The Téméraire circular at Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt

This circular walk takes you to the clearing where Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt is nestled, in the heart of the Chinon state-owned forest. It alternates between clearings, dense undergrowth and open woodland, and allows you to explore part of the Saint-Benoît nature trail.

Details

7078126
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.92 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 92 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 81 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 106 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 58 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park by the village church.

(S/E) Walk north along the D139, with your back to the church. Take the first street on the left towards La Parenterie and, after the hamlet, keep to the right and enter the forest.

(1) Take the path branching off to the right, marked by the red hand of the nature trail. After 200 m, the nature trail veers to the right; leave it to continue straight on and reach the Tristan l'Hermite crossroads.

(2) Follow the second path on the left, cross the railway line then turn left onto the path that runs alongside it before gradually veering away. Continue to the junction with the Route Forestière Louis XI.

(3) Turn left. Cross the railway line again, then the tarmac road (Route Forestière de Jacques Mollay), which is open to traffic, taking care. Continue straight on, descend into a damp wooded valley, cross a stream, then climb back up to the Charles le Téméraire crossroads.

(4) Turn immediately left onto theGR®3(red and white markings).

(5) When you reach the tarmac road, continue straight on, passing the Jacques Molay forest house, and you will then reach the Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt clearing. After the bus stop, continue straight on at the crossroads.

(6) At the group of houses, keep left towards Jaulnay, following the road that climbs towards the forest and continues along the edge.

(1) Continue straight ahead, cross La Parenterie again, then turn right at the end of the street to reach the church car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 82 m - Church car park
  2. 1 : km 0.77 - alt. 104 m - Turn right onto the nature trail
  3. 2 : km 1.26 - alt. 85 m - Tristan l'Hermite crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.52 - alt. 80 m - Route Forestière Louis XI, on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.37 - alt. 82 m - Charles the Bold’s Crossroads, after the - Veude (rivière) - Affluent de l'Indre
  6. 5 : km 5.71 - alt. 69 m - Junction with tarmac road
  7. 6 : km 6.43 - alt. 71 m - Crossroads, on the left
  8. S/E : km 7.92 - alt. 84 m - Church car park

Worth a visit

The start of the route features a few information boards about the forest. They form part of a more comprehensive interpretive trail, marked by a red hand, which helps visitors better understand how the forest functions and is managed. More information is available on the Anjou Touraine Regional Nature Park website.

French forests are under severe strain due to recurring prolonged droughts caused by climate change. In summer, you can see many trees dying back, with no leaves at the top (foresters refer to this as ‘crown dieback’) or with very sparse foliage.

The walk crosses the Tours to Chinon railway line twice: please take care when crossing!

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

4.1 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
Berger34
Berger34

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The forest is absolutely stunning in autumn. However, it’s a shame to walk along the wide forest paths for long stretches. It’s nicer to head into the forest and rejoin the path further on.

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taupoule
taupoule
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

far too much tarmac!

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Le Jacquaire
Le Jacquaire

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk through varied woodland along a very easy path

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RV94800
RV94800

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the woods; very easy, but with few points of interest.

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marieetmichel
marieetmichel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk. Beautiful woodland. Towards the end of the route, we joined a path at Jaulnay, at the bend, to rejoin the nature trail (marked with a red hand); you can also join it further along on the way back, after point 1 (shown as a dotted line on the map), which means you don’t have to walk the same section again on the return journey. This adds about 3.5 km to the route but allows you to explore the trail and its information panels about the forest.
A lovely walk.

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aarrgg
aarrgg

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, pleasant walk through the woods and countryside – thank you!

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chatbotte37
chatbotte37
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A fairly varied route through woods, undergrowth, fields, paths and lanes. Lovely scenery.

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