Canal du Nivernais à vélo - Rochers du Saussois

Alain Doire - CRT Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Alain Doire - CRT Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

The Nivernais canal by bike

206 km of cycling itinerary from Yonne to the Loire

The Canal du Nivernais is a lovely waterway that meanders down through Western Burgundy, linking Yonne and Loire Rivers. Its greenway, forming an important part of the Tour de Bourgogne à Vélo (Burgundy by Bike), takes you on a north-south trip via the gem of Auxerre to Decize by the Loire. Note the link with the Canal de Bourgogne between Migennes and Auxerre. This cycling trip is filled with natural and heritage delights. Count 4 to 5 days for it.

A. Doire - Bourgogne Tourisme

A cycle route along the Nivernais

The Nivernais Canal winds its way between western Burgundy in the Yonne department and the Loire. This cycle route follows the canal, tracing its course. It takes us from Auxerre to Decize through a landscape rich in natural beauty, from lock to lock, past small river ports and through the surrounding woods.

Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0,commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64505445

Climbing the Rochers du Saussois

How about climbing over the Yonne? The rocks of Saussois, in Merry-sur-Yonne, vestiges of an old coral bar formed in the Jurassic, offer many climbing possibilities (400 routes rated from 4 to 8 on the scale of difficulties) to observe the ribbon of Yonne from their top some 60 meters higher. More affordable, the rocks of Surgy have routes adapted to neophyte climbers.

Nièvre Tourisme

The timber raftsmen of Clamecy

Perched on the banks of the Yonne, Clamecy was the home of the ‘raftsmen’ who guided the ‘timber trains’ towards Paris. This ill-reputed community lived on the right bank of the river in the parish of Bethléem. A native of the region, the writer Romain Rolland gives a charming description of them in *Colas Breugnon*: “When today’s rich have disappeared, people will still be talking about the timber rafters of Clamecy. They will remain its nobility, with their rough hands and heads as hard as their fists, and I do not want anyone to say that they were scoundrels.”

L'impressionnante échelle d'écluses de Sardy

Y. Pilon - Bourgogne Tourisme

Sardy's impressive lock scale

To allow the crossing of important elevations over a short distance, canal engineers imagined a succession of very close locks called "lock scale". The Sardy lock, which comprises 16 locks over 3.5 km, is one of the most beautiful examples of these surprising engineering structures and one of the most spectacular sites on the canal. The lock houses are occupied here by artists and craftsmen who propose visits and exhibitions in season.

Tailor-made itineraries

23 Decize / Cercy-la-Tour

15 km

58 min

I begin

This final stage on the Nivernais Canal by Bike links up with the Loire Valley and the EuroVelo 6 cycle route. The canal ends its journey with a gentle descent beside the Aron River to the port of Saint-Thibault. Enjoy the bucolic greenway in the midst of an historic plain. The stage ends at Decize, a port set at a crossroads of waterways since antiquity.

24 Cercy-la-Tour / Châtillon-en-Bazois

35 km

2 h 21 min

I begin

This stage of the Nivernais Canal by Bike takes you through the Bazois area, where cattle are reared. Enjoy the countryside dotted with castles and churches as well as forests and pastures, the last filled with white herds. After further meanders, including the striking one at Panneçot, the canal races in a straight line to join the Loire.

25 Châtillon-en-Bazois / Chitry-les-Mines

31 km

2 h 05 min

I begin

After a long straight stretch, this stage of the Nivernais Canal by Bike takes you climbing through La Collancelle Wood. Here, enjoy the array of 16 locks, matched by as many lively lock-keepers’ houses. You reach the highest point on the canal at Port-Brulé Lock and Baye Lake, before descending to Châtillon-en-Bazois. This is a splendid stage.

26 Chitry-les-Mines / Clamecy

32 km

2 h 09 min

I begin

This Nivernais Canal by Bike stage sticks close to the Yonne before the river comes down from the Morvan hills. The greenway runs beside the canal, with its sweet raising bridges, locks and old villages that give it typical Nivernais charm. This area is associated with a beloved French fictional character, ginger-haired Poil de Carotte. Note the detour by road to reach Corbigny.

27 Clamecy / Mailly le Château

30 km

2 h 07 min

I begin

This Nivernais Canal by Bike stage passes at the foot of impressive cliffs. Around here, the Yonne has carved out many meanders, but the canal shortens the way. On the final bend, medieval Clamecy comes into view. Trade from its port was dominated by floating wood downstream. Discover the rich local heritage via greenways, plus a few stretches on roads.

28 Mailly le Château / Auxerre

32 km

1 h 35 min

I begin

With this stage of the Nivernais Canal by Bike, you can leave the lively river port at Auxerre with ease. From the outset, you’ll be struck by the power of the Yonne River. You reach Cravant via a route running along the foot of pretty hills planted with vines and cherry trees. Then you pass through a gorge with striking cliffs and perched villages.