Ruages: Buildings, River Landscape and Routes

Ruages offers several distinct points of reference for planning a trip: a river landscape, historic buildings and a circular trail for walking. The commune lies in a sheltered valley on the right bank of the Yonne. The Yonne, the Auxois and the Ruisseau de Vignes stream flow through the commune; the Canal du Nivernais runs nearby. This distinguishes the waterways within Ruages from a canal in the surrounding area. These landscape features complement the local buildings with a geographical perspective on the place.

River Landscape and Routes

Ruages is the starting point for an 11 km circular walking trail, which includes a designated picnic area. The route length gives you a concrete measure for a circular walk. Check local conditions before setting out. Ruages is also on the Way of St. James, the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. The distinction is practical for planning: the circular route has a stated length, while on the Way of St. James you should take into account current conditions and signage for the relevant section. Conditions and trail markings may change.

Church and Historic Buildings

The Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Ruages has a square bell tower; the year 1773 is inscribed on a beam of the bell frame. A round tower is attached to it. Inside is a carved oak cathedra, or throne. The combination of different tower shapes, a dated inscription and a carved interior furnishing offers a look at various details of the same church building. If you would like to see the cathedra, check in advance whether the church is accessible.

The Lavoir de Ruages—a washhouse—was built in the first half of the 19th century, before 1835. It has a spring-fed basin, as well as a public weighing scale under a lean-to roof and a stone livestock trough. A lean-to roof has a single sloping roof surface, beneath which the scale is located here. The church and the washhouse therefore display different architectural features: the church building is distinguished by its tower and carved cathedra, while the washhouse has its basin, scale and trough.

The Bal parquet de Ruages was built in 1955 and is set up on the festival grounds. The dates serve different purposes: 1773 is an inscription on a beam of the bell frame, before 1835 refers to the construction period of the washhouse, and 1955 is the year the Bal parquet was built. The date recorded at the church should therefore not be equated with the construction years of the other two buildings.

Fête du Jambon

An event date can also play a role in choosing when to travel. The traditional Fête du Jambon in Ruages is said to have begun in 1980; the second weekend in August is given as the date. Thus, 1980 belongs to the festival’s history, while the August weekend is relevant to planning your dates. Check the current event details for the year in question if you would like to plan your stay around the festival.

Discover more destinations: Clamecy, Corancy, Neuville Les Decize, Sougy-Sur-Loire, Isenay, Dornes, Saint Saulge, Raveau

For the broader travel overview: Nièvre.