Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais walks

Route in the Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais National Forest

This circular walk starting from Chappe takes you on a journey of discovery through the Châteauneuf Forest. This hamlet has a pond that has just been restored and a magnificent oak tree. The route follows a section of the GRP® Vallées de la Blaise et de l'Avre from the Châteauneuf water tower to the Rond du Roi, then part of the bridle path that circles this vast national forest.

A circular route starting from Saint-Sauveur-Marville, heading towards Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais through the fields, then returning via the forest past the Château du Jaglu. This route, situated on the border of the Thimerais and the great Beauce plain, will be particularly appreciated by lovers of wide open spaces and sweeping horizons.

Starting from the public garden created by the local council around the Torçay pond on Rue de la Blaise, this short circular route takes you through the beautiful Blaise Valley, passing the recently restored Church of Saint-Ange. It then follows the pond created from a former gravel pit dug in the 1960s, near the Torçay mill. Although highly controversial at the time due to the risk of groundwater pollution, these bodies of water now add to the charm of the valleys in the Drouais region. The numerous mills that line the valley, bearing witness to a very early industrialisation, have now become beautiful private residences, such as the Torçay Mill. The scenic value of the area justified retaining the detour required by the new GRP® route, which has replaced the former GR®351, before heading towards the Châteauneuf forest.

Digny is located on the border between Perche and Thimerais. This route through the fields starts at the foot of the bell tower of Saint-Germain Church, built in 1525 and recently beautifully restored. In 2025, a local association organised various events to celebrate the500th anniversary of its construction. The route takes you to the 16th-century Ferme du Romphaye farm and the Château de la Hallière castle, built in 1770. The return journey takes you through the hamlets of La Richardière and Bellandas, allowing you to return quickly to Digny or extend your walk to Mille Champs along paths offering beautiful views of the village.

A walk half in the fields and half in the Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais State Forest, starting from the village of Jaudrais and passing through its hamlets. The circular route follows the Grande Vallée stream from a distance on both sides.

Starting from Saint-Fraise, a hamlet in the commune of Digny with an enigmatic name, this circular route first takes us across fields in the plain that stretches between the Senonches and Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais state forests. After crossing La Fizilière, it enters the forest, continues to Rond Fortin along a wide avenue and then crosses the somewhat wild Bois des Hauts Cornets forest before returning to the fields via Buisson-Elouis, La Frette and Les Mésangères.

A circular loop between the village and the Senonches National Forest, passing through fields and copses. It goes through small hamlets with pretty farmhouses decorated with flowers in summer. After La Motte and La Petite Motte, places reminiscent of the ancient line of defence established between France and Normandy, the route becomes more romantic, crossing the Bois du Rouvray via a path which, it is said, was a meeting place for young lovers from the village. There weren't many other places nearby where they could meet discreetly!

Don't be fooled by the name of this route: the "town" in question is just a small village attached to Senonches. The nuns and monks left it long ago! This circular route, starting from Ville-aux-Nonains, follows quiet paths and roads and leads to Senonches, a "Petite Cité de Caractère" (Small Town of Character) that is well worth a detailed visit. On the way back, it follows the edge of the national forest. This route also serves as a reminder, through its place names, of the activities that once took place in this other part of the Senonches area, better known for its forest, and evokes activities that have now disappeared: marl pits, tile works, lime kilns, forges and mechanical workshops, which played a major role in the economic development of the commune. These have now been replaced by intensive farming in vast fields reorganised after the consolidation of the old bocage. The hedges have disappeared, with only a few small woods remaining as refuges for game.

Let's go in search of the Blaise, a mischievous little river that hides so well from its source that geographers are perplexed. According to the elders, it originates near the Rond des Louvetiers, between Tardais and the Étang de la Bénette. Recent maps show it near the Grand Rond. In fact, these are "gouttiers", episodic streams that flow towards and cross the Tardais pond. It emerges under the dyke where a mill once operated, but suddenly disappears, sinking into a "chasm". It sometimes reappears. At the edge of the forest, the Ruisseau de Saint-Cyr joins it. Together, the two waterways pass at the foot of Louvilliers-lès-Perche, flowing sometimes on the surface, sometimes underground. The Blaise reappears definitively in the Étang de Dampierre. In the past, it enabled the establishment of a very important steel complex. It then flows towards Dreux, which it crosses, before joining the Eure at Fermaincourt.

An easy walk with pleasant sections, even with children. The start is at the church car park, where there is a public park

No, it was not calves, devotees or a certain Mr Desvaux, who once owned the property, but three valleys that gave the estate its name. However, there are many horses. Purchased in 1805 by the Marquis d'Aligre, whose family lived in the nearby Château de la Rivière, it became a renowned hunting destination where horses reigned supreme and were housed in sumptuous stables. Even today, horses still graze in the surrounding meadows.In front of the château, the statue ofthe 1,000th stag served by the Marquis's hunting parties bears witness to the abundance of game in these 120 hectares of woodland. Since 1946, the Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil, which owns the estate, has established a renowned vocational school there, which welcomes nearly 1,250 students.This circular starting from Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain allows you to discover the site and the Eure valley. You can extend the walk by following the GRP® to the Boizard locks and the Château de la Rivière.

This circular route offers an opportunity to discover some of the structures that line the Avre Aqueduct, particularly the Tue-Cheval structure, but also to admire the castle of Escorpain. Two pretty ponds are also on the itinerary. It is an easy route with a few sections in the forest, which are welcome when it is very hot!

These circulars will not take you into the bush in search of large predators, but along good paths through woods and fields on the outskirts of the Perche, in this transitional region known as the Thimerais. You will pass through the landscapes that inspired the painter Maurice de Vlaminck, who founded Fauvism at the beginning of the 20th century with his friends Derain and Matisse.Having settled in La Tourillère, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, 100 years ago, the artist fell in love with this region, which he tirelessly explored until his death in 1958 in search of places of inspiration.These circular loops take you through the landscapes "where the wind bends the trees and chases the clouds across a dark sky" that captivated the painter.This route starts in Saint-Lubin de Cravant, where the church inspired the painter. It follows the Meuvette valley, which was once canalised. The Avre Aqueduct crosses the valley on imposing arches. It supplies Paris with drinking water.

Dreux, the old town with its medieval castle fortifications, narrow streets, belfry, Royal Chapel of Saint Louis, half-timbered houses, ramparts, not to mention its vineyards, etc. Everything you need for a wonderful day out with the family.

In fact, here you will only find a few undulations caused by the streams flowing towards the nearby Eure. This small 637-hectare national forest is surrounded by a bridle path and criss-crossed by straight paths. The D103 crosses it from east to west and is not very busy. A high-voltage power line divides the forest. Parallel to the D103, it overlooks a large clearing and is bordered by a well-maintained path. A long north-south lane, formerly part of the GR®35 hiking trail, marks the boundary of the private woods to the west. Finally, the Merise forest road connects the D920 to the D103: closed to cars from Rond de la Félicité to Rond de Diane.This network of paths allows you to combine numerous circular paths or take shortcuts. Just make sure you don't leave the state-owned forest, which is bordered by an embankment. Private woods are located all around. These woods are rich in game, and large animals are shot there, so it is wise not to venture in on hunting days!