The best gravel rides around Vouzon

Loop in the footsteps of Napoleon III who, in the 19th century, bought back the Château de La Grillère, formerly owned by the Beauharnais family, in homage to his grandmother Joséphine. This route follows rural paths and low-traffic roads. Outside the summer period, some sections may require appropriate equipment. The use of mountain bikes and all-terrain bikes is recommended. Starting point for Hikes: Town Hall or Church parking lot

On 12/05/2026, the trail along the Cosson, starting from Boucles 02 and 16, near the castle, is impassable. Works?

The parish church, dedicated to Saint Stephen, belonged in the 13th century to the Abbey of Micy near Orléans. It was rebuilt at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. It consists of a long nave, 35 meters in length and over 9 meters wide, ending in a three-sided apse. Its walls, built of rubble and rendered brick, are reinforced by dressed stone buttresses. The cornice at the base of the roof and the window and door surrounds are also made of molded dressed stone. The double-lancet windows with trefoil topped by a figure-eight shaped bilobe are identical, except for those on the west facade and the central window, which are more elaborate, featuring three lancets while retaining the same molding. An addition was made at the beginning of the 16th century. On the north side stands an imposing seigneurial chapel and a massive bell tower with eight flat buttresses, two on each face, all built of brick. Ashlar is reserved for the buttresses of the bell tower and alternates with brick in the buttresses of the chapel; it is used for framing the openings, the windows, and the sloping sides of the chapel's gable. A lozenge-shaped decoration of black bricks on a background of pink bricks has been preserved on the lower level and on part of the gable of this chapel. The chapel was the only vaulted part of the church, undoubtedly financed by Jean or Claude d'Estampes, lord of La Ferté-Nabert. The rest of the building was covered by a panelled vault, the replacement of which with a false ribbed vault of plaster resulted in the disappearance of the tie beams and king posts and ruined the structural integrity of the roof frame. This artificial, cold, and superficial decoration of the upper sections deprives the interior of the interplay of tie beams and king posts. These, in their rhythm, corresponded to the lateral openings and reflected the robust structure of the timber frame that protected the building. A comprehensive restoration is planned. Initially, for the north chapel—masonry, roofing, and timber frame—the French Heritage Society (Sauvegarde de l’Art français) provided €30,490 in 2001.

"A very old church; two buttresses would allow us to date it to the 11th century," we learn. "Rebuilt in the 13th century, damaged during the Hundred Years' War, it was rebuilt again in the 16th century before being burned down during the Wars of Religion and then looted during the Revolution. Its last restoration dates back to 2014."

Built from 1900 to 1903 by Clavier, an entrepreneur in Vienne-en-Val, based on plans by Henri Rapine, an architect in Paris, this Saint Martin church is the second in Vienne-en-Val. The first church, dating from the 14th century, was destroyed. Inside, the base of the church's lectern depicts various scenes from the life of Saint Martin. The base bears the date 1613, while the eagle, which is said to have come from Férolles, is probably from the 19th century.

Indeed a nice cool route, a little sheltered from the wind.

At this location, during sanitation work in 1968, a certain number of ancient and medieval remains were unearthed, witnesses to the occupation of this site since Antiquity. Vienne-en-Val is also located on the Roman road from Orléans to Sancerre. The presence of two churches, one Merovingian and one dating from the 10th century, was revealed by surveys. The remains found, in particular sculpted blocks reused in these later constructions, attest that a sanctuary from the Early Roman Empire existed in the area but its location has not yet been discovered. You can discover these ancient blocks nearby, in a community hall which serves as a lapidary museum.

Built in the 16th century then reworked in the 19th century, this castle surrounded by a moat belonged to Napoleon III after passing into the hands of his ancestor, François de Beauharnais and then the French ambassador to Constantinople, the Count of Choiseul-Gouffier. It is now private property.