The Butte de Montrentin as seen from Torcé-en-Vallée

Park behind the town hall (car park and toilets).

(S/E) As you leave the car park, turn right and walk past the post office. Keep right, heading towards Saint-Célerin, for just under a hundred metres.

(1) Turn slightly right onto a track and follow it south-eastwards to a crossroads.

(2) At the top of the track, turn right and carry on straight ahead until you reach the departmental road (D25), which you follow for 600 metres.

(3) Turn left onto a dirt track which will take you to a road at a place called ‘le Carrefour’ and then on to a place called ‘le Petit Carrefour’.

(4) Turn right onto a section of local road for about 250 m, running alongside a stud farm.

(5) Turn right towards Bois Joli, Petit Noyer and Montrentin. You will now walk alongside the Montrentin hill for about 1 km, then cross the D25 near the recycling centre and reach the Fosse aux Saneux.

(6) At the two cast-iron crosses, turn right onto the long path, which is sunny in the afternoon, until you reach a local road.

(7) At the end of the path, take the local road on the right and cross the Ruisseau du Moulin au Moine. Continue to the hamlet of Préau.

(8) At the junction with the first tarmac road you come to, turn left and head towards Les Aulnays.

(9) Head slightly to the left, cross the Vive Parence and admire the mill. Follow the path running alongside the river. On a clear day, you’ll be able to see the pretty Château des Aulnays on your left. Turn right onto the pleasant, shaded path and continue to the roundabout.

(10) At the roundabout, take a moment to admire the dolmen, then turn right. Cross the Vive Parence once more. On your left, you’ll find a picnic table, and on your right, the wash house and the statue of the Virgin and Child overlooking a well. Walk past the shops and the remarkable church. With a bit of luck, it will be open and you’ll be able to admire the magnificent stained-glass windows depicting the Crucifixion. Just a few more metres straight on and you’ll be back at the starting point (S/E).

If you feel like it, about 400 metres past point (7), a steep path on the left (with a climb of about 30 metres) will take you to the summit of the Butte de Montrentin. Legend has it that Gargantua, tired, sat down there and played at throwing pebbles across the countryside. One of them is said to have landed in Torcé-en-Vallée and become the dolmen.