The Parc Régional du Morvan was only officially designated in 1970, when 170,000 hectares of hilly countryside were set aside in an attempt to protect the local cultural and natural heritage with a series of nature trails, animal reserves, museums and local craft shops. The Maison du Parc, its official information centre (April–June & Sept to mid-Nov Mon–Sat 9.30am–5pm, Sun 10am–5pm; July & Aug Mon–Fri 10am–6pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–1pm; Oct–March Mon–Fri 8.45am–noon & 1.30–5.30pm; tel 03.86.78.79.00, www.parcdumorvan.org), is located 13km from Saulieu in beautiful grounds – which include a small lake and a deer park – about a kilometre outside ST-BRISSON on the D6. There's no public transport to get you there, but if you're walking or cycling it's a good place to head for, as they have all available information on routes and facilities in the park, as well as a small museum (April to mid-Nov daily 10.15–6pm; €4), devoted to the region's World War II Resistance movement, which was particularly active in this hard-to-patrol forested backwater. There's also a herbarium of regional plants.A map, Saulieu Vélo Tout-Terrain en Morvan, marks cycling and walking routes. For walkers the most challenging trip is the GR13 footpath, which crosses the park from Vézelay to Mont-Beuvray, taking in the major lakes, which are among the park's most developed attractions. There are also less strenuous possibilities: for example, the four-kilometre walk to Lac Chamboux, leaving Saulieu by the D26 and taking a track to the left (blue and yellow markers) after about ten minutes. For a starting point deeper into the park, there are buses to Château Chinon. Riding is a fairly popular way of seeing the park, and numerous gîtes d'étape offer pony-trekking facilities – tourist offices in the area can supply a complete list. Every other village in the park seems to have its own campsite (most of which are open from April or May to Sept), and the larger ones often have a couple of simple hotels as well. There are several campsites and small, beach-resortish hotels round the large, wooded Lac des Settons, which basks at the heart of the park and makes for a good break from more strenuous activities with its watersports, café-restaurants and small beach areas. The plain, modern village of MONTSAUCHE, 4km to the northwest of the lake, is a good bet for provisions, including camping gas, and has a municipal campsite; MOUX, a similar distance to the southeast, can provide the same facilities, and also has a couple of decent hotels. Bikes are available from most campsites in the area: for a complete list ask at any tourist office, or check online for VTT (mountain bikes) at www.morvan.com.
Pages in section ‘Parc du Morvan’: Château-Chinon.
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