Country loop

Description

Pictogramme Randonée
An 86-kilometre loop through the Broye countryside, Gros-de-Vaud and Jorat: rural landscapes and quiet roads that will charm sports enthusiasts.
Starting point is the medieval town of Moudon, which can easily be reached by train. A few kilometres of warm-up in the Broye plaine await you before climbing towards Villars-le-Comte. 

Before Bercher, a nice descent through the forest takes you to the charming Menthue valley and its cliffs. You then cross the Gros-de-Vaud on quiet and easy roads to Cugy. Enjoy the magnificent view of the Alps! Then you enter the Jorat woods to start the climb to Chalet-à-Gobet. At an altitude of almost 900 metres, this place, well known to the people of Lausanne, is the highest point of the loop. 

To get back to Moudon, you have (almost) only a descent. On the way, you will pass by the zoo and the Tropiquarium of Servion and finish with a few kilometres along the banks of the Broye.

Point of interest

 

1.  Pont de Bressonaz

As soon as in the early 16th century, three stone bridges crossed the Broye, the Bressonne and the Carrouge, an obligatory passage for travellers going to Moudon. Only the Bressonnaz bridge has retained its original form, the other two having since been replaced by modern structures. At the time, a toll was charged for each crossing in order to finance the maintenance of the bridges.

2.  Eglise Saint-Etienne

Noted for its splendid Gothic architecture and painted adornment, the church has 16th-century choir stalls and the oldest organ in the canton (1764). The church is a stopover point of the Via Jacobi 4 leading pilgrims to Saint James of Compostela.

3.  Chapelle de Vulliens

The chapel of Vulliens is one of the most modest but at the same time most traditional temples in the Jorat area. It was listed among the parish churches of the diocese of Lausanne in 1228. Its main characteristic is that it has a carpenter’s bell tower dating from 1779. The cemetery designed all around the temple is one of the few surviving examples in the canton Vaud. The graves of the painter Eugène Burnand and his wife Julia Girardet face the entrance to the chapel.

4.  Église de Villars-le-Comte

The church is mentioned as early as 1177. At that time, it belonged to the priory of Saint-Maire. Damaged during the reformation, the church has been repaired many times. The organ stems from the English church in Vevey.
  • Distance : 86km
  • Length : 10h
  • Start : Moudon
  • End : Moudon
  • Difficulty :
  • Height difference : 1398m
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