The Woodcutters' Path

The Brionnais has an unprecedented number of Romanesque churches and chapels. All different, their golden stone walls shimmer in the clear light. The church of Saint-Julien-de-Jonzy has a remarkable 12th century, listed, portal and bell tower. Passing through the heart of this part of the country. The woodcutters' Path sometimes defies gravity, revealing a 360° panorama of the fifty or so steeples of the neighbouring villages. The flora is rich in rare plants and the wildlife proliferates in unspoilt hedgerows. Perched on a ridge, Saint-Julien-de-Jonzy reigns over this ancient paradise of green hills covered with woods and fiels. A few kilometres from Oyé, cradle of the Charolais cattle breed, Saint-Julien is now cattle-raising country. Previously an area of timber and vineyards, the circuit pays homage to the woodcutters whose memories reverberate with the sound of the axe.