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(S/E) Park near the Saint-Symphorien cemetery and walk up the road that leads to La Gripperie. Pass the white fountain and, after walking up a wooded valley and along a small road lined with houses, you will reach the village of La Gripperie. Reach the central crossroads via the small streets parallel to the main road, which are best avoided.
(1) At the crossroads, take Rue de l'Abadaire opposite and leave the village.
(2) At the first right-hand bend, leave the road and take the path that leads between the fields and the edge of the forest. Turn left at the first crossroads and follow the edge of the forest to the outskirts of La Barlerie. To reach this hamlet, leave the first path between the fields on your left and turn left at the next intersection.
(3) Turn right just before the first house in the hamlet. The path curves between the riverside plots and continues straight ahead. Pass the first path on the left and turn right at the next intersection. You will come to the edge of the forest, which the path follows in a long curve to the left.
Leaving the woods, you will come to a farm track leading to Saint-Jean-d'Angle. The tall bell tower seems to tower over the houses clustered at its foot.
(4) After passing Les Baconnières, you will come to a small road that goes around an enclosure entirely bordered by high walls of varying degrees of repair. Turn left to reach the centre of the village. At the first right-hand bend, ignore a street leading off to the left and turn left into Grande Rue at the next intersection. Then turn right onto Rue des Murs to reach Rue Noire. Turn left and join the road that crosses the village from north to south.
Cross this road and continue straight ahead towards the castle. It is located about 300 metres from the village and has been recently restored.
(5) After your visit (admission fee applies), retrace your steps and take the first street on the left. It leads to the village market hall.
Walk along the building to reach the Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
(6) Walk past the imposing unfinished bell tower, then continue along Rue de l'Église until you reach Rue des Mottes. Turn left and walk up this street until it turns left, then continue along the path that goes straight ahead. It runs alongside gardens and orchards before reaching farmland, following a sparse hedge. When you reach a wooded area, turn left twice to return to the 733E2 departmental road.
(7) When you reach the road, turn right and follow it for about 100 metres before turning left onto the path overlooking the marshes. Follow it to the hamlet of Le Bouquet. At the hamlet, descend to the right along a small road, then turn left onto the first path you come to.
First winding along the top of the hill overlooking the marshes, it then cuts through farmland until it reaches the RD 18, just before it begins its descent into the wetland. On the left, you can see the castle you visited earlier.
(8) Continue straight ahead along the path that follows the break in the slope. From time to time, the woods covering the hillside open up to reveal the old gulf.
After passing the Bernelière farm, the route descends into a small valley until it reaches a wide, sunken path. Turn left to climb back up and take a small road on the right when you reach the plateau. Continue along this road, leaving Beaulieu and Les Moulins de Beaulieu behind, until you reach another small road at the exit of the village of La Gripperie.
(9) Continue straight ahead on the path that runs along the side of the plateau until you reach a path that leads down the slope on the right. After a 300-metre descent through the woods, you will reach the road that leads to Saint-Symphorien, whose bell tower is in sight. Follow the road until you return to the starting point.
The walk could end here, but that would mean missing out on the most beautiful views of the marsh, which have been very scarce until now.
(S/E) If you feel up to it, ignore your vehicle and retrace your steps up the hill you climbed at the start, but only until you reach the fountain. Turn into the sunken lane that branches off to the right of the road and crosses the hamlet of Le Peu. After a few bends, you will reach a crossroads on the edge of farmland. Turn right towards L'Ornut.
(10) In the heart of the hamlet, when the road makes a sharp left turn, a magnificent panorama opens up. Beyond the stork's nest perched on a mast on the slope, the view opens up over the entire former gulf. Slightly to the left, the remains of the imposing Broue tower stand out against the vast marshland. From this vantage point, it looks as if it were still intact!
After taking in the view, continue along the small road that leads to La Châtaigneraie, enjoying the view of the marshes.
(11) When you reach the Châtaigneraie farm, turn right to descend towards the marsh.
At the bottom of the slope, a small road runs between two ditches, allowing you to explore a little further. Retrace your steps and continue towards Saint-Symphorien.
Before reaching the church, which is only a few hundred metres away, you will pass through an area of almost tropical vegetation: clematis and hops climb up the tall trees like vines in a jungle.
A first house precedes the religious building, which is undoubtedly worth a visit but was closed when we passed by due to renovation work. A few more steps and you will find yourself back at the cemetery car park, where we started our walk (S/E).
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