Around the sanctuary in Saint-Georges-des-Gardes

Park in the car park at the Salle CollinéA, walk round it and head back to the starting point. You’ll see the panoramic view of the surrounding area just a stone’s throw away, as well as the church. All you have to do is follow the blue signposts.

(S/E) From the starting point signpost, head up the path that runs alongside the football pitch. At the junction with Rue du Monastère, if you haven’t visited it yet, turn left towards the Abbaye Notre-Dame des Gardes.

(1) Return to the junction and carry on left along Rue du Monastère, which begins to slope downwards.
Walk down the tarmac road for about 400 metres. After a bend to the right and then to the left, a path appears on the left.

(2) Take the grassy path on the left. Once you reach La Haute Garde, turn left and then immediately right onto the path that runs alongside the Bois de la Garde and leads to the junction near a building materials yard.

(3) Back on the tarmac road, turn right, then left, then left again at La Picoulière.
Then take a path running alongside the fields. After a right-hand bend through the copse, you’ll reach a fork in the road just before arriving in the village of Saint Georges des Gardes.

(4) Turn right, then right and left to join Rue de la Védrie.

(5) Turn left straight away onto Rue d’Anjou. Follow the signposts through the village’s paths and streets; leaving the church and cemetery a few dozen metres to your right, cross Rue de la Vielle Fontaine to reach the village’s football ground.

(6) Turn left and walk round the stadium, first to the north then to the east, until you rejoin the D265, Rue du Moulin. Turn left towards Puy de la Garde.

(7) You now have two options:

• Option 1: carry on straight ahead to reach the village centre via Rue du Moulin and then Rue Beau Soleil, where you’ll find CollinéA on your left. This shortens the circular route by about 6 km.

• Option 2: turn right onto the path leading downhill. Turn left at the next junction, then once you reach the D133, turn left towards the ponds.

(8) Leave the road and turn left after the ponds, onto the dirt track. This leads to the hamlet of La Braudière at a T-junction.

(9) Turn right; about 400 m further on, you’ll find the ‘Jaune’ path from the Planche Grelet on your right.
Follow the path to the chapel of the same name.

(10) Back on the signposted paths at the Grelet Chapel, turn left, following the stream to the Pont aux Jards. At the bridge, turn right and cross the Boutière. Continue on to La Virée.

(11) Turn left, then at the Fork in the road take the left-hand path to explore the beautiful Jardin des Chirons.

(12) At the crossroads, turn left to reach the Aunay and then the D265 a little further on. Then turn left and head back towards the village of Les Gardes at the next right-hand turn.
Once you’ve passed the entrance sign, take the path on the right which leads back up to the starting point (S/E).

To round off this lovely walk, meet up at the La Colline picnic area for a well-deserved picnic!

La Coulée Verte picnic area in Saint-Georges-des-Gardes

The Coulée Verte leisure area offers children a playhouse with a slide, several spring-loaded animals, a large shaded area for playing ball games and a seesaw.
You’ll also find picnic tables, benches and shaded areas.

Bonus: A lovely view of the surrounding countryside from the Farfadet area.

(1) Abbaye des Gardes shop
The nuns are delighted to welcome you to their shop, where you’ll find products they’ve made themselves as well as those from many other monasteries, alongside a few local specialities and a range of health foods…

La Colline Picnic Area
Behind the CollinéA hall – at the start and finish points.
This area comprises: two single-seater spring-loaded play structures, an elephant-shaped slide, a roundabout, a climbing frame for children aged 6 and over, a table tennis table, a giant jacks set for children aged 6 and over, a BMX track for children aged 10 and over, and a football pitch.
Practical information: picnic tables, benches, shaded areas and toilets at La Maison des Energies.
Bonus feature: a nearby landscape observatory offering panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Weather information is available at La Maison des Energies.

La Tourlandry Castle
About a 20-minute walk from L’Aunay (off the marked trail) if you take the longest route.
Since 2008, the site, right in the heart of the village of La Tourlandry, has been brought back to life under the guidance of its dynamic owners. The château is a multifaceted venue, serving as tourist accommodation, a cultural centre with a permanent exhibition on the history of science and technology from the Second Empire to the digital age, and a visitor centre. The grounds are also well worth exploring, with their vegetation and water-filled ditches.

(1) Abbaye des Gardes and observatory
A place of pilgrimage, the sanctuary offers a sweeping panorama from the top of its towers. The church, built around 1920, features beautiful stained-glass windows and a crowned Virgin and Child. Nearby, a hilltop offers a 360° view of the surrounding area. You are at the highest point in Anjou! Information boards help you identify the features of the landscape.

(10) La Planche Grelet
In 1697, a sharecropper, overcome by fear whilst in this area, called upon the Virgin Mary for help. Having been saved, he placed a statuette in the hollow of an elm tree. In the 19th century, his descendants had this chapel built in this leafy setting, which is now maintained by a local association.

(12) The Jardin des Chirons
A pleasant spot where ‘scree’ – granite boulders found in abundance in the surrounding fields – are gathered together. You’ll find them near the Grelet Chapel in particular.