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Burgundy Local Reference INFOrmation

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The Great Outdoors in Burgundy

Information on walking, hiking, mountain biking, watersports and horse riding in Burgundy, in the hills, valleys or on the rivers and lakes of Cote d'Or, Saone et Loire, Yonne and Nievre. With contact details of regional sport and activity associations.

Burgundy offers a wide variety of outdoor activities such as:

Hiking and walking
Cycling and mountain biking
Watersports
Horse riding

Most Tourist Offices have information brochures in English and several have websites with details on activities in each area. There are companies that hire out any specific equipment needed for an excursion.

See The AngloFILE for Sports Equipment and Sporting Goods

Parc Naturel Régional de Morvan

The Morvan National Park has over 170,000 hectares of forest and countryside and many lakes and streams. Situated in the Nièvre département, the park has facilities for cycling, hiking and watersports and is also two museums, the Musée de la Résistance and the Ecomusée.

Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan,
At: Maison du Parc 58230 Saint-Brisson
Tel: 03 86 78 79 00
Website (in French)

Hiking in Burgundy

The French Hiking and Walking Federation (Fédération Française de la Randonnée Pedestre - FFRP) is the overseeing body for all marked and maintained walking routes in France. It provides information and guide-books (most in French) for walkers in the area.

All nationally recognised trails are categorised as follows:

GR (Grand Randonnée): Registered hiking trails that often run across the entire country
GRP (Sentiers de Grande Randonnée de Pays): Registered regional trails that will take you around a particular region for several days
PR (Sentiers de Promenade): Walking and hiking trails for short circuits, lasting several hours

The French route marking system shows paths by means of signs and blazes. During the summer months, marked paths may be closed for fire hazard.

For clear explanations of the waymarks, or blazes (balises): Click here

Information (in French) on hiking in Burgundy, including maps, itineraries and clubs for each department:

Comité Départemental de la Randonnée Pédestre du Côte d’Or
Postal Address: 21, BP 1601, 21035 Dijon CEDEX
Tel: 03 80 63 64 60
e-mail
Website
Comité Départemental de la Randonnée Pédestre de la Nièvre
At: 11 rue Roger Salengro, 58640 Varenne-Vauzelles
Tel/Fax: 03 86 59 09 44
e-mail
Website
Comité Départemental de la Randonnée Pédestre de Saône-et-Loire
At: Centre de Loisirs, 140 vieille route d'Ozenay, 71700 Tournus
e-mail
Website
Comité Départemental de la Randonnée Pédestre de l'Yonne
At: Maison des sports, 12 Boulevard Galliéni, 89000 Auxerre
Tel/Fax: 03 86 52 61 82
e-mail
Website

Mountain Biking and Cycling

Due to the varied nature of the landscape, from the flat tracks that follow the canals to the mounting biking available in the more hilly areas such as the Morvan National Park, Burgundy has many cycling routes.

The Bourgogne Tourist Board has a website dedicated to cycling in Burgundy: Burgundy by Bike which provides much helpful information on the different routes and itineraries as well as maps. Maps according to your area and lists of repair and rental shops can be referred to by area.

VTT France has information on mountain bike routes throughout France. The website lists events, clubs and mountain biking itineraries.

For information on mountain biking routes in Burgundy: Click here and select "Bourgogne" (in French)

The Fédération Française de Cyclisme is the French cycling authority. It organises events and controls a network of clubs around the country in various disciplines including, VTT (mountain biking), BMX, road racing, velodrome racing and polo teams playing on bikes.

To find a local cycling club in any discipline: Click here (in French)
See The AngloFILE Cycling & Mountain Biking

Water Sports

Most large towns in the Burgundy region have leisure water bases with an open lake, providing water games, kayaking and more. Check with the local Tourist Office for local facilities.

The Morvan National Park is home to a number of lakes and rivers that are ideal for canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. The Chalaux river regularly hosts white water rafting competitions.

For further information from the Morvan National Park website: Click here
See The AngloFILE for Burgundy Watersports

Horse Riding

The Green Trails (Pistes Vertes) in the Saône-et-Loire cover over 600 Km of riding paths. The bridal paths are also open to hikers and cyclists. Maps can be downloaded online and are available at Tourist Offices.

Comité Départemental de Tourisme Equestre de Saône-et-Loire
At: La Mairie, 71460 Saint-Gengoux-le-National
Website

The Comité Régional du Tourisme Equestre (CRTE) website has information on riding schools, bridal paths in the Côte d'Or, Nièvre, Saône et Loire and Yonne, horse riding holidays and general information about horse riding in Burgundy.