France’s stunning massif in Burgundy — exploring the Morvan by bike

This Collection opens up the Morvan Regional Nature Park to you, the granite heart of chalky Burgundy, over four stages.

Burgundy mainly attracts wine lovers, but few know that the vineyards occupy a tiny part of the region’s territory and that it is composed in large part of beautiful forests and places of preserved nature where you can recharge your batteries.

As the Morvan has no real industry, the region has long supplied Paris with firewood, transported by river. It’s a territory that remains a little frozen in time and offers a blend of quietness and authenticity.

Charming towns, magnificent castles, an agricultural tradition that has shaped the forested, bocage landscape, numerous reservoirs, and unmissable historical and spiritual sites are revealed to you along these four stages.

Autun is a town where life is good, and I’ve deliberately chosen it as the starting and finishing point so you have plenty of time to discover all its facets.

The town of Saulieu, where you will arrive at the end of the third stage, is the ideal place to discover Burgundy’s exquisite gastronomy.

The average stage length is no more than 70 kilometres (44 mi), so you can explore the surrounding area at your leisure. The first stage passes through the highest point of the Morvan, the Col du Haut-Folin, at about 830 metres (2,723 ft), and is the only stage with a significant elevation gain.

It’s very easy to get to the starting point of this Collection by train or bus. Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, serves Autun several times a day. The first stage starts from Autun’s SNCF station.

The Morvan massif is known for its somewhat harsh microclimate, so be sure to bring waterproofs, especially in the cooler seasons. The roads are passable all year round and its proximity to Paris makes it an easy place to get to.

The Morvan is a land of life and solid friendship. Jim Harrison, the author of Dalva, Legends of Autumn, and An American Odyssey, understood this implicitly. The poet of the great American spaces thought of France, and in particular the Morvan area, as a special place. Come and see the poetry of the landscape for yourself.