Discovering Fougères, a medieval town

Whether you are coming from the west (Rennes) or the east (Laval), take the ring road towards "Fougères Sud".
At the La Hayais roundabout (road towards Vitré), enter Fougères. After 100 metres, at the roundabout (with a sculpture of the belfry in the centre), turn left into Rue de Laval and park in the free car park on the left.

(S/E) Leave the car park and head towards the belfry crossroads.
Turn left onto Rue Duguay-Trouin. Admire the small Chapelle d'Iné chapel on your right (closed to the public due to its poor interior condition).
Turn right onto Chemin de la Grille. After crossing the Groslay stream and passing under the bridge, turn right and continue through the woods.

(1) Turn left and walk along the allotments. At the end of the path, turn left and continue, keeping to the right, along Rue Colbert. Do not take the wide path that continues on, which is an old railway line.
After 100 metres, turn right onto Rue de la Pellerine until you reach No. 45.
At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue de l'Écartelle. At the end, cross Boulevard Michel Cointat and turn left.

(2) Turn right to enter Parc des Orières. Go around the lake on the left and continue to the northern part of the park. Exit on the left to reach the housing estate and Impasse des Orières opposite.
At the roundabout, take the third street: Rue des Orières and follow it for 50 metres.

(3) Continue left into Ruelle des Orières. After a left-right turn, it leads to Rue Champ des Cartes, which you should follow to the left.
After 100 metres, turn right onto Rue des Frères Dévéria, then 50 metres further on, turn right again onto Rue Félix Bodenan, which continues onto Rue Jean-Marie Chaperon. Leave the "Cinéma" complex on your left.

(4) At the bend, take the footpath on the left. This is the old railway line. The route passes under a typical 1930s SNCF bridge and continues through a cutting that leads to a double tunnel.

(5) Only the left tunnel is open to the public. It is 320 metres long and passes under the upper town. It ends at the Parking des Fêtes car park. Take the few steps on the left, continue left at the top, take the tree-lined path on the right and, at the end, continue left on the Allée du Jardin des Fêtes.
Continue along the street that curves up to the right in an S-shape and join Boulevard Jacques Faucheux. Go up to the left to the pedestrian crossing to cross this busy road.

(6) Turn right towards the tower and go down Ruelle de l'Abreuvoir. At the bottom, enter Val Nançon park. Cross the Nançon via the small bridge on the right, then continue to the left.
After admiring the Oeuvre à la Vie sculpture on your right, cross the Nançon again via the bridge on the left, then turn right to follow the river as closely as possible. The entrance to the château is straight ahead.

(7) Cross the small bridge on the right, cross the street and continue straight ahead to cross the Promenade Pauline Montembault. Continue to the right, leaving the last house on your left, cross the boulevard with great care and turn slightly right onto Ruelle des Anglais. Follow it to the vacant lot.

(8) Continue straight ahead along the path that goes uphill, then climb the stairs to go around the Rocher Coupé lake. At the top of the fourth flight of stairs, ignore the path on the right and continue straight ahead. The path leads to Chemin de Folleville, which you should follow to the left. Don't forget to take in the breathtaking views of the castle and the upper town.
After a building on the left, take the stairs on the left heading south to descend to a wide path.
Turn sharply left and continue downhill. A small path on the left leads after 50 metres to a viewpoint over the lake (not shown on the route). Continue downhill and return to the car park. Turn right, heading south, to the castle roundabout.
Cross the boulevard and continue straight ahead along Rue Le Bouteiller, following the castle moat on your left.
On your right is the Church of Saint-Sulpice (parish church of the lower town). Continue around the castle to reach the Porte Notre-Dame.

(9) Just after the gate, turn left to admire the four water wheels, then go up Rue de la Fourchette. Continue up Rue de la Pinterie, admiring the ramparts on your right.
At the top of the street, first turn right then left to follow Rue Porte Roger. Pass the Palais de Justice on your left and turn right onto Rue de Verdun.
Turn right onto Rue du Four, cross Rue Chateaubriand and reach Rue Nationale.

(10) Walk around the square to admire the belfry. Walk down Rue Nationale towards the south to reach the square in front of Saint-Léonard Church (parish church of the upper town). Walk past the Town Hall buildings and down Rue des Vallées.

(11) On the right, enter the public garden. Take the left-hand path to enjoy the view, then take one of the paths leading down to the fountain. Leave the garden via Rue des Vallées (with your back to the castle). Walk down Rue des Vallées, continue right along Ruelle des 4 Vents, then take the Duchesse Anne steps.
At the bottom of the stairs, turn left, continue to the right, cross the stream and you will reach Place du Marchix (medieval houses).

(12) Turn left into the street (sign pointing to the Butte à Bigot).
Take the stony path on the left (sign pointing to the Butte à Bigot).
The path climbs quite steeply and ends with steps.
At the top of the stairs, turn left.

(13) Panorama (between the trees) of the upper town and the public garden on the other side of the Nançon valley.
Continue south and then follow the path on the right.
Turn left at the edge of the forest. Halfway down, cross a farm track (very narrow passage on either side of the track (about 30 cm wide between posts).
When you reach Rue de Savigny, turn left and walk for about 500 metres.

Between numbers 13 and 15, take a path on the right, cross the stream and continue on the right into Rue des Batailles. After No. 11, turn left into Ruelle des Batailles, which leads to Rue des Vallées. Follow it up to the right until you reach the forecourt of Saint-Léonard Church.
Take the street on the right with the church behind you, cross the roundabout and follow Impasse Lariboisière opposite. Cross the square. Turn right to exit, then left to reach Avenue François Mitterrand. The sub-prefecture is opposite.
Continue to the left, cross the avenue and continue to the right along Rue des Résistants Fougerais. At the end of the street, turn right onto Rue Madiot and cross Rue Pasteur.

(14) Turn slightly right to enter Passage d'Avenel, which runs alongside Lycée Jean Guéhenno on the left and Collège Sainte-Marie and the retirement home on the right. After a right-left turn, cross Boulevard Edmond Roussin and continue straight ahead on Rue de la Rouerie.
Before reaching a boulevard, turn left to pass between two blocks of flats heading east. Cross Boulevard de la Chesnardière and pass in front of the Juliette Drouet Cultural Centre.
Turn right and cross Rue du Gué Maheu, then continue right between the buildings. When you reach Allée Thérèse Pierre, turn right onto Rue Duguay-Trouin.
At the next crossroads, after No. 30, turn right onto Rue Bachelot de la Pilaye, then left onto Rue de Laval.
Cross the street, walk past the "U Express" shop and head to the car park (S/E).

Rue de la Pinterie to the north and Rue des Vallées to the south are the two streets that connect the lower town to the upper town. Both have a steep incline.

The tour of the "Rocher Coupé" and access to the panorama of the Butte à Bigot are also two climbs/descents with a steep gradient.

The time indicated does not, of course, take into account any time spent strolling through the parks or visiting the castle (45 minutes). The castle ticket gives free access to the bell tower of Saint-Léonard Church (July and August) and the Emmanuel de la Villéon Museum.

Walking down Rue Nationale, after the belfry built in 1397, you will pass the Watchmaking Workshop and Museum (at No. 37), the Emmanuel de la Villéon Museum (at No. 51, a house with a porch, the last remaining example of 17th-century architecture in the town) before arriving at Saint-Léonard Church (12th to 15th century).