Circular Rohaire in the footsteps of a "Fauve"

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The painter Maurice de Vlaminck lived here, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, from 1925 until his death in 1958. This year marks the centenary of his arrival in the area. A three-day itinerary already allows you to cross his country from Verneuil-sur-Avre station to La Loupe station. Walkers who are unable to undertake this crossing can take one or more of the short circulars "In the footsteps of a Fauve". These allow you to discover the landscapes that inspired the painter.
"I love the countryside, not by accident, but continuously, and I spend my life there"
This route, around the village of Rohaire, mainly crosses farmland. It partly follows the Buternay stream, coming from the ponds near the Chapelle de Réveillon and heading towards Rueil-la-Gadelière. After a stretch that is sometimes underground, it reappears at the Sources de la Vigne, where the streams from the vicinity of La Ferté-Vidame converge. Their waters are collected there and piped to Paris.

Details

n°80785814
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.38 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 21 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 20 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 213 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 186 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Perche
  • ⚐ District: Rohaire (28340)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.670129° / E 0.850404°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1915SB
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Photos

Rohaire Church

Description of the walk

Rohaire is accessible via the D117.8 north-west of La Ferté-Vidame. Parking is available near the church.

(S/E) With your back to the church, go to the crossroads, turn left onto the D117b, then right onto the Route de Saint-Christophe-sur-Avre. Take the first path on the right parallel to the Ruisseau de Buternay. Ignore the first path on the right and continue straight ahead along the hedge. The path turns right, then left along a fence and joins another path. Take this path on the right and you will arrive at the D117b.

(1) Follow it to the right, then turn left towards La Gâtine.

(2) Follow the second path on the right. At the next crossroads, take the path on the left.

(3) Near La Joudière, turn right along the woods, ignore the first path on the right, and continue along the fence. Ignore the next path as well and continue straight ahead until you reach the D317.4.

(4) Cross it and reach the D117.8 near a wayside cross. Cross the road and continue opposite towards La Bruyère.

(5) At the central crossroads of the hamlet, follow the road to the right and join the D117.8.

(6) Turn left onto the path and continue to Moulin de Mazurier.

(7) Take the road on the right to the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 200 m - Rohaire Church - Buternay (rivière) - Affluent de l'Arve
  2. 1 : km 2 - alt. 195 m - D117b
  3. 2 : km 2.62 - alt. 203 m - La Gâtine
  4. 3 : km 3.45 - alt. 211 m - La Joudière
  5. 4 : km 4.26 - alt. 213 m - D317.4
  6. 5 : km 4.89 - alt. 210 m - La Bruyère
  7. 6 : km 5.57 - alt. 202 m - D117.8
  8. 7 : km 5.9 - alt. 197 m - Moulin de Mazurier
  9. S/E : km 6.38 - alt. 200 m - Rohaire Church

Notes

Do not undertake this route in strong winds or high temperatures.

During hunting season, please follow the recommendations given by hunters.

Worth a visit

Rohaire: Saint-Martin Church belonged to Saint-Père Abbey in Chartres; it has been remodelled and enlarged several times.

La Ferté-Vidame, 8.5 km away - Park and ruined château of the Marquis de Laborde - Espace Saint-Simon.

Verneuil-sur-Avre, 11 km away (recently renamed Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton) This small town of character, where Vlaminck was a regular visitor, is well worth a thorough visit: La Madeleine Church, Grey Tower. (Visits possible - Espace Game), numerous old residences, temporary exhibitions at the Church of Saint-Laurent - Former Abbey of Saint-Nicolas. You can tour the town by following the moats. Route of discovery of the places frequented and depicted by Vlaminck at the Tourist Officehttps://www.normandie-sud-tourisme.fr/

Rueil-la-Gadelière, 13.5 km away: " Bust and tomb of Vlaminck" in front of the town hall - Vlaminck's tomb in the cemetery, "La Tourillière" Vlaminck's house. Visits possible on certain dates.
Château de la Gadelière - Visits and concerts in season.

Senonches , 21 km away: château - Histoires de forêts museum.

Other walks in the area

Walking Chapelle-Fortin loop via La Ferté-Vidame

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Boucle de la Chapelle-Fortin par La Ferté-Vidame
↔11.51 km ↗+27 m ↘-27 m ◔3h 20 ▲Moderate
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This loop, on the edge of the Perche region, leads from La Chapelle-Fortin to La Ferté-Vidame. Close to the Perche, it is divided between two types of landscape, both of which are represented by the painter Maurice de Vlaminck: vast expanses of crops under cloudy skies and woods with gnarled trees. Living in La Tourillière near Rueil-la-Gadelière from 1925 to 1958, the artist frequently visited the neighbouring villages in search of inspiration: churches, villages buried under snow, paths lined with bare trees. The circuit leads to La Ferté-Vidame, a town with a rich historical past: a medieval fortress where the Duke of Saint-Simon wrote his memoirs, which became the palace of the Marquis de Laborde, Louis XV's wealthy banker, a small château converted by Louis-Philippe into outbuildings and recently restored by the Eure-et-Loir Departmental Council, the new owner of the site. La Ferté-Vidame is also home to horse races held in summer at the Pipe-Souris racecourse.

Walking Circular Boissy-lès-Perche in the footsteps of a "Fauve"

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Boucle de Boissy-lès-Perche sur les traces d'un "Fauve"
↔8.38 km ↗+20 m ↘-21 m ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Boissy-lès-Perche (Eure-et-Loir)
The painter Maurice de Vlaminck lived here, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, from 1925 until his death in 1958. This year marks the centenary of his arrival. A three-day itinerary already allows you to cross his country from the Verneuil-sur-Avre station to the La Loupe station. Walkers who are unable to undertake this crossing can take one or more of the short circulars "In the footsteps of a Fauve". These allow you to discover, in detail, the landscapes that inspired the painter. This one, starting from Boissy-lès-Perche, follows the valley of the Ruisseau de Buternay. After crossing the ponds near the Chapelle de Réveillon, it flows towards the Avre, joined by other streams. Their courses, partly underground, reappear at the source of the Vigne, where their waters are collected and carried to Paris via a 100 km aqueduct.Landscapes of cereal fields cut by the stream, wide horizons from which you can soon see the bell tower of the church of Verneuil.

Walking From frescoes to escapades in La Ferté-Vidame

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De fresques en frasques à La Ferté-Vidame
↔12.27 km ↗+29 m ↘-29 m ◔3h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from La Ferté-Vidame (Eure-et-Loir)
On this largely forest-based tour, discover the Chapelle de Réveillon and its frescoes, then the site of La Ferté-Vidame where Saint-Simon, the famous chronicler of the court of Versailles, wrote his memoirs, recounting the escapades of his time. Near his "favourite residence" in the Church of Saint-Nicolas, he had wanted to rest alongside his beloved wife. The revolutionaries decided otherwise and desecrated the tomb, scattering the remains and putting an end to their desire to be together forever, their coffins "bound so closely that no one could separate them". A beautiful love story, already romantic at a time when marriages were rather conventional. Paradoxically, the wealthy Marquis de Laborde built a sumptuous palace on the site of the demolished medieval castle, where he wanted to invite the elite of his time and resume the escapades that the Duke had so strongly condemned. The Revolution passed and the Marquis, once so powerful, lost his property and his head!

Walking Memorial loop for those shot in Morvilliers

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Boucle Mémorielle des fusillés à Morvilliers
↔8.37 km ↗+22 m ↘-20 m ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Morvilliers (Eure-et-Loir) (Eure-et-Loir)
Starting from Morvilliers, this loop takes you to the sites where a tragic episode unfolded during the final days of the Maquis de La Ferté-Vidame in August 1944.It first leads to the farm of Mary Thibault, the instigator of the Maquis. It then crosses the Bois de Malassis, where the Maquisards hid after machine-gunning a German car, killing the driver and the secretary of the Kommandantur of La Ferté-Vidame This action triggered the fury of the SS, who, after searching the neighbouring farms in vain, arrested three young members of the Maquis in the hamlet of Les Rayers. They were taken to the nearby Château du Gland, where they were tortured. The first man was shot on 11 August in front of his comrades. The next day, the other two were also executed. They had to dig their own graves. A commemoration takes place every year in the clearing and at the cemetery in Morvilliers, where the bodies were returned after the Liberation.

Walking Short circular loop around Lamblore via the Chemin du Mortripié

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Petite boucle de Lamblore par le Chemin du Mortripié
↔8.36 km ↗+55 m ↘-60 m ◔2h 35 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Lamblore (Eure-et-Loir)
Starting from Lamblore Town Hall, this circular leads to La Ferté-Vidame, where you will find reminders of historical figures: The Dukes of Saint-Simon, the father, who after acquiring the estate had the parish church built, and the son, the famous memoirist, the Marquis de Laborde, who had a sumptuous palace built, the romantic ruins of which still remain, and laid out a huge park. King Louis-Philippe wanted to restore this building, which had been dismantled after the Revolution, to its former glory, but he was only able to build the "Petit Château" (small castle)...A detailed tour of the village and park is a must. The return journey takes you past the former Citroën test centre, a mecca for the automotive industry. This is where the most famous models of the chevron brand were developed: the Traction Avant, the 2CV, the DS, the Ami 6, the SM... After passing the Champ-Brulé equestrian centre, the route returns to the village via the beautiful Chemin du Mortripié, which has been reopened by the local council.

Walking Tour of the Bois de la Noë

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Tour du Bois de la Noë
↔7.13 km ↗+30 m ↘-32 m ◔2h 05 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Rueil-la-Gadelière (Eure-et-Loir)
Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the Baine (or Benne) pond, there is a whole world of plants and animals. The route, which starts in this hamlet in the commune of Rueil-la-Gadelière, takes you around the Bois de la Noë, passing by the farms of Bois Normand and Rueil. It is located south of Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton, at the gateway to Normandy. Return via the hamlets of Les Bruyères and Le Canada.

Walking From La Ferté-Vidame to Senonches

Visorando member
De la Ferté-Vidame à Senonches
↔20.21 km ↗+33 m ↘-67 m ◔5h 50 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from La Ferté-Vidame (Eure-et-Loir)
For this second stage, fromthe town hall in La Ferté-Vidame, the route leads to the park entrance. After visiting the part open to the public, you unfortunately have to follow the wall of the former Citroën test centre. It was the birthplace of the "deux chevaux", the "traction avant" and many other models. Enclosed by this 13 km wall, it is impossible to cross, so you have to follow the D941 and D15.The route then crosses an area of farmland and copses. It passes by some pretty, well-restored houses. At La Pommarié, it finally reaches the woods. The Allée du Maupas leads to the Senonches State Forest, which you will follow for a long time. We pass at the foot of two remarkable majestic trees to reach the Grand Rond, a majestic star-shaped crossroads. After the village of Tardais, the route returns to the forest and leads to the entrance to Senonches. It crosses the town via the recently renovated and flower-filled main street.

Walking La Ferté-Vidame - Senonches

Visorando member
La Ferté-Vidame - Senonches
↔19.36 km ↗+1 m ↘-34 m ◔5h 30 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from La Ferté-Vidame (Eure-et-Loir)
The second stage of this journey through Vlaminck country will take us from La Ferté-Vidame to Senonches via La Puisaye. After crossing an agricultural plain, the path takes us into the woods of La Saucelle, then into the Senonches State Forest. We will pass through Tardais, a small village where the painter often came to hunt with his friend Michel Erlisch, the village mayor, and where he painted a picture of the church as seen from the town hall. We will finally arrive in Senonches, a small town of character where he often went to enjoy joyful and hearty feasts with friends.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.