Merry-La-Vallée has two hiking routes, 9.5 and 12.5 kilometres long, alongside distinctive religious buildings and named landscape features. The Chapelle Saint-Félix combines its woodland setting, dedication and building history; the Église Saint-Vincent stands out for its tower and two listed cultural objects. There is also the Étang Rossignol, a 3 ha pond. This makes it easy to plan your stay around a specific interest: route length, history, architecture or nature.
Hiking Routes and Landscape Features
The two routes differ in length by 3 kilometres, a clear distinction to consider when planning. The 12.5 km route starts at the church square, leads to the Chapelle Saint-Félix and then descends in the direction of the Étang Rossignol. This route therefore has a starting point and a sequence of named landmarks: first the church square, then the chapel, followed by the stretch towards the pond. If you want to consider a specific sequence of waypoints as well as the distance, the longer route offers one.
The Étang Rossignol is a 3 ha pond in Merry-La-Vallée. Its area gives the name a specific landscape dimension; on the 12.5 km route, it appears after the chapel as a directional landmark. The Fontaine Joubert is located on a woodland path near the Chapelle Saint-Félix. It adds another named place near the chapel to the landscape. The pond and the fountain thus offer different points of interest for anyone who wants to take the surrounding places and landscape features into account, in addition to the route length.
Chapelle Saint-Félix and Église Saint-Vincent
The Chapelle Saint-Félix is located in the forests of Merry-La-Vallée and is dedicated to children who are abused around the world. This dedication gives the building a clear commemorative significance. Its history also extends beyond its recorded construction date: in 1843, the chapel was built on the site and foundations of an older chapel. Its specific construction date is therefore directly linked to an earlier religious predecessor.
The Église Saint-Vincent stands out for its bell-shaped tower, which resembles a bottle. Inside are a tabernacle and a statue of Saint Eloi; both are classified as movable cultural objects. The architecture and cultural objects offer different points of focus: the tower shapes the church’s exterior with its distinctive form, while the tabernacle and statue are specific objects inside the church. Together with the chapel’s history, they offer different cultural topics to explore in Merry-La-Vallée.
Hiking with a Puzzle Element
Merry-la-Venture offers another way to combine movement and nature: the RandoEscape in Merry-La-Vallée combines smartphone use, hiking and puzzles in nature. Alongside the two hiking options distinguished by their route lengths, there is an activity that also incorporates puzzle-solving. If distance is your first consideration, you can compare the 9.5 and 12.5 km options; if you are interested in puzzles, Merry-la-Venture offers a different focus.
The two options do not need to be combined into one tour. Instead, they help you sort through different interests: choose a route based on its length, or combine hiking with a smartphone and puzzles. The landscape features, the chapel and the church add further specific topics. You can therefore decide what to focus on during your stay: a hiking route with a specified distance, a historical connection, or a combination of exercise and puzzles.
Discover more destinations: Appoigny, Sermizelles, Druyes-Les-Belles-Fontaines, Cudot, Moulins-sur-Ouanne, Passy, Collan, Sacy.
See the broader travel guide: Yonne.
