Vallée du Cousin & Rochers de la Canche
Just five minutes on foot from Avallon's ramparts, the valley of the Cousin river drops into a narrow, forested gorge that feels completely wild — mossy boulders, rushing water, old mill buildings and kingfishers darting between the rocks. The Rochers de la Canche, a series of granite outcrops above the river, offer a short scramble rewarded with views back up to the town's silhouette on its cliff
Walking the Valley
The GR13 long-distance trail descends from the old town into the Cousin gorge and follows the river downstream through a landscape of oak and hornbeam forest broken by granite escarpments. The path is well-marked and easy to follow; a 4 km loop brings you back to town via the Moulin des Ruats, a converted mill that has operated as a hotel since the 19th century and whose terrace above the river is the ideal spot for a cold drink.
In spring the gorge floor is carpeted with wild garlic and wood anemones; in summer the river runs clear enough to paddle in the shallower stretches near the old mill weirs. Autumn is perhaps the finest season of all, when the deciduous canopy turns gold and the granite boulders are draped in orange fern.
The Rochers de la Canche
A short, signed detour from the valley path climbs to the Rochers de la Canche, a jumble of granite outcrops above the right bank of the Cousin. The scramble to the top takes about 15 minutes and requires using your hands in one or two places, but the reward is a bird's-eye view of the gorge and a clear sightline back to Avallon's clock tower and church towers rising above the trees.
Birdwatchers should bring binoculars: the gorge is home to grey wagtails, dippers and the occasional peregrine that nests on the higher rock faces. Early morning, before day-trippers arrive, is when the gorge feels most primeval and the wildlife most active.
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