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Starting point: the small car park at the church in Bazoches-sur-Guyonne.
(S/E) Take the D13 with the church on your left, until you reach Chemin du Château Bertin on your right, where you turn. You should see the red and white markings ofthe GR®®11, which you will follow for a while.
At the fork in the road, turn left and head up into the forest. Follow the marked path, heading south then south-east.
(1) At a fork, turn right, even though the markings indicate this is not theGR®® (the base map, which is likely out of date here, shows that it is still theGR®®). This section of the path can be quite muddy as the ground is waterlogged.
(2) At the junction, turn right. Youwill see theGR®® markingsagain. You will pass at the foot of a villa perched on Rocher Marquant. On your left, you will see a large, white, cubic villa. This is the Louis Carré house, the entrance to which you will see at the bottom of the path. At the crossroads, opposite you, is Jean Monnet’s house.
Turn left and continue down the tarmac road. At the T-junction, turn right.
(3) Just before a Fork in the road, leave the road and take the path leading down to the left. Follow the path down to the small stream (the Guyon), which you must wade across.
Alternative route: if the ford is difficult, follow the stream to your right until you reach a bridge, which you cross, then turn immediately left to rejoin the original route.
Continue straight on (south-west), ignoring a path running perpendicular to the main route.
(4) At the sewage treatment plant, turn left. You will arrive in Les Mesnuls. Turn left onto Rue Beauregard, which first turns left then right. At the end of the right-hand bend, turn right onto Rue des Champs. Cross Rue Montorgueil and, at the next fork in the road, turn left onto Rue de la Borne. At the end of this street, turn right onto Rue Neuve.
(5) Just before the church, turn left to enter the park. It’s the perfect spot for a picnic. Head towards the D 191, take it on the left and pass in front of Les Mesnuls Castle. Turn right onto the small tarmac road, the Chemin du Moulin, just after the castle’s surrounding wall. You’ll pass an old mill.
(6) At the T-junction, turn right onto the Chemin du Vieil Étang. After 50 m, turn left onto the small path that goes uphill. Be careful, as it’s easy to walk past it without noticing. Continue straight on to Les Essartons. On your left is a house; on your right, an unobstructed view. At the junction, turn left and walk alongside the building. You will see the Notre-Dame du Chêne chapel in the distance on your right.
(7) Just before the entrance to the La Brocardière estate, at the gate, take the path on the left and head into the forest. Continue due west for about 800 m, ignoring the paths to the left or right. At a T-junction, turn right. After 50 m, turn left onto Chemin de la Jonchèe. Turn right onto Route Robert, where you’ll join theGR®®1, following its signposts.
(8) Turn left onto the path that runs alongside the Étang de la Plaine. Continue north-west to Rue de Château Gaillard. You are now in Montfort-Lamaury. Follow this street for several hundred metres until you reach Rue de Sance, which you take to the right.
(9) After about fifty metres, go up the steps on the left (Ruelle Boutet). This leads you to Rue Maurice Ravel, where the house museum is located. Turning left, you can cross at the pedestrian crossing to go up to the Anne de Bretagne Tower. Head back down towards the town to reach Rue Saint-Laurent and then Place de la Libération. Opposite the church, turn left onto Rue de Paris. Follow this street to the town hall. Go under its porch to reach Rue Normande. Turn right onto this street. You will pass Place Robert Brault, then Rue de la Moutière, until you reach Rue Christian Lazard (D 155), which you should take to the left.
(10) Walk alongside the stadium, then turn right just before the wall of the Château de Groussay park. Walk along this wall for the entire length. You will pass a sewage treatment plant; then, on your left as you climb the hill, you will see the observation column, one of the château’s 12 follies.
(11) At the top of the hill (elevation 120), take the path on the right, onto the plateau. Follow this path to the D 191. Cross over and take the tarmac road opposite, heading towards Houjarray.
(12) Just before the bend, leave the road and turn left onto the path, which you will follow straight on until you reach Chemin du Petit Gué, which leads directly to the church car park (S/E).
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Difficult 
Easy 
