Vauclaix combines a challenging circular walk with a river landscape and striking granite buildings. The “Randonnée des trois évêchés” is listed as 16.9 kilometres long, with a duration of 4 hours and 15 minutes. The route is rated difficult and starts and ends at the Hôtel de la Poste. The duration helps you estimate the scope of the walk; before setting off, also check the trail markers and local parking and access conditions.
Circular Walk and Landscape along the Anguison
The route leads to the Croix de Vollonge, where it crosses a former Roman road. The crossing brings together two periods in the landscape: a present-day hiking route and a historic thoroughfare. Plan your walk using the stated duration, and bear in mind that route conditions and markings may change.
The protected Vallée du ruisseau de Bussière area includes Vauclaix; here, woodland alternates with marshy meadows. In this valley, cold, oxygen-rich, fast-flowing waters provide good conditions for the reproduction of brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), bullhead (Cottus gobio) and brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri). Conditions and the presence of these species may vary by season.
The Anguison Valley also offers varied landscapes: upstream of Vauclaix, it is broad and characterised by hedgerows; downstream, it is more heavily wooded. On the descent to Vauclaix along the RD 944, views open across extensive meadows with low hedges towards the wooded southern slope of the Anguison.
Church, Mills and Granite Bridges
The Eglise Sainte-Madeleine towers over the village. The present church was built in 1881 in the Neo-Romanesque style from dressed granite; its ground plan is in the shape of a Latin cross. An object in the church has been classified as a Monument historique since 1938. The date refers to this object, not to the church as a whole.
The Huilerie du moulin de Vauclaix preserves historic mechanisms and equipment, including millstones and two screw presses. It was housed in a separate building beside a grain mill powered by the Anguison. A millrace that is still visible once powered the two mills of the oil mill. Together, the surviving features offer insight into different aspects of former milling activity.
Two bridges feature different architectural details. The Pont du Carrefour de Vauclaix crosses the Anguison near the Carrefour on the D994. The single-arch granite bridge has a stone parapet and is believed to date from the 1830s. The Pont de L’Huis Mouilloux is a public 19th-century stone bridge in Vauclaix. Its paved granite pedestrian crossing can be visited.
Local Legends and Buildings with Visitor Restrictions
Le Pas de St Martin is a local legendary site on the Anguison. A rock in the middle of the river is said to bear the footprint of a saint, though it is difficult to make out. The Fontaine Chaude is also associated with a local tradition: its water was said to have miraculous healing powers, and a rite was linked to the site. The fountain is located in a field and cannot be visited.
South of the church lies the Château de Tartre-de-Vauclois, a former manor house of uncertain origins overlooking the Anguison Valley. It cannot be visited. The Presbytère is a long, single-storey building with exposed granite masonry and a slate roof, which has retained its local architectural style.
Discover more destinations: Nuars, Saint-Seine, Ville-Langy, Toury-sur-Jour, Dun-Sur-Grandry, Varennes-Lès-Narcy, Tresnay, Ternant.
For the broader travel overview: Nièvre.
