Le Grand Huit Avallon Vézelay Morvan 2026

Le Grand Huit Avallon Vézelay Morvan is a 135 km team relay walk in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, linking Avallon, Vézelay, and the Morvan. It typically takes place over a weekend in early summer, starting Saturday morning and finishing by Sunday afternoon, with teams having under 35 hours to complete the course. Each team consists of 4 to 8 walkers, but at least 3 must be moving together on every leg. The challenge involves planning rest, food, pacing, and support as much as covering the distance. The route begins in Avallon, utilizing two loops of approximately 65 km and 70 km, divided into twelve stages. Teams determine their own relay strategy. Rotary Avallon-Vézelay organizes it as a solidarity walk: participants pay an entry fee and are asked for a per-person donation, with funds directed to local charities including the Croix Rouge, Restos du Coeur, Secours Populaire, and Secours Catholique. The setting lends the walk character, featuring Avallon’s ramparts, Clock Tower, and Saint-Lazare church, and Vézelay’s hilltop Basilica Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, a UNESCO World Heritage site.