Maillot: Mill history, church and riverside landscape

Maillot brings together several distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: the technical history of the Usine de Maillot, a sacred work of art in the Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, and the riverside landscape of Parc des Lavandières. The Au détour des eaux de Cochepies circular route complements these themes with a specific distance and average walking time. This lets you weigh cultural history, a connection with nature, and a walk with a time estimate as different reasons to stay.

Industrial history and sacred art

The Usine de Maillot looks like a typical 19th-century mill. At the same time, it is linked to the technical history of Paris’s drinking water supply and the challenge of bringing drinking water to the capital. The Usine contains turbines, pumps and motors. These technical features combine the character of a mill with specific equipment; the link to Paris’s water supply broadens the picture to encompass a larger infrastructure project. Visitors interested in industrial history will find both a local connection to milling and a link to a supply challenge affecting Paris.

Another point of cultural and historical interest is the Church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption in Maillot. It houses a stone statue of the Vierge à l'Enfant (Virgin and Child) dating from the last quarter of the 16th century. This is a different kind of reference point from the Usine: here, the focus is on a single sacred work of art with a clear date, while the Usine highlights the technical history of a mill and the drinking water supply. Maillot thus brings together a focus on art history and one on the history of technology.

Riverside landscape at Parc des Lavandières

Parc des Lavandières, at the northern entrance to Maillot, offers a landscape perspective. The park covers about 1.3 hectares. At the park, the Vanne splits into two branches that border it and give it a rural, wooded character. Both its size and its distinctive relationship with the river help define this green space.

The park also has a specific connection to birdlife: the Ligue de la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) de l'Yonne has put up nesting boxes there. This adds another perspective on nature to the riverside landscape. While the two branches of the Vanne shape the park’s layout, the nesting boxes represent an initiative by the LPO de l'Yonne at the site.

Circular route and local cuisine

The Au détour des eaux de Cochepies circular route passes through the commune of Maillot. It is about 6.2 kilometres long, with an average walking time of around 1 hour and 40 minutes. Both figures are approximate and together provide an indication of the distance and time required. If you want to fit a walk into your day, they can help you estimate the time involved. The distance indicates the route length, while the walking time adds an average time estimate.

The circular route is therefore an option with a specific time frame, while Parc des Lavandières is best described in terms of its location, size and river branches. For a taste of local cuisine, traditional food is served at lunchtime at Restaurant Le Rendez-Vous in the commune of Maillot. Restaurant details may change, so check in advance that the lunch offering suits your plans.

Discover more destinations: Ancy-Le-Franc, Saint-Clément, Passy, Fontenay-Près-Vézelay, Annay-Sur-Serein, Sermizelles, Accolay, Charny.

For the overall travel guide: Yonne.