Courdemanche and its Saint-Fraimbault Chapel

de fr

A hike through two valleys. It passes through the hamlet of Saint-Fraimbault and its restored chapel.

Details

n°27195522
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.88 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 554 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 584 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 436 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 217 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Chapel of Saint Fraimbault
Étangsort section
Passage under a leafy canopy.

Description of the walk

Park in the village square at Courdemange. A car park with 30–40 spaces is located 100 m away, next to the church, if required.

(S/E) Start by taking the hill to the left of the square towards the church, following the yellow markings. After the fire station, take the path on the left which continues to climb up onto the plateau.
You’ll reach a crossroads. Keep right onto the road and take the path on the left that descends back into the valley. You’ll reach the village of Pontenchéri.

(1) Keep to the right for about a hundred metres along the road, then follow the path that runs alongside the river. Pass the Moulin de Croalin and shortly afterwards you’ll come to a multi-way junction.

(2) Take the road on the left, cross the D64 and then head uphill opposite. Continue along the path through the valley to reach the hamlet of Les Hugeries.

(3) Turn left, quickly reach the D231, follow it to the right for about ten metres, then turn left before the houses at La Guiminerie. Then cross the D228. Continue on, passing the houses at La Piétrerie, then reach those at La Tupinière.

(4) Turn sharply left, pass the Basses Bonotières woods and reach the D86 near the hamlet of Saint-Civiard. Take it to the right, leave it at the next bend to turn left onto the track and reach the Chapel of Saint-Fraimbault.

(5) Pass it and continue along the road. Reach the hamlet of Les Épivents, then turn 90° to the right. After crossing the river, turn left to rejoin the D86. Reach a path junction just before the hamlet of La Guinandière.

(6) Take this path and enter the forest. Walk around a pond that is sometimes visible. Then cross the stream that feeds this pond. Turn left and rejoin a road at the hamlet of La Roustière.

(7) Turn right onto it, follow it and reach the hamlet of Les Ormeaux.

(8) Carry on straight ahead, passing the hamlet of Les Gabrônes. Continue straight ahead and join a new road.

(9) Turn left and continue down a fairly steep descent to reach the crossroads in the hamlet of La Pionnière.

(10) Turn right and follow the Étangsort stream. At the end of the path, turn left onto the road to cross the river.
Continue on and you will soon reach the car park at Courdemange Town Hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 308 ft - Courdemange Town Hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.49 - alt. 243 ft - Pontenchéri
  3. 2 : mi 1.56 - alt. 217 ft - Multi-way junction - Étangsort (rivière) - Affluent de la Veuve
  4. 3 : mi 2.17 - alt. 387 ft - Les Hugeries
  5. 4 : mi 3.73 - alt. 410 ft - La Tupinière
  6. 5 : mi 4.58 - alt. 308 ft - Saint-Fraimbault
  7. 6 : mi 5.63 - alt. 404 ft - La Guinandière
  8. 7 : mi 6.37 - alt. 420 ft - La Roustière
  9. 8 : mi 6.78 - alt. 433 ft - Les Ormeaux
  10. 9 : mi 7.31 - alt. 404 ft - Road junction
  11. 10 : mi 8.22 - alt. 256 ft - La Pionnière
  12. S/E : mi 8.88 - alt. 279 ft - Courdemange Town Hall car park

Notes

A bar, grocery shop and bakery (closed on Mondays) are available at the car park on the village square.
The grocery shop serves lunch (by reservation).
The route is suitable for mountain bikes.
It is marked in yellow for 80% of the route.
Between (6) and (7), the forest path around the pond offers a cool respite halfway through the route if the weather is hot.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 1 review
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
nono67
nono67

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk through beautiful countryside and wooded areas. The path is fairly well signposted. Avoid this walk after heavy rain, as many of the paths are likely to be flooded.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking La Tussonne from Vancé

Tourism professional
La Tussonne depuis Vancé
↔4.15 mi ↗+318 ft ↘-295 ft ◔2h 10 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Vancé (Sarthe)
Situated in the south-west of the Calais plateau, which is cut by steep-sided valleys, the village is divided by watercourses belonging to the Braye basin; the two main ones are the Charmançon and the Tusson. Its origins may date back to the Gallo-Roman period, but its history becomes clearer in the Middle Ages thanks to the discovery of coins. In the early19th century, following significant population growth, Vancé became home to a large number of craftsmen. In 1810, the village was home to thirteen weavers and twelve building tradespeople: four stonemasons, one bricklayer, one carpenter, three joiners, three shingle cutters and numerous other craftsmen catering to everyday needs.

Walking Between Tuffeau and Grès Roussard

Tourism professional
Entre Tuffeau et Grès Roussard
↔7.53 mi ↗+289 ft ↘-279 ft ◔3h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Sainte-Osmane (Sarthe)
Val-d’Étangson is a new commune formed in 2019 from the merger of the communes of Évaillé and Sainte-Osmane. Dedicated to an Irish princess who became a hermit in Brittany in the7th century, the church, extensively remodelled around 1540, features a beautiful Renaissance porch with classical decorations. By undertaking the interior restoration of the building themselves, the residents have revived the tradition of the ‘fabrique’ – an assembly of parishioners responsible, under the Ancien Régime, for the building’s upkeep. In 1841, the local landscape was mainly characterised by small farmsteads, sometimes grouped into hamlets such as La Chauvière, and a few large estates, such as Rateau or a dairy farm.

Walking The Étangsort Valley towards Tresson

Tourism professional
La Vallée de l'Étangsort vers Tresson
↔8.68 mi ↗+348 ft ↘-351 ft ◔4h 20 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Tresson (Sarthe)
The origins of the settlement of Tresson are very ancient, as evidenced by a dolmen situated not far from Les Basses Poches. Furthermore, the territory of Tresson is crossed by the Via Turniacensis, near which a large agricultural estate is recorded in 572. This villa was donated by Bishop Domnole to Saint-Vincent Abbey, which established a priory in Tresson. This combination of factors led to the development of the present-day village in the Étangsort valley.

Walking Along the banks of the Tusson towards Val-d'Etangson

Tourism professional
Au bord du Tusson vers Val-d'Etangson
↔7.85 mi ↗+308 ft ↘-315 ft ◔3h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Évaillé (Sarthe)
Val-d’Étangson is a new commune formed in 2019 from the merger of the communes of Évaillé and Sainte-Osmane. Possibly first mentioned as early as the9th century, the village on the banks of the Tusson consisted in 1829 of nothing more than the church, the18th-century presbytery with its courtyard and garden, and around fifteen houses. It expanded after 1840, no doubt linked to the opening of the road connecting the two sub-prefectures of La Flèche and Saint-Calais (now the D13).

Walking La Redonne

Tourism professional
La Redonne
↔8.53 mi ↗+351 ft ↘-367 ft ◔4h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from La Chapelle-Huon (Sarthe)
La Chapelle-Huon developed gradually from the Middle Ages onwards. Saint-André Church is a Romanesque building (11th–12th century) with a Renaissance seigneurial chapel added later. The current bell tower was built in 2000 as part of the building’s general restoration. On this occasion, contemporary stained-glass windows were added to enhance the interior. Saint-Gervais-de-Vic likely has very ancient origins. The place name ‘Vic’, from the Latin vicus, meaning village, may refer to the Gallo-Roman period. Iron slag and pottery shards, discovered during work on the railway line, are also evidence of an ancient presence. Admire the15th- and16th-century Manoir de la Béchuère, the Redonne stream and the beautiful wooded countryside. A map and full description of the route are available in the Perche Sarthois Hiking Guide (50 routes). On sale at Perche Sarthois tourist offices for €10.

Walking The Jewel of Courtanvaux

Tourism professional
Le Joyau de Courtanvaux
↔4.41 mi ↗+305 ft ↘-322 ft ◔2h 20 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Bessé-sur-Braye (Sarthe)
Bessé dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, the parish comprised numerous fiefdoms, including Courtanvaux, a parish seigneury elevated to a marquisate in 1609. The village developed particularly from the18th century onwards thanks to the establishment of pre-industrial sites, as evidenced by the cotton mill set up by Elie Savatier in 1735 (on the site of a former linen weaving mill) or the paper mill established at La Roche in 1824. The latter has since become the town’s main industrial site.

Walking Over hill and dale to Courtanvaux

Visorando Member
↔3.93 mi ↗+177 ft ↘-190 ft ◔2h 00 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Bessé-sur-Braye (Sarthe)
The Braye, celebrated in song by Ronsard, meets the Loir here. Whilst Bessé-sur-Braye is best known to locals for its thriving paper industry, this village in the Calais region is also home to a Renaissance gem, the Château de Courtanvaux, which is said to have hosted Henry IV. Its large wooded park is open to the public all year round, and serves as the starting point for this walk, which also takes you through lovely countryside along a small tarmac road.

Walking On the Via Turniacensis in Maisoncelles

Tourism professional
Sur la Via Turniacensis à Maisoncelles
↔5.48 mi ↗+82 ft ↘-82 ft ◔2h 35 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Maisoncelles (Sarthe) (Sarthe)
The village of Maisoncelles, described as a ‘street village’, has developed linearly along the road linking Bouloire to Tresson and Écorpain, running perpendicular to the Ruisseau de l’Étangsort. Although difficult to date precisely, the imposing Church of Notre-Dame, possibly dating back to the Romanesque period, is undoubtedly the oldest building in the village. You can, however, see typical rural features from theThird Republic, such as the public pump at the foot of the church. Heading towards the cemetery, you will see on the right the old communal washhouse, recently converted to welcome walkers, and further up, a former school recognisable by its two-storey structure and brick window frames.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.