The Crosses Route in Monthoiron

In Monthoiron, park in the church square. Follow the yellow signposts.

(S/E) Opposite the hiking sign, turn right towards the junction, then right again onto Rue des Champs Jaulins, heading towards Chenevelles. Walk past the cemetery and, at the cross, head down to the right along Rue du Chêne. Lovely view of the countryside.

(1) After about 120 metres, at the house on the left, turn right onto a grassy path leading towards the woods. Follow the same path through the woodland. At the T-junction, turn left and walk down the lovely sunken path until you reach the road called Rue de l’Acadie.

(2) Turn left and walk carefully along the verge towards the small blue bridge, keeping to the right of the path on your left. After crossing the Ozon, take the path on the left before the second bridge. Walk alongside the river at a distance and, at the bend, start climbing the lovely hill leading to La Dubuisserie. Pass between the house with a stone wall and the wooden cross.

(3) Take the road on the right towards Fressineau (pond on the left). Walk through the hamlet and continue along the road.

(4) At the stone cross, turn right onto the small road just before the D9. Head left until you reach the stop sign, turn left onto the D9 with care (there are bends both before and after), then turn immediately right onto the Route de la Guillonnière. Follow this street, lined with old houses, to the entrance to the hamlet of La Girouette at a place called Petiot. Depending on the season, there’s a lovely view to the right over the Chitré Forest.

(5) At the junction, by the^first house, take the path on the left for about a hundred metres, then turn right and walk past a house. Then turn left and walk alongside a woodland until you reach the next junction. When you see the hamlet of La Guillonnière, turn right. Carry on straight ahead and, at the last house (no. 28), turn left onto a grassy path. Turn left again and discover the other, equally undulating, side of the Fosse à Morisson.

(6) At the three-way junction, take the left-hand lane lined with copses, leaving the path on the right which leads towards the county road. At the road, turn right and carry on to the stop sign. Turn left towards the beautiful, ornate cross at Le Pin. Walk carefully along the road, ignoring the path coming from the left, and just after that, cross the D9 with care onto a track between fields and copses. Continue along this often damp track to the tall cross of Saint-Christophe, situated in the heart of the countryside.

(7) Go straight on along the grassy track lined with copses. Cross the road to pass through the charming hamlets of Doussineau and Biard. Continue straight on between meadows and copses.

(8) When you see an old building at Les Gaudières, head down to the right and wind your way through this idyllic setting along a lovely, recently resurfaced stony path. At the edge of the woodland, turn right, cross the bridge made of old posts, then follow a field to the left towards the houses. Head up to the right towards a barn and then some troglodyte rock dwellings. Walk past the rock formations and continue along the path until you reach the sign indicating the route you’re following and its alternative route (direct return to the village centre).

(9) Turn right and head up the long, grassy lane, passing the nursery. At the road, turn right to carefully follow the verge of the D15 and veer left towards La Mauginerie.

(10) On leaving the hamlet, turn right and head between hedgerows and fields. You’ll reach a clear crossroads called Carroir de Sarrasine; turn left onto the Roman road and follow it to the next crossroads.

(11) Turn left towards Les Basses Vallées. Walk alongside a pond on your right, then pass by some lovely oak trees. As you emerge from the woods, keep to the left along the field with a view of the old village of Villaray. Continue straight ahead across open ground towards the road.

(12) At the junction with the curious Birocheau cross (sign explaining its history), take the road on the left towards Monthoiron. Follow the road uphill to the houses, where there is a lovely panoramic view of the surrounding area. At the next junction, head up to the left. At the top of the path, turn right until you reach the crossroads, then turn left onto the street leading to the church, passing a few beautiful renovated houses on the way to the square (S/E).

The castle’s fortified tower.

Saint-Ambroise Church.
Numerous crosses.
Viewpoints overlooking the surrounding towns and the Chitré Forest.
The ruins of Les Basses Vallées.
A variety of trails, including two classified as ‘exceptional’.