Saint-Christophe circular

A walk mainly through fields, on the hills above the village of Saint-Christophe, featuring a beautiful church and some lovely farmhouses. In hot weather, the section through the woods provides welcome shade.

This route is a shortened version of the “Sentier du Lac de Chougnes”, designed and signposted by the Grand Châtellerault Tourist Office.

Details

1304553
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.98 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 302 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 292 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 430 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 243 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the town hall in Saint-Christophe. Park in the small car park in front of the town hall (see map of the walk) or, if it is full, along the adjacent streets.

Green signposting
Signposting is sparse, consisting mainly of signposts at major junctions.

(S/R) With your back to the town hall, turn left onto Rue du Lavoir. Pass the war memorial and the old wash house on your right. At a Fork in the road, turn right.

(1) After about thirty metres, turn left towards Les Planches. At the end of the tarmac road, continue along a good path. Wind your way through the fields, then climb gently towards a solitary tree. Pass this tree (marked with a signpost) and continue on roughly level ground.

(2) At the T-junction, head right towards a solitary walnut tree. You’ll come out onto a narrow lane; follow it to the left between the houses. At the end, follow the small road to the left, which climbs slightly. Ignore the first turn-off on the left towards La Tranchée.

(3) At thesecondleft-hand turn-off towards La Tranchée, leave the road and turn right onto a path between the fields (take care not to miss this turn-off; the marker post was lying on the ground in July 2018). At the next junction, continue straight ahead (north) along a grassy path (the cross on the marker post indicates the path running perpendicular to this one).

(4) At the T-junction, turn right and head slightly uphill. At the next junction, turn left towards a solitary walnut tree (there is neither an arrow nor a marker here).

(5) At the junction with a road, carry on straight ahead along a small tarmac road towards Les Cardinaux. When this road bends to the left (with a gate some distance ahead on the opposite side), turn right onto a path that descends between the fields.

(6) At the junction at the hamlet of Les Duviviers, turn left onto a farm track running parallel to a power line. Cross the D74 and continue straight on towards Chougnes. Pass this hamlet (a fine building) and continue on the tarmac road. At a fork in the road, turn right and head downhill for about a hundred metres.

(7) At the junction, turn right onto a path that descends between the fields. At the bottom, cross a stream.

(8) Cross the D72 and head straight on towards La Rimonerie. The tarmac soon gives way to a gravel track. Walk alongside a woodland on your left and ignore a path branching off to the right.

(9) Just before a Fork in the road, take the first path on the left and enter the woodland. Further on, follow a wire fence on your right (the path is no longer shown on the map). At the corner of the fence (marker 75), turn right and continue to follow the fence on your right.

(10) At Liaunay (a few houses), follow a small road to the right. After about 150 metres, just as the road begins to curve to the right, leave the road and take the path on the left. Follow this wide path through the woodland, ignoring all the side paths.

(11) Return to the road and follow it to the left.

No signposting

At the recycling centre, carry on straight ahead along the road (ignore the green signposting heading off to the left).

Yellow signposting

(12) At the crossroads (waymark), turn left. Take thefirst road on the right, uphill towards Beauvais. Stay on the tarmac and pass through the hamlets of La Grande Bise and then La Petite Bise.

(13) A few dozen metres past the sign pointing left to the hamlet of Boué, turn right onto a path between the fields (no arrow or marker here). Head down a gentle slope. The field path gives way to a gravel track. Further on, rejoin the tarmac road and continue straight on to the village centre. Turn left and you’ll immediately reach the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 285 ft - Town hall car park - Église Saint-Christophe (Saint-Christophe)
  2. 1 : mi 0.13 - alt. 289 ft - La Barellerie
  3. 2 : mi 0.98 - alt. 397 ft - T-junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.5 - alt. 430 ft - Start of the path
  5. 4 : mi 2.1 - alt. 397 ft - T-junction
  6. 5 : mi 2.57 - alt. 410 ft - Les Varennes
  7. 6 : mi 3.03 - alt. 374 ft - Les Duviniers
  8. 7 : mi 3.86 - alt. 344 ft - La Boutière
  9. 8 : mi 4.46 - alt. 259 ft - D72 road
  10. 9 : mi 4.82 - alt. 253 ft - Start of the path
  11. 10 : mi 5.46 - alt. 243 ft - Liaunay
  12. 11 : mi 6.06 - alt. 259 ft - Small road
  13. 12 : mi 6.38 - alt. 269 ft - Crossroads
  14. 13 : mi 7.09 - alt. 397 ft - Start of the path
  15. S/E : mi 7.98 - alt. 285 ft - Town hall car park - Église Saint-Christophe (Saint-Christophe)

Notes

Good trainers or low-cut walking boots are sufficient for this route, which follows quiet country lanes and well-maintained paths.

No water sources were spotted along the route. There are no shops in Saint-Christophe.

A detailed map is required (at the very least the one accompanying this description).

Hike undertaken by the author on 22 July 2018.

Worth a visit

- Church of Saint-Christophe (12th–14th centuries) (S/E).
- A few fine farmhouses along the way.
- Views over Saint-Christophe and the surrounding area.
- A forest path around Lake Chougnes, but the lake itself is, unfortunately, inaccessible.

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