Cascade de Brisecou & Forêt de Planoise
Just 8 km south-west of Autun in the fringes of the Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan, the Cascade de Brisecou tumbles through a mossy granite gorge that feels utterly remote despite being a short drive from the town centre. Combine it with a walk through the Forêt de Planoise and you have a half-day of nature that most visitors to Autun never discover.
The Waterfall Walk
A well-marked 4 km loop from the small car park on the D256 near the hamlet of Couhard leads through oak and beech forest before descending to the cascade, which drops around 8 metres into a clear pool fringed with ferns. After any significant rainfall the flow is genuinely dramatic.
The path passes the Pierre de Couhard, a mysterious 27-metre Gallo-Roman pyramidal monument of unknown purpose — possibly a funerary mausoleum — that rises incongruously from a hilltop clearing and adds an archaeological frisson to what is already a lovely walk.
The Morvan Forest Context
The Forêt de Planoise is part of the broader Morvan massif, a granite upland of lakes, rivers and dense forest that forms the natural hinterland of Autun. The park is excellent for wildlife: red deer, wild boar and, if you are very lucky, European otters along the streams.
Autumn is the finest season: the beech canopy turns copper and gold, cèpe mushrooms push through the leaf litter, and the forest is virtually empty of other walkers. Pack waterproof boots and a small rucksack with provisions from the Saturday market.
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