Circular La Loupe, La Trinité without Trinitrine

La Loupe station - Paris-Montparnasse - Le Mans railway line.

Take the D928 from Dreux or Nogent-le-Rotrou or the D923, then the D920 from Chartres.

Parking near the station or Place du 8 Mai.

(S/E) Departure in front of the station.

White and red GR®35 + yellow markings

With your back to the station, take Rue d'Alençon on the right. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Gros Chêne. Before the bridge, turn left along the railway line (Le Gros Chêne is 400 m away). Continue straight ahead, ignoring the streets that branch off to the left. Follow the Promenade du Chemin Vert to the D5 (Vaupillon church 300 m away).

(1) Cross the D25 carefully, then take the path opposite, which immediately turns left, following the edge of the woods and climbing up to the D928. Cross it very carefully and follow it to the right for about 100 metres. Turn left onto Route Saint-Honoré. Follow it until you reach Route du Vaufermé and turn left onto it until you reach the start of a path opposite. Leave the GR®35 markings and another yellow marking that go to the right.

Yellow markings

(2) Follow the path opposite, which leads straight to the Saint-Éliph wash house.

No markings

(3) Take Rue du Lavoir opposite, which leads to the church in the cemetery. After seeing the church, cross Grande Rue and follow it to the right towards La Loupe. Pass in front of the town hall and follow the wide hard shoulder on the left to join the greenway that runs alongside the D941 to La Loupe secondary school (shortcut possible).

(4) At the village exit, leave the greenway. Carefully cross the D941 on the speed bump and turn right onto Rue de la Buthonnerie. Pass Rue de la Résidence du Pressoir. Continue straight ahead along the waste collection centre. After La Buthonnerie, the road becomes a path that reaches a small road just before La Margotière.

Yellow markings

(5) Turn left onto the road, then left again and pass in front of the farm. Continue to La Glonnerie.

No markings

(6) Leave the yellow markings. Continue straight ahead and walk along the property wall.

(7) At the corner, turn left onto Rue des Genêts, then turn right onto Rue de la Bruyère. At Place de la Bruyère, turn left, then immediately right onto a path that runs behind the houses. You will reach a crossroads near a picnic area and children's playground on the edge of the Étang du Gallou. You can walk around it.

(8) Go left to the Avenue du Dunois roundabout, following the path along the small pond that crosses a pontoon.

(9) At the roundabout, cross the street at the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead along Rue de Verdun, which ends at a pedestrian crossing. Follow another crossing straight ahead that leads into the castle grounds.

(10) Enter the park (picnic tables). Go straight ahead towards the gymnasium (carved tree). Turn right to go around the castle. Exit on the left and cross Place Vauban to the left. Go down Rue du Cloitre, pass by the church and turn right to arrive at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville.

(11) Walk past the Town Hall and follow Rue de la Gare to the left to reach the station (S/E).

The car parks near the station are often full during the week. It is advisable to park at Place du 8 Mai at the crossroads of Rue de l'Abreuvoir and Rue Delaperelle. To join the circuit, go up Rue de l'Abreuvoir on the left, turn right onto Rue de Châteaudun and arrive at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville. Walk down Avenue de la Gare to start the route (S/E).

Suggestion: set off at the end of the morning from the Saint-Eliph wash house (3) car park, have lunch at La Loupe: picnic in the castle grounds or on the banks of the Étang du Gallou lake - restaurants. Visit the Caves de l'Histoire in the afternoon. Then return to Saint-Éliph.

Along the way

Approximately 400 m away, off the route: The big oak tree of Maucé
Shortly after setting off, after turning right into Rue du Gros Chêne, continue straight ahead, passing under the railway bridge and following the footpath to the big oak tree of Meaucé. This remarkable tree is several hundred years old. It has been the object of devotion and there is a legend about its origin. You can walk around it and information panels provide all the relevant details. You then need to turn back and rejoin the route on the right after passing under the bridge.

Vaupillon. You will also pass a few hundred metres from the church of Vaupillon, which was part of the former parish of Trinité des Bois. To get there from (1), carefully follow the D25 to the right. Then return to point (1). You can also continue to the crossroads near the town hall to see the communal pond and wash house.

In Saint-Éliph

The wash house: located at the entrance to the village, it has a large rectangular basin fed by a spring. Its distinctive feature is its old mechanism, which has been completely restored.

The church, still surrounded by its cemetery, contains a monumental 17th-century painted stone altarpiece. This ensemble is one of the most beautiful in the Perche region. Saint-Éliph, decapitated and holding his head in his hands, is depicted twice, in a niche to the left of the tabernacle and on the tabernacle itself.
The altarpiece is crowned by a sculpture of the Holy Trinity, recalling that the former parish comprising Saint-Éliph, Vaupillon and La Loupe was called "La Trinité des Bois" (The Trinity of the Woods). No one knows why, around the 11th century, it took the name of the martyr Saint-Eliph.

In La Loupe:

Vauban Castle: "The cellars of history". Evocation of the bombing of 17 June 1944, which destroyed the town centre, killing 72 people, as the population could not be warned. Among the victims were the members of the municipal council and the mayor, who had gathered at the Town Hall to bring aid to Senonches. It was thought that this neighbouring town was under threat because of the ammunition depot that the Germans had set up in the forest. In fact, it was the rail and road communication routes very close to the town that were targeted in order to prevent the movement of German troops after the Normandy landings.
Les Caves de l'Histoire - https://www.lechateaulaloupe.fr/ (11)

Notre-Dame des-Fleurs Church: commercial activity developed around a chapel, initially called Notre-Dame des-Fleurs, and the monks of the priory founded another chapel known as the Rosary Chapel, which quickly became a parish church. It drew its income from local markets and, according to rumour, also unduly collected income from the churches of Vaupillon and Saint-Éliph, which explains why, for a time, these three churches were grouped together under the name La Trinité-des-Bois following this usurpation of titles.
It was rebuilt in 1929 following a fire.

Off the route
Meaucé: 400 m away. The legendary "Gros chêne" (big oak tree) also plays a part in the town's history. According to tradition, this venerable tree (said to be over seven hundred years old) was home to a statuette of the Virgin Mary (a mariette en percheron) which was the object of particular devotion and pilgrimages. It is said that the statue was removed during the Revolution and that a large mushroom in the shape of a cross grew in its place! In this revolutionary context, where the aim was to combat obscurantism and superstition, it was decided to cut down the oak tree, but the woodcutters gave up because their axes broke on contact with the wood... It is also said, and this is more credible, that the population protected the tree from the fury of these axe-wielding fanatics. Legend has it that this oak tree was planted in the 14th century by the Knight of Montireau and the daughter of the Lord of Meaucé who, although engaged to be married, separated when the Lord of Montireau had to leave on a crusade. This tree was, in a way, a token of fidelity. We do not know how the story ends, but the oak tree has survived to this day.

Maucé: Saint-Léonard Church, 2 km away. This 13th-century church, with its porch, is generously furnished. Following the annexation of Saint-Jean-de-Pile-of-Stone-gathered-from-fields to the commune of Meaucé and the decommissioning of its church (now a village hall), the furnishings were transferred to Saint-Léonard Church in Meaucé, which now boasts a considerable collection of statues and four altarpieces, including one from the 17th century.
The folding doors of the portal reveal Renaissance ornamentation that has been preserved in the building.

The door of the dead (south side wall), now walled up, gave access to the surrounding cemetery. The door of the "living" (north side wall) was intended for the baptised. (Ask for the key at the town hall).

La Grand'Maison: 3 kmaway : Built in the 13th century, this former fortified house, with its moat and drawbridge, expressed the power of the lords of Meaucé. It had four beautiful towers, one of which has been preserved. The house was remodelled in the 19th century and the drawbridge replaced by a stone bridge.

Beautiful farm surrounded by moats that are still filled with water. Place to stay - Small menagerie visible from the road.

Vaupillon 300 maway : church in the cemetery about 300 m from the route via the D25 from the point (1)

Notre-Dame Church: no bell tower – the result of a dispute... over bell towers in the 19th century; the church in Vaupillon was originally a chapel belonging to the former Vaupillon castle (demolished in 1852). The high altar that was there has been preserved. Two chapels were added at the beginning of the 18th century.
One is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the other to Saint Hubert, invoked to ward off attacks by wolves. This succession of events is reflected in the distinctive appearance of the building, which is still surrounded by its cemetery.

Wash house and pond at the crossroads near the town hall.

Fontaine-Simon: 4 km. Sainte-Anne Church and oratory. The original Romanesque church was remodelled during the 19th century. The building is extended by a semicircular apse. The chapel, which opens widely onto the choir, mitigates the effect of the length of the main nave.
The rich and abundant furnishings include three Baroque altarpieces and a remarkable polychrome wooden counter altar.

Oratory of Sainte-Anne: this oratory, built around 1872 in Alençon granite above the fountain dedicated to Sainte-Anne, is still a place of pilgrimage (in July).
It is believed to have been a place of worship even in pre-Christian times.

A procession from the church of Fontaine-Simon to the Chapel of Saint-Symphorien in La Ferrière takes place every year at the end of August.

Perche Water Park - Swimming pool - Campsite - Cable ski.

Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain 4 km away
Château des Vaux.

Manou, 5 km away
Tourbière des Froux - découverte route -
Bel'Eure communal lake: fishing, fitness trail - picnic tables.

Senonches, 12 kmaway Castle museum - Holiday village - Fishing at Arthur Rémy pond