For planning your trip, Saint-Léger-Lès-Paray offers two distinct ways to explore: a waymarked route through the village centre and countryside, and cultural traditions expressed through crafts, music and dance. There are also historical traces from different periods—from the former village centre of La Cure to a document from 1386. This allows you to consider outdoor activities, the passing on of traditions and local history as different focuses for your stay.
Circular trail between the village centre and the bocage
The Balade Verte – En terre Lesdégarienne (PLM4) is a waymarked circular trail, classified as easy, covering 8 km. It starts and finishes at the picnic area or car park by the Boulodrome. The route is suitable for walkers, mountain bikes and e-mountain bikes. The distance gives you a concrete measure for planning your day; the easy rating also describes the character of the route. Whether on foot, by mountain bike or by e-mountain bike, it is the same circular trail; the choice is about how you travel, not a different start or finish point.
The route passes through the centre of Saint-Léger-Lès-Paray, along the Oudrache and through bocage countryside. The Balade therefore connects the village centre with two other geographical features in a single loop. Check the latest route details before setting out.
Crafts, music and dance
GRETT was founded in 1984 as the Groupe de Recherche, d’Etude et de Transmission des Traditions du Charolais Brionnais. Its full name identifies research, study and the transmission of Charolais Brionnais traditions as its thematic focus. GRETT workshops offer the chance to learn how to work with willow rods, straw, hazel and wool. They also include learning traditional tunes and dancing bourrées.
Unlike the built and written traces of local history, the focus here is on passing on traditions through practical activities: materials are worked, tunes are learned and dances are performed. If you would like to include a specific workshop in your stay, check the relevant date in advance.
Historical traces in Saint-Léger
The hamlet of La Cure was the historic centre of Saint-Léger and had a church and a cemetery. Remains of the former church of Saint-Léger survive in a residential building. A surviving church bell was reinstalled in 1812 in the bell tower of the church in Vigny. The ecclesiastical traces therefore lead to different places.
Written records add to this picture of local history. A document from 1386 records a statement by Robert de l’Espinace: the lord of Saint-Léger stated that he held the Maison forte de Santo Lesdegaris as a fief from Bernard d’Armagnac, Count of Charollais. The entry is associated with the Vieux Château. The built remains and the written reference thus offer different ways of exploring the village’s past.
Discover more destinations: Verzé, Maltat, Frontenaud, Laizy, Dracy-Le-Fort, Mont, Ozolles, Vers.
For the broader travel overview: Saône-Et-Loire.
