The Orée de Bercé-Belinois Route

Car park at the Val'Rhonne socio-cultural centre in Moncé-en-Belin.

(S/E) Take Allée de l’Europe to the first roundabout, turn left, and at the second roundabout, head up Rue Jean Fouassier on the right (named after the first mayor of Moncé-en-Belin).

(1) Go round Saint-Étienne Church on the left and turn left onto Rue du Verger. At the roundabout, turn right onto Rue des Érables and at the next roundabout, turn left onto Rue des Chênes Verts. Go straight on and cross the roundabout to reach the next junction.

(2) Turn right onto Route des Bois and continue to the right along Chemin de la Vallée.

(3) Turn right, then after passing under the power lines, veer left towards La Boulaie. Once past this hamlet, continue along the path to the right, passing under further power lines, to reach the hamlet of Les Luères.

(4) Take the Route des Luères on the right, and cross the Route de Laigné (D139) with care.

(5) Shortly afterwards, you will see the ruins of a chapel (a bachelor’s cottage?) and a tower on your right; continue straight on.

(6) On your left, you will notice the monument erected in memory of the Allies. Continue straight on and, at the bend, take the path opposite, which you should keep to your right, under the power lines. Join Rue du Stade, which you take on the right. Continue straight on along Route de l’Ormeau de Vaux, then Route de Montinault. Pass by the hamlet of Le Gaucher to reach the junction with the Route de la Miotise.

(7) Turn left, then, 50 metres further on, turn right onto Chemin des Vaux.

(8) After the bend on your right, you will notice on your left the circular mound of the former feudal motte known as the “Butte des Vaux”. Shortly afterwards, leave the Chemin des Vaux and take the signposted path opposite, which will lead you to the Route de Laigné. Cross this road and head straight on.

(9) Walk past the Château de la Gourdinière and its stud farm, then continue straight on. After crossing the main road linking Moncé to Saint-Gervais, follow the Route des Renaudes.
Cross the Le Mans-Tours railway line and, after 200m, turn left to enter the La Janverie housing estate. Take the first road on the right (Chemin de la Ronceraie) and continue along it until you rejoin the Route des Renaudes at Le Pâtis.

(10) Take the road on the right (ignore the signposting on the left). Shortly afterwards, take the path on the left, then a little further on, turn right and follow the stream; you will then leave the stream and turn left, which will take you into the playground and directly back to your starting point (S/E).

Yellow markings: 50% track – 50% road.

Saint-Étienne Church: a 12th- and 13th-century building with a bell tower in the shape of a square lantern. Inside, you can see the Plantagenet vault of the nave, the 17th-century altarpiece and two murals: the 14th-century Dormition of the Virgin and the 18th-century Lamentation of Christ.

(4) You pass by Les Grandes Luères, a former fiefdom of the Lordship of Vaux; this site is built on ancient Gallo-Roman ruins. Long owned by the Escotais family, it saw the passage of the Chouans (1794) and later served as a refuge for resistance fighters during the Second World War. Currently, there are three rural lodges here.

(5) Ruins of the chapel (Garçonnière?) and tower.

(6) Allied War Memorial: during the night of 22–23 May 1944, an Allied Halifax bomber, having taken off from Scampton airbase near Welton (UK), was hit by German anti-aircraft fire and crashed at this spot. Eight soldiers were killed. Thanks to the dashboard plates, a local woman, Marie Fortier, tracked down the families of the missing and, with the help of a committee, was behind the creation of this monument, which was unveiled in 1949.

(8) Former feudal motte known as the "Butte des Vaux". On this artificial mound stood the Château de Vaux, which was burnt down in 1049. The Châtellenie de Vaux was owned from the 14th to the 17th century by the wealthy and powerful Maridort family. This Châtellenie and that of Belin were merged to form the County of Belin.

(9) The Château de la Gourdinière was a fiefdom under the jurisdiction of the Châtellerie de Vaux. The site is now home to an equestrian farm and rural lodges.