Circular route between La Fontenelle and La Roche

Start from the car park at the cemetery in La Fontenelle

(S/E) Head towards the town hall, go round it on the right and continue along a footpath. You will come out onto Rue des Rochelets; follow it to the left. At the end, turn left towards the calvary and the church.

(1) Go round the church on the right and take the first right, Rue du Vieux Pont. Cross Chemin de la Petite Barberie on the left and head down to the route sign.

(2) Turn left onto a path. Continue straight ahead along the edge of the slope to the village of La Roche. Follow a small road to the left until you reach the sign marking the village exit.

(3) Then take a path on the right. Head north, then north-west. Then turn right with the path.

(4) At a junction, turn sharply left into a small valley. Cross a stream, turn right and head uphill. You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the left. Take the first path on the right.

(5) You will come out onto another road (calvary) and follow it to the left. Pass through the hamlet of La Porte.

(6) At the junction, turn right onto a track towards La Dalimeraie. At a Fork in the road, veer left and pass through a shaded area.

(7) You’ll come out onto the D15; first turn left then right to cross it and head towards La Raimbaudais. At the houses, turn left (south) onto the track. Ignore a track on the left and reach a new road.

(8) Follow this road to the right. At the end, turn right and pass a wayside cross. Ignore another road on the right and you’ll soon reach the start of a path on the left.

(9) Continue straight ahead to reach a wayside cross immediately. Retrace your steps.

(9) Take the path on the right. After about 200 m, at a junction, turn left. Walk south-southeast then south to the D155. Cross it carefully, then follow it to the left. At the Fork in the road immediately ahead, turn right onto a smaller road.

(10) At the junction, turn left onto another road. Take the second path on the right and cross the hamlet of Villeneuve. Continue eastwards along the path.

(11) Cross the D155 again with care and continue straight ahead onto the D5. At a Fork in the road, take the left-hand path. At the end, turn right. Pass the town hall and continue straight on to quickly reach the cemetery car park (S/E).

Yellow markings.

Birthplace of Jean Langlais
Jean Langlais was born on 15 February 1907 in La Fontenelle to a modest family and very quickly became completely blind. He entered the Paris Conservatoire and won various prizes in the 1930s. Jean Langlais established himself as one of the pillars of^20th-century French sacred music.

The Old Bridge over the Couesnon
The bridge probably dates from Roman times. In 1793, the Armies of the Republic, under the command of General Rossignol, and the Vendée army known as the ‘Catholic and Royal Army’, under the command of Count La Rochejaquelein, clashed here.