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Starting point: Quai de l'Amiral Lalande, Port du Mans.
Orange trail markings
(S/E) With your back to the port, turn right onto Quai Amiral Lalande (cycle path running against the flow of traffic) and continue to Pont Gambetta.
(1) Cross the River Sarthe then turn left onto the quay’s cycle path. Cross Rue de la Galère and continue straight on for 1 km alongside the Gallo-Roman wall. Continue along Quai Louis Blanc, then go straight on at the three roundabouts. Pass Moulin Renard and continue to the junction with Rue Saint-Pavace and its cycle path.
(2) Follow this street, which becomes Rue Rabelais, then Rue de Nice and Rue de Provence. Pass through Coulaines and arrive in Saint-Pavace. Continue straight on until you reach the four-lane road.
(3) Go under the bridge and immediately turn left onto the path leading to the Sarthe. At the end, turn right and follow the riverbank until you reach the chain ferry.
(4) You will come to the chain ferry for crossing the river. The ‘Capalvi’ is open from mid-March to mid-October, though these dates may vary depending on water levels and weather conditions. Continue along the path with the River Sarthe on your left. You will reach the ruins of the Moulin aux Moines.
(5) Ignore all the paths on the right and stay along the river until you reach the eco-grazing area.
(6) Then turn right to perform a circular route around the eco-grazing area and the arboretum (trees planted to mark the births of children in the local area). Return along the River Sarthe.
(5) Turn left and follow the same path back to the four-lane road.
(3) Go under the dual carriageway towards Coulaines. Cross the road and take thefirst path on the left. Head uphill and join a tarmac path. Turn left and you will reach Route de Coulaines.
(7) Turn right towards Coulaines and join Boulevard Saint-Nicolas at the roundabout opposite Collège Jean Cocteau.
(8) Take the cycle path on the right. Pass three roundabouts and reach the park on the right.
(9) Enter Parc François Mitterrand and follow the Boulevard Nature signs. Take a path that passes in front of the Braque Gymnasium and exits onto Rue Molière. First turn left then right to reach a park.
(10) Enter Parc de l’Abri, continuing straight ahead until you reach Rue Corneille. Turn left and join the cycle path on Boulevard Saint-Michel. Turn right, then leave the boulevard atthe first roundabout. Turn left onto Rue de Tallin and follow Boulevard Nature, taking the path between numbers 10 and 12. Cross Rue de Ballon and continue straight ahead into a playground. Cross Rue de Vilnius and then a park. Go straight on at Rue Banjan until you find yourself facing a park.
(11) Enter Parc Banjan and keep to the right to exit onto Rue de Bellevue. Leave Boulevard Nature and head straight on to its terminus at the tram stop.
(12) Turn right onto Rue des Maillets and walk past Le Mans Cathedral. At the roundabout, continue straight on along Avenue Rostov-sur-le-Don. Pass by the town hall (the former Palace of the Counts of Maine) and the School of Fine Arts, where the Gallo-Roman baths are located, and reach the third junction after the town hall, Rue de la Galère, on the right.
(13) Take this street and cross the Pont Perrin over the Sarthe. At the end of the bridge, turn left and rejoin the Quai de l’Amiral Lalande.
(1) Continue straight ahead to the Port (S/E).
