Chemillé - Le May-sur-Èvre

(S) At the T-junction on the southern corner of the Camping de la Coulvée, take the path opposite. At the end of the path, turn left.

(1) Cross the busy road (take care when crossing) and continue straight ahead. At the Croix de Belle Tête, turn right towards Itepmai (a research centre for medicinal plants) and stay on the road until you reach the first path you come to. Go straight ahead.

(2) At the Roche Malard orchard, veer left to rejoin the road briefly on the left, then leave it to take a new footpath on the right which continues along a track (view of Notre-Dame-des-Gardes Abbey). At the end of this, take the road to the left then to the right and begin the Ascension des Gardes.

(3) Pass La Peignerie and take the next path on the right. When you reach the road, follow it to the left for a few metres before turning onto the path on the right.

(4) At the end of the path, head down the road to the right. At the junction, turn left with care (busy road). Take the second left further on and join another path.

(5) At the end of this, take the road on the left which leads onto a footpath. At the end of the footpath, and before joining the road, stay on the footpath to the right and head towards the sports hall.

(6) Pass the sports ground, reach the roundabout and take the footpath on the right, separate from the road. Then take the Route des Gardes on the left until you reach a footpath on the left. Take this path and keep left at the junction. The path leads onto the D133; follow this to the right for nearly 1 km.

(7) On arriving in Trémentines, go round the roundabout on the left and take the small path opposite, running alongside the house, and cross the housing estate. To do this, keep to the left and cross the park, heading to the right. Then take the first left and then the first right to reach a roundabout.

(8) Take the first exit, then continue onto the second left before turning right. Then head towards the lake, keeping to the right along a path running parallel to the houses. Go round it on the left. Continue along Rue Maurice Ravel to Place Emmanuel Bodet. Take the path on the right, then, at the next street, keep to the right again.

(9) Use the footbridge to reach the square. Cross the square and leave Trémentines via the road leading downhill. At the Y-junction, keep right onto Rue du Vieux Pont, which leads off to the right onto a path running alongside the River Èvre after crossing the Vieux Pont. Follow it until you reach the road. Take the road to the right under the bridge, then turn left, walking along the track running parallel to the road, then cross over to rejoin the footpath.

(10) Once again, follow the path to its end. At the road, turn right, cross the bridge and take the path immediately on the left. Turn left onto the road, pass under the motorway and then turn right. Cross over the railway line and keep to the right until you reach the top of the hill.

(11) Continue along the road to the left and follow it for a long stretch until you reach the vicinity of the Moulin de Pégon.

(12) Just before the mill, take the path on the right before the bridge to stay on a path that runs alongside and crosses the River Èvre twice, passing houses along the way. You’ll come out onto the road at the sewage treatment plant, with a bridge on the right (E).

• Views of the Chemillois bocage
• The Èvre Valley
• Lake: Trémentines
• Old bridge: Trémentines

Access to the Abbaye des Gardes (10 mins): You can reach the Abbaye des Gardes and the viewpoint by continuing up the road.
It is also possible to climb to the top of the bell tower by asking for the key at the Abbey sisters’ shop (open Monday to Saturday).