Nature Park
 Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan
The Morvan Park plays a leader role in several aspects which relate to tourism, biodiversity, forest management, renewable energy, and culture.
Contact and address :
Maison du Parc, 58230 Saint-Brisson
Tel. : 03.86.78.79.00
http://www.parcdumorvan.org
|
A hike in the region Bourgogne
In the heart of Burgundy, go to discover legendary landscapes around Vézelay, "la colline éternelle" (the eternal hill), a gem of UNESCO World Heritage. This village, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, has a long history which allies spirituality and wine tradition. These two main components of the local culture are present all along the route.
1- From the car park, take the road on your left. Turn to the right, and walk along the ramparts. Pass under the gate La Porte Neuve, and walk past the tower of Ursulines. Continue up to find a track on the left.
2- Take the track and continue up to the cross of Saint-Bernard-de-Clairvaux. From there, you can make a detour to visit the Convent of Cordelle. Otherwise, continue your route, going on the right track which goes down up to the road.
3- Take the road in front of you. Continue up to the village of Asquins, leaving three roads on the left side.
4- Turn to the right in the center of Asquins. Cross the river Cure. Turn to the right towards the agricultural building. Walk round it, and continue up to the track.
5- Walk past two tracks on the right side, and continue on the track up to the hamlet of Nanchèvre. Once at the hamlet, take the right path up to the road.
6- Cross the road and take the track in front of you. Continue up to reach the road D957.
7- Turn to the right and go to the crossing with the road D958 (it leads to Asquins). Take this road, and continue up to find a track on your left which goes to Fontaine Sainte-Madeleine.
8- Walk past on the left side of the fountain and go up to the road.
9- Walk up on the right road on about twenty metres, and take the left track. Go to the path crossing. If you want to visit the ramparts, turn to the right; otherwise take the left road to get back to the starting point.
Information
General points
- Geographic situation. District : Vézelay
(department Yonne)
Road map with
 - Starting point : Car park at the entrance of Vézelay.
- The length of the stroll is estimated at 8,6 Km and the walk duration is about 3 h .
- The stroll is marked out all along
- Stroll form : loop
- Stroll relief : hilly (alt. mini = 140 m ; alt. maxi = 250 m)
- Maintenance : regular (right brushwood clearing)
- Exposure : varied (both covered and uncovered areas)
Events and information
-
Worth seeing.
Guided tours are proposed for discovering the village, its history, and the pilgrimages. For all information, contact Vézelay Tourist Office, at 03-86-33-23-69.
Noteworthy places
-
Basilique Sainte-Madeleine. The basilica is considered as a master-piece of the Romanesque Art. It is a special place for Santiago de Compostela pilgrims. Originally, it was a convent, then it became an abbey. The basilica was restored in the XIXth century by Viollet-le-Duc.
-
Vignobles. Vine is cultivated in Vézelay and in the neighbourhood from Gallo-Roman times. At the end of the IXth century, Benedictine monks developed wine production. The production raises to furnish Paris with wines, and it peaks in the XVIIIth century. After that time, all the vineyard underwent phylloxera attacks. At the end of 1970s, the vineyard got a new life, and it was honored with Bourgogne designation in 1988. The vines cultivated in the country of Vézelay are Chardonnay, Melon and black Pinot.
-
Asquins. The village is attached to the abbey of Vézelay from the IXth century on. Asquins is a starting point to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This was one of the reason that has made this church has been classified UNESCO World Heritage.
-
Croix de Saint-Bernard. This cross refers to the second crusade by Bernard de Clairvaux, under the reign of Louis VII in 1146, that it was preached in Vezelay.
-
Chapelle de la Cordelle. It is the oldest Franciscan convent in France (1217).
-
Notre Dame à Saint-Père.
Maps
-
IGN 2722 Est.
Download the PDF document of the hike
Wait a little, meanwhile the PDF document being sent. You can open it with the application Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you haven't yet installed this software, you can download it from Abobe's site
Download Acrobat Reader
Download the route
Download the waypoints file
You can download the waypoints file, which can be used with CartoExploreur or with a GPS.
Further information about waypoints...
Download the waypoints file
|
