The Diane and Actaeon Route in the Senonches State Forest

de fr

Three circular walks in the Senonches State Forest follow one another along the Ligne des Trois Pierres: the Rond des Gardes, the Rond d’Actéon and the Rond de Diane. If mythology is to be believed, the hunter Actéon would have had good reason to be on his guard when he caught Diana bathing. The chaste goddess, enraged, is said to have instantly transformed him into a stag and had him devoured by his own hounds! You’re unlikely to suffer such a misfortune whilst walking this short circular route. Diane and Actéon are now nothing more than forest crossroads. Even so, this cruel tale reminds us that voyeurism is always punished and that we must be wary when walking our beloved dogs. Come on, let’s set off on this short, entirely woodland walk. It is particularly recommended for the growing number of residents in the Moinerie and HLM neighbourhoods.

Details

n°100448594
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.29 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 66 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 62 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 751 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 669 ft
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Description of the walk

Start from the car park of the Jacques-Yves Cousteau School, Place du Bicentenaire des États-Unis, Senonches.

No signposting

(S/E) From the car park, with your back to the school, turn right onto Rue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny and follow it along the fence. Turn right onto Rue de la Moinerie and then immediately left onto Rue Maurice de Vlaminck. At the end of this street, turn right onto Rue du Chemin de Paris. At the pumping station , cross carefully, passing between the hedge and the retention basin. Cross the Ruisseau de la Goette near the bridge and follow it to the left until you reach the entrance to the forest (this section is sometimes flooded). Continue along the Ligne Forestière de Sauveloup until you reach the corner of the fence on the right.

(1) Take the path on the right between plots 30 and 31, cross a ditch, and continue straight ahead to a crossroads. Take the path on the right. Reach the edge of the woodland and rejoin the bridle path, which you should follow to the left. Head to the right to pass between the brick pillars of an old gate on the edge of the D941. Follow the road very carefully for about 100 metres along the verge and cross it very carefully opposite the gate of the former Canetterie Forest House. Cross the ditch and follow the path into the forest.

Yellow and red markings for the GRP® Vallées de la Blaise et de l’Avre

(2) From the junction with the GRP®, continue straight ahead until you reach the D25 – Route de la Framboisière.

No markings

(3) Leave the GRP®. Cross the D25 with care, follow it to the left for about a hundred metres, then turn right onto a track – a former bridle path – which joins a path running alongside a large fenced-off plot. Follow this path to the left and reach the Ligne des Trois Pierres; take this to the right until you reach the Rond des Gardes.

(4) Take the second stony lane on the left. Continue to the forester’s cottage and the oak tree at the Poste de Louvilliers. After admiring this remarkable tree and its pond, retrace your steps for about 100 metres and follow the path to the right between plots 5 and 6.

(5) Continue along the path between plots 5 and 6 until you reach the bridleway.

(6) Turn left and you’ll come out onto the D319.

(7) Cross it carefully, go down the slope opposite and immediately turn left onto a path; keep going straight on, ignoring all the paths running at right angles to it. You’ll reach the D25.

(8) Cross this road carefully and continue along the path opposite. Cross the old La Loupe–Verneuil railway line. Continue until you reachthe second perpendiculartrack . Take this to the left and you’ll reach the Ligne des Trois Pierres near the Rond d’Actéon. Turn right and you’ll reach the Rond de Diane.

Yellow and red markings

(9) Cross the D941 with care and continue straight ahead to the junction with the Ligne de Sauveloup.

No markings

(10) Leave the GRP®, take the hairpin bend to the left and carry on straight ahead. Return to the original junction.

(1) Continue straight ahead along the same route as on the way there. Near the social housing blocks, turn right. After the pumping station, cross the Chemin de Paris with care, then take Rue Maurice de Vlaminck and Rue du Maréchal De Lattre de Tassigny to return to the car park at the École Jacques-Yves Cousteau (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 732 ft - Car park at the Jacques-Yves Cousteau School - Église Notre-Dame (Senonches)
  2. 1 : mi 0.47 - alt. 738 ft - Starting point of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.91 - alt. 748 ft - Junction with the GRP
  4. 3 : mi 1.17 - alt. 735 ft - D 25. Leave the GRP
  5. 4 : mi 2.17 - alt. 702 ft - Rond des Gardes
  6. 5 : mi 2.68 - alt. 712 ft - Louvillers Forest Ranger’s Station
  7. 6 : mi 3.25 - alt. 673 ft - Junction with the bridle path
  8. 7 : mi 3.56 - alt. 676 ft - D 319
  9. 8 : mi 4.33 - alt. 722 ft - D 25
  10. 9 : mi 5.06 - alt. 751 ft - Rond de Diane. GRP
  11. 10 : mi 5.42 - alt. 751 ft - Junction with the Sauveloup Route. End of the GRP trail
  12. S/E : mi 6.29 - alt. 732 ft - Car park at the Jacques-Yves Cousteau School

Notes

Wear good, waterproof footwear, as the paths may be damp and the ditches difficult to cross.

During the hunting season, check the hunting calendar with the Perche Forests Tourist Office: https://www.perche-tourisme.fr/. There is no hunting in state-owned forests on Sundays and public holidays.

Worth a visit

The Oak at Louvillers Post Office.

In Senonches: Castle Museum – Tourist Office.

Other walks in the area

Walking Tour des canards in Senonches

Visorando Member
Tour des canards à Senonches
↔3.41 mi ↗+52 ft ↘-52 ft ◔1h 35 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
In Senonches, starting from the Jacques-Yves Cousteau School, there is a short circuit designed for families, leading from the Moinerie housing estate or the HLM social housing complex to the Arthur Rémy pond. Here you will find a whole happy flock of waterfowl, games for the little ones and picnic tables for the grown-ups. You can fish or follow a fitness trail. Crossing the town centre, you will pass by the main points of interest: the listed cinema, Town Hall, media library, castle museum and church.

Walking The Swallows’ Circular Path in Senonches

Visorando Member
Boucle des hirondelles à Senonches
↔10.21 mi ↗+148 ft ↘-138 ft ◔4h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
Itwas believedthat harbouring a swallow’s nest under one’s roof would bring happiness to the home. The shelter provided for the children of Soissons – who took refuge in Senonches from Christmas 1914 until the end of the war – was, for the families of the mobilised soldiers, as much a humanitarian act as a feeble ‘talisman’ intended to ward off misfortune. Alas, 76 names were nevertheless inscribed on the town’s war memorial in 1922! Lucien Descaves, author of works now largely forgotten, co-founder and later president of the Académie Goncourt, had owned a second home in Senonches since 1910. Having lived through these events, he recounted them in his novel *L’hirondelle sous le toit* (*The Swallow Under the Roof*), published in 1924.Join Nanette and Nanand as you explore this small town situated between Beauce and Perche, renamed “Bourg en Thimerais or Bourg en Forêt”. The book, recently republished, serves as a guiding thread for this walk, which can also be undertaken simply for the pleasure of discovering the town and its forest.

Walking From Senonches to La Ferté-Vidame

Visorando Member
De Senonches à La Ferté-Vidame
↔11.71 mi ↗+167 ft ↘-72 ft ◔5h 30 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
This first stage connects Senonches to La Ferté Vidame. Through the national forest, the route takes you to the village of La Framboisière, the Château de la Hézière, near which there was once a glassworks, and, via a long forest road, leads to La Puisaye. After skirting the Étang de Rouge, the path crosses farmland and arrives at La Ferté-Vidame, the stronghold of the Duke of Saint-Simon, famous chronicler of the court of Versailles. At the entrance to the park, in the Pavillon Saint-Dominique, home to the tourist office, the Maison Saint-Simon presents his life and work. A walk in the park allows you to contemplate the vast views, the ponds and the ruins of the castle of the Marquis de la Borde, which replaced the medieval fortress, the "favourite residence" of the memoirist, in the 18th century. Recently restored, the "little castle" once belonged to King Louis-Philippe, benefactor of the village. The classical-style Saint-Nicolas Church contains the tomb of the duke and his wife.

Walking A weekend with the Duke of Saint-Simon

Visorando Member
Un week-end chez le Duc de Saint-Simon
↔24.27 mi ↗+276 ft ↘-292 ft ◔2 days ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
What if you were invited by the Duke of Saint-Simon, famous chronicler of the Court of Versailles, to celebrate his350th birthday in La Ferté-Vidame? Imagine being able to accept this unlikely invitation and spending a weekend on this two-stage loop that will take you from Senonches, through forests and farmland, to his "favourite residence". Since 1975, the Saint-Simon Prize has been awarded every September to a contemporary memoirist during the book festival. In 2025, it will be the50th edition and we will celebrate the 350th anniversary of the duke, who was born in 1675. Set off to explore his estate and the "Petites Cités de Caractère" (small towns of character) of Senonches and La Ferté-Vidame along long forest paths, ponds and country lanes. If you are unable to meet the duke and his beloved wife, the Maison Saint-Simon will tell you about his life and work. Visit the romantic ruins of the castle built by the Marquis de Laborde shortly before the Revolution in the park.

Walking The venerable trees of the Senonches forest

Visorando Member
Les arbres vénérables de la forêt de Senonches
↔7.23 mi ↗+125 ft ↘-125 ft ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
The ancients revered old trees. Like them, pay homage to the "elders" of the forest. After skirting Lake Arthur Rémy, then the Vente des Trous iron ore extraction site, this circuit will take you, via secret paths and long avenues, to the seniors of the forest.First, wish the Three Brothers a happy340th birthday. Younger, but just as sturdy, seven sequoias and a cedar have been watching over the Rond de Monsieur for over a century. After passing through this imposing circle, visit the King of the Forest, who is said to sometimes sit on the gigantic throne of the Chêne Fauteuil. Finally, don't forget to say hello to the chestnut tree at the Rond de Condé.Take the time to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods by stopping at the rest areas you'll find along the way. At "L'Orée du Bois" (The Edge of the Woods), learn to use your five senses to better experience the forest. Complete your knowledge by discovering a "Forest of Stories" at the château.

Walking In Senonches, I go to Les Evés!

Visorando Member
À Senonches, je vais aux Evés !
↔3.91 mi ↗+89 ft ↘-89 ft ◔1h 50 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
The name "Les Evés" refers, locally, to places where water is abundant. This water, which is everywhere, is particularly present in this "district" of the forest, south of the village. It is carried by gutters and streams from the forest to the ponds and wash houses. This short route takes you on a tour of places where water has been collected over the years, not far from the town, to be regulated and used for the activities of the Senonchois.After inspiring dreams of a spa resort in 1936-37, the water has nevertheless contributed to the town's development as a tourist destination. Successive municipal councils have worked to develop what was once a marshy area, which has now become a tourist complex with sports and leisure facilities, ideally located near the new La Loge des Bois secondary school.

Walking Senonches - La Loupe

Visorando Member
Senonches - La Loupe
↔8.30 mi ↗+207 ft ↘-217 ft ◔4h 00 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
This last stage of our journey through the Vlaminck region takes us from Senonches to La Loupe. Initially mainly wooded, the route then crosses the Eure valley, passing close to the Fontaine-Simon water park, where you can stop for refreshments. La Loupe station provides a quick return to Paris-Montparnasse.

Walking Wash houses, springs and streams around Senonches

Visorando Member
Lavoirs, sources et ruisseaux autour de Senonches
↔4.46 mi ↗+98 ft ↘-98 ft ◔2h 10 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
The name Senonches comes from the Latin Senunchia: land with marshy waterways. In fact, the area was once covered with ponds and waterways, making it a vast marshland.This circular allows you to discover the many places where water springs up and flows around the town. It is built on wet land that has had to be drained over the years by capturing springs, installing drainage systems and digging streams to carry water to the ponds that now give the town its charm. Along these streams, numerous wash houses were established at the end of the 19th century and still bear witness to the hard work of women at that time.Follow this route, which stays within the urban area but also sometimes passes along the edge of the woods.

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