In the Colombiers forest

The starting car park is located behind the town hall. To reach it when arriving via the D21 or the Châtellerault road, go up the street behind the church’s apse and, after 50 metres, take the narrow street on the right between two buildings.

(S/E) From the car park, head down towards the church and pass between the church and the town hall. Take the D21 towards Châtellerault for about 350 m. At the school, turn into the uphill street on the right and continue along a narrow path to the Route des Vignes, which you take to the left and follow uphill, ignoring the path on the left at the bend.

(1) After the sign for Colombiers, take the stony track on the right and immediately turn left. Continue along this track until you reach a T-junction.

(2) Turn right and continue to the three-way junction.

(3) Follow the grassy path to the left towards La Croix au Jude. After 50m, turn left again, still heading towards La Croix au Jude. Walk alongside a fence on the left.

(4) When you reach a very narrow tarmac road, first turn right then left to take the narrow dirt track almost directly opposite, which may be muddy in wet weather. As you leave the woods, continue along the grassy path and, after the vineyard, carry straight on until you reach the stony track.

(5) Turn left onto the stony path.

(6) At the junction, follow the small road to the right and head downhill to the cross, from where you can see the Chapelle de la Madeleine beyond the motorway. At the stop sign, turn right again onto the Route de Beaumont for about 100 metres.

(7) Turn into the second cul-de-sac (Impasse de la Guillocherie) on the right and, at the tarmac section leading up to a private residence, take the barely visible grassy path slightly to the left which climbs through the woods.

(5) Join the stony path and turn left, following it to the Croix Jounet.

(8) Follow the road to the right for about 350 m, then take the path on the left. Continue through the woods and, when you reach a very narrow road, follow it to a crossroads.

(9) Take the path on the right and continue through the woods. At the junction, go straight on.

(3) Turn left and continue along this path, still through the woods.

(10) Take the road on the right and, after less than fifty metres, take the path on the right. Carry on straight ahead.

(1) Head back down to the left towards Colombier via the Route des Vignes, continuing along this road and ignoring the path on the right which you took to arrive here. A little further on, take the small road leading uphill on your left, then head back down to the right towards the church and return to the car park behind the town hall (S/E).

Alternative route between (3) and (10) on the return journey: to avoid the road, you can take a path on the right, after a tree with two trunks, which winds through the trees for about fifty metres before rejoining the stony path on the right. This path does not appear on the IGN map but is shown on OSM.