Circular in the Réno Valdieu forest

A lovely walk, mostly on good paths, which allows you to visit a magnificent forest, admire a few ponds and pass by some religious buildings. The only difficulty is the length.

Details

1828324
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.34 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 883 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 896 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 797 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 495 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the side of the road (wide space), just above the entrance to the equestrian centre south of La Chapelle-Montligeon.
It is also possible to start from the stopover lodge a little further on, easily adapting the route for the first few dozen metres.

(S/E) Take the path towards the equestrian centre, then immediately turn right onto a path that leads straight into the forest. You will reach a small road at the hamlet of Mairins Berdis.

(1) Find theGR®®22, follow it to the right for a few dozen metres, then turn left onto a good path which is still theGR®®22. The red and white markings are clearly visible.
Pass the hamlet of Courthenou and continue to follow theGR®® until the path ends at a T-junction.

(2) Leave theGR®® trail on your right and turn left, then after a few dozen metres, turn right at a right angle. Now follow the yellow markings. Continue along this path until you reach the Route Forestière de Monceaux at the Haslerie crossroads.

(3) Do not continue straight ahead towards La Haslerie, but turn left towards the Grands Ordons crossroads. Stay on the Route Forestière de Monceaux until you reach the crossroads, then continue straight ahead on the Route Forestière de Beauvilliers. You will arrive at the Fontenelles crossroads.

(4) Turn 90° to the right onto the path, which is quite poorly marked at the beginning (green markings on the tree trunks, at the boundary between two plots).
Reach the bottom of a small valley, then climb up the slope opposite via a well-marked trail to the top of the slope, then follow another well-marked trail heading east. Further on, turn left onto the path heading north-west, which joins a crossroads of forest roads at the Frette crossroads.

(5) Exit the roundabout via the second exit on the right to join the Route Forestière de la Frette.
Join the tarmac road (D8).

(6) Follow it to the left for a few metres (take care) then turn right into the forest via a small wooden bridge that crosses the ditch and clearly marks the entrance to the path.
Reach the bottom of a small valley again and take the path that follows the bottom to the left, heading west. It gradually curves. Join the Châteauroux forest road.

(7) Follow this forest road to the right towards the north. You will soon arrive at the Beauvilliers forest house. Opposite, take the Valdieu Forest Road (RF). Continue north. Cross the Valdieu crossroads. Stay on the RF to reach a new crossroads at a right angle.

(8) Turn right, heading east, onto a path that is sometimes wide and sometimes narrower, leading to a steep slope. You will reach the D291.

(9) Take this road to the left towards the north-west, turn right towards Brochard, then first turn left then right to reach the Moulin de la Vigne. Cross the mill (follow the signs to avoid causing any disturbance). You will rejoin theGR®®22and its clear red and white markings.

(10) Follow it to the left. The path is not very well marked at the beginning, so pay close attention to the markings. Follow this path to the old abbey of Valdieu.

(11) Continue on theGR®®. Turn left onto the Route Forestière de Gautrie at the Desvaux crossroads. Reach the car park at the Degraine crossroads. Here, take a moment to admire the old oak trees, which are over 300 years old.

(12) Be careful not to lose sight of theGR®® markings as it crosses the small hamlet of La Béhardière. Continue south, cross the D8 at La Gautrie, follow the Ruisseau de la Tasse stream and reach the Demi-Lune crossroads.

(13) Ignore the Route Forestière de Beauvilliers opposite. Turn right onto theGR®® and follow it to the crossroads at the hamlet of La Picherie.

(14) Turn right and stay on theGR®®, go around Haute Fouillerie and then Ronderie to enter Chapelle-Montligeon.

(15) Go around the school and the Basilica to reach the car park above the Equestrian Centre (S/E) further south.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 587 ft - Parking above the Equestrian Centre.
  2. 1 : mi 0.51 - alt. 699 ft - GR22
  3. 2 : mi 1.51 - alt. 656 ft - T-junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.91 - alt. 735 ft - Haslerie crossroads
  5. 4 : mi 2.84 - alt. 764 ft - Carrefour des Fontenelles
  6. 5 : mi 3.91 - alt. 781 ft - Carrefour de la Frette
  7. 6 : mi 4.42 - alt. 761 ft - D8 crossroads
  8. 7 : mi 5.07 - alt. 758 ft - Châteauroux RF crossroads
  9. 8 : mi 6.01 - alt. 781 ft - Right-angle crossroads
  10. 9 : mi 6.79 - alt. 650 ft - D291
  11. 10 : mi 7.6 - alt. 623 ft - GR22
  12. 11 : mi 8.6 - alt. 676 ft - Le Valdieu, ancienne abbaye
  13. 12 : mi 9.71 - alt. 787 ft - Degraine crossroads
  14. 13 : mi 11.57 - alt. 719 ft - Carrefour de la Demi-Lune
  15. 14 : mi 12.74 - alt. 610 ft - Carrefour de la Picherie
  16. 15 : mi 13.82 - alt. 564 ft - Basilique Notre-Dame de La Chapelle Montligeon
  17. S/E : mi 14.34 - alt. 591 ft - Parking above the Equestrian Centre.

Notes

Good, comfortable walking shoes are recommended as some sections may be muddy or stony, but there are no real technical difficulties. There are no drinking water sources along the route. There are a few inns, but they are closed out of season.

There are many possible variations depending on the forest roads. In particular, you can go directly from (4) to (5) by following the Châteauroux forest road. You can also go directly from (7) to (11) by continuing along the Valdieu forest road.

Worth a visit

Of note: the site of La Chapelle-Montligeon (15), the monastery of Valdieu (11), and the remarkable trees (with explanatory signs) at the Degraine crossroads.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 9334933

The walk back from point no. 9 is very scenic, as we’re on the edge of the forest. We can see the whole landscape stretching out in the distance. At the start, we’re mostly in the forest and the path is tarmac in places, so it’s not quite as pleasant;

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User 9334933

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The walk back from point 9 is very scenic, as we’re on the edge of the forest. We can see the whole landscape stretching out in the distance. At the start, we spend a lot of time in the forest and the path is tarmac in places, so it’s not quite as pleasant;

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brems
brems

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

superb hike

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User 10880107

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb walk

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p.anton
p.anton

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

shortened version between points 7 and 12. Easy walk despite a very muddy section between points 8 and 9. A few beautiful views, but otherwise not much to see except the beauty of the forest.

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lolo.78
lolo.78

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, best done in dry weather, otherwise with waterproof shoes and gaiters.
Many paths are wet.

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Pjsn
Pjsn

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very good and beautiful hike in terms of both the environment and the scenery, requiring a little stamina.
A few points in the forest require GPS coordinates, especially when the route description is not clearly marked on the ground.

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Franck C2.
Franck C2.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike offering beautiful scenery.
Not much choice given the location of the forest, but many straight stretches on the road.

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boulard pierre
boulard pierre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike in the forest. The route sometimes follows barely marked paths. The Visorando app comes into its own here. Remember to download the maps before you set off, as there is no internet connection...
Well done!

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gemeaux720
gemeaux720

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a bit too many straight lines on the road:

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Pcours
Pcours

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk without any particular difficulties.
We shortened it because of the threatening weather.
Some sections were poorly marked on the ground, but the GPS track is perfect.

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benoitrando
benoitrando
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent route that includes a visit to the beautiful Notre-Dame-de-Montligeon sanctuary.
A few small details should be included in the description.
S/E: Head towards the equestrian centre and immediately turn right onto the path. At the first T-junction, turn left onto the uphill path. At the next Y-junction, turn right to reach a road in the hamlet of Mairins Berdis.

Point 3: Stop about 70 metres before the Fontenelles crossroads.

Point 4: Turn 90° right onto a path with large ruts made by forestry machinery, between two plot boundaries (the green markings on the tree trunks are almost invisible). Reach the bottom of a small valley, then climb up the opposite side to the top of the slope. When you reach a crossroads, with a forest barrier 70 metres ahead, turn right and follow the yellow markings. Further on, turn left (ok) and continue to follow the yellow markings, etc.

Thank you, trotnatu, for sharing this magnificent route with us.
Best regards
Benoit

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Marcoeg
Marcoeg

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, but it would benefit from some signposting at the start and along certain sections, particularly in the Ordons area between the Fontenelles and Frette crossroads.

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Rabatteur27
Rabatteur27

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Shortened version for about 10 km
We went from point 5 to 13.
Very good description, we did the nicest part...the northern part is mostly monotonous forest trails.
The route is varied: forest, heritage sites, valley, trails, tarmac roads...
No difficulty, no elevation gain for this part.
Highly recommended

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henri57
henri57 ★
• Edited:

Hello,

@trotnatu

Thank you for responding so quickly.

This entire area is part of the national forest.

The area in question is not included in the national forest. However, according to the cadastral survey on the IGN Géoportail website, your route follows a plot of land that belongs to the public domain.

Kind regards

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