Baudemont: BAU1 Circular Trail, Towers and Village Views

Baudemont offers two distinct starting points for planning your trip: the rail connection to Lyon and a marked circular trail that begins and ends in the village. La Clayette/Baudemont SNCF station offers TER services to Lyon; the journey takes about one hour and 20 minutes. There are several return services on weekdays. Check the timetable for your travel date before setting off. For getting around locally, the BAU1 circular trail is a specific option: it is 10 kilometres long, marked and of moderate difficulty. The start and finish are in Baudemont (Le Bourg).

Village Views and Scenery along the BAU1 Circular Trail

The BAU1 route passes the Vieux Bourg, the old centre of Baudemont. There you can see old houses with wells and typical Brionnais dry-stone walls used as boundaries. Wells by houses and walls used as boundaries are specific details of the village landscape. If you are interested in architecture and building methods, you can look out for individual features here rather than seeing the old centre merely as a point on the map.

On the return leg through the hamlet of Verfay, the BAU1 follows a small, quiet road lined with oak and ash trees more than 100 years old. The trail also leads to the Merloux stream and follows a pastoral path north of Baudemont. Thus, the described route alternates between the tree-lined stretch by Verfay and the path to the Merloux, offering different landscape impressions. Its length, markings and moderate difficulty give you further specific points to consider when choosing this trail.

Towers, a Cross and Local History

The Tour de Baudemont is also known as the Tour du Paradis and is believed to have been a former watchtower of the Château de La Clayette. Another way to include a structure in your route planning is the Tour de l’Enfer: it can be reached via a short detour from the BAU1 circular trail and can be viewed at sunset. The detour and the time of day are two practical details to take into account when planning your day.

A cross is another distinctive local feature: the Croix de Vèvres, also called the Croix du Pelon, features sculptures. There are also place names that may have a historical interpretation. Paradis, Pré de l’Enfer and Abcès in Baudemont have been linked to the possible location of a 12th-century leprosarium. This connection is only a possibility; the names and the cautious historical interpretation can be considered as a distinct aspect of local history.

The Washhouses and Local Cuisine

The two washhouses offer different insights. The Vieux Lavoir in Baudemont still has running water and is decorated with flowers in summer. The Lavoir Phalendon is notable for its former social role: women would meet there and exchange news. The two washhouses therefore present different details for comparison—the water and summer decoration described at the Vieux Lavoir, and the social exchange associated with the Lavoir Phalendon.

A culinary perspective is provided by the Auberge de Baudemont restaurant, which prepares its dishes on site using seasonal and local produce. Your stay can therefore encompass several different themes—from the marked circular trail and its village views to historical interpretations and cuisine made with seasonal and local produce.

Discover more destinations: Verdun-Sur-Le-Doubs, Laizy, Mervans, Saint-Vallerin, Lans, Saint-Gervais-En-Vallière, Romenay, Mercurey.

For the broader travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.