 3 : km 2.42 - alt. 269 m - The hamlet of Cherlieu
  5. 4 : km 3.23 - alt. 285 m - Path on the right before Ferry Farm
  6. 5 : km 4.02 - alt. 339 m - Turn left onto the forest track
  7. 6 : km 5.86 - alt. 328 m - Forest path
  8. 7 : km 7 - alt. 242 m - Private pond
  9. S/E : km 8.99 - alt. 262 m - Parking next to the church

Notes

Picnic tables by the private pond.

For more information, visit the official website of the abbey conservation society: https://www.cherlieu-abbaye-cistercienne...
Opening hours and days are listed on the HOME page (free visits).

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
leoderynck
leoderynck

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At the start, the grassy path is either impossible to find or blocked off. We did find a grassy path, but it was blocked by bushes. Then, as you cross the bridge leaving Montigny, look straight ahead (slightly to the right) to see the tennis court (and basketball court). At Ferry Farm, go to the right of the farm. Don’t go round it on the left.
All in all, though, it’s a lovely walk. Not much remains of the abbey. There is a stopover lodge on site, but it’s for groups only.

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Le Pied
Le Pied
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There are no issues with the presentation of the route by the person who travelled and described it. It is more the signposting, which is sparse and not always located at strategic points, that lacks rigour. Furthermore, as the previous commenter pointed out, the signage is often hidden by poorly pruned vegetation. However, it is a pleasant route, often shaded, which allows you to discover the bucolic setting of the old abbey, conducive to contemplation, religiously maintained and dotted with fascinating information about the history of the site. The signposting therefore needs to be reviewed, especially as hikers who are a little lost and panicked may end up getting lost themselves!

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brigitte.949
brigitte.949

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The forest paths leading to points 1 and 2 are overgrown with vegetation and logging debris.
and yellow marker posts are missing, so we were unable to find the last path leading to Cherlieu

apart from the abbey site: not very interesting; wooded route

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Amanda V
Amanda V
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Walk completed on 25/05/25. At point 2, there are many ruts caused by logging work; follow the large yellow arrows between two trees (as the Yellow Circle trail running to the right is impassable). Three-quarters of the way along point 2, the path leading down to the stream is impassable; we couldn’t find it, there were numerous fallen trees, so we followed the tarmac road visible to the left of the forest track, which curves in an S-shape and leads to the bridge over the Cherlieu stream. Cross the bridge and continue along the road past the lodges; after the bend, go and see the last section of the abbey, with the magnificent acacia in bloom at the end of May. Then retrace your steps to continue (before the bridge). Watch out for number 4, the path going uphill on the right; the Yellow Circle is very hard to see (for your information, you can’t see the farm; if you do see it, you’ve gone too far
Thank you for this very pleasant walk!
We didn’t meet a soul on this Mother’s Day Sunday!

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stephi469
stephi469

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A brilliant find – a family hike with three children on a sunny day. Lots of sections through the forest, which was lovely.

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sylvierieth
sylvierieth

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk: the signposting is clear on the ground

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parikialefkes
parikialefkes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk on a sunny day, with the woodland beautifully bathed in sunlight. We took our time at the abbey site, where we enjoyed trying to picture what the abbey buildings might have looked like, before continuing on to the pond for a picnic in the countryside.

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