Route des Césars

Departure from the car park of the church in Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre.

(S/E) From the church, take Rue de Chaon towards Chaon, Brinon. Pass the post office, then the cemetery and continue on the D126 until you see the sign indicating the village exit.

(1) Just before the sign, turn left at the fork onto the VC1, Rue des Bouffards. Pass a pond on your right.

(2) Turn right onto a grassy lane after leaving the forest, 200 metres after the pond. Ignore the side roads. The grassy lane meets a stabilised lane shortly after Le Bouchot. Turn left onto the stabilised lane, which quickly bends to the right until it meets a narrow street.

(3) Turn left onto the small road that leads to La Comette and L'Étoile, eventually intersecting with a cross street.

(4) Turn right at the intersection. The lane quickly turns left and heads north. Leave the lane when it heads towards La Bergerie, continuing in the same direction on a stabilised lane. This runs alongside La Darnoire before reaching a crossroads, just before La Buissonnière.

(5) Turn left at the crossroads onto the CR18, signposted in yellow as 'Route des Césars'. The grassy lane leads to La Césarine, crosses a small road and is followed by a forest lane opposite the CR18. The lane runs alongside the Étang des Césars, hidden in the vegetation.

(6) At the western end of the pond, the lane turns left (CR7), offering a beautiful view of the water. At the crossroads, continue straight on along the forest lane which leads to a stabilised lane. Then turn right when you see the Chêne farm.

White-red markings (^GR®®31)

(7) Shortly before the hamlet of Le Chêne, the route meets the^GR®®31. Keep going in the same direction, leaving the start on your right. At the intersection with the D55, the path is marked with white posts on both sides and signs for 'Le Chesne'. Turn left onto the D55, Route de Lamotte, and continue for 700 metres until you reach a crossroads.

(8) Leave the tarmac road and take the hard-surfaced track on the right, the VC14. Ignore the various turnings until you reach the D122, Route de Nouan.

(9) Continue straight ahead on the gravel track signposted Boulaire, la Boulatte. Keep right at the fork shortly after Boulaire, then after about 120m, turn left onto the forest track to follow the lake.

(10) Turn left at the intersection with a cross road, then stay on the busiest road by turning right after 50 metres (CR11).

(11) Turn left onto a grassy lane at the crossroads (CR12, passing under a power line). The path leads to a stabilised lane which you take to the right, towards the Pierrefitte bell tower.

(12) At the intersection with the D55, do not take the private road opposite, but instead take the stabilised lane slightly to the right (VC9). This runs alongside the reed bed of the water treatment plant, which it bypasses, then becomes tarmac shortly before the first houses in Pierrefitte, becoming Rue du Gué du Poirier.

(13) Keep left at the fork to reach Rue de Salbris, which you will take to the right. This street leads to the church, the starting point of the hike (S/E).

Be careful of signs indicating private property. There are many of them and their location is often confusing, especially on the forest path shortly after La Césarine, which crosses a large hunting estate, running alongside the Étang des Césars.

Saint-Étienne Church was destroyed by fire after being struck by lightning in 1937, then rebuilt a few years later.