From La Gravotte to Le Beuvron

Start from the car park at Cerdon Church.

(S/E) With your back to the church porch, take the street on the right which goes round the building; leave the Route de Saint-Florent on your left and head towards Coullons.

(1) Shortly after the cemetery, leave the road and take a lovely lane on the left signposted ‘Vieux Gué’ (CR 6). Cross the Vieux Gué, go round a house with a turret on the left, then turn right towards the north at the crossroads.

(2) Cross the D157, continue straight ahead and cross the Gravotte.

(3) Turn left onto the CR5, opposite the gate blocking access to the “La Creuse” property.

(4) Keep left when you reach a cross-path, then cross the D948 (take care) in the direction of “Les Pichons” and “La Lande”. Pass the pond and then the old railway line,

(5) Leave the gravelled track and take the grassy path on the left (CR4). Cross the Gravotte ford and turn right at the Fork in the road.

(6) At the crossroads of four tracks, take the track furthest to the right (CR2). This continues as the^GR®3Cbeyond the first junction. Turn left as you approach “Les Guérets”. Turn right onto the D51 and follow it for about 240 metres.

(7) Turn onto the first path on the left after passing La Gravotte and continue, keeping this stream on your left.

(8) Take the first path on the left (CR32). This crosses the Gravotte again. Ignore the adjacent turnings and keep heading south. Cross the D129 and continue straight ahead after a chicane formed by earthworks. At a place called “Les Harauts”, carry on straight ahead, passing the car workshop on your left and the farmhouse on your right, then turn immediately right onto a wide grassy lane, going round the building. Turn left at the end of the lane, walk alongside a small pond on your right and carry on, ignoring the turnings on both the right and left.

(9) When you come to a cross-path, keep to the right on the grassy track, ignoring the adjacent turnings.

(10) Turning right, take the lovely, well-maintained track. Cross the road at the Étang des Hautereaux. Continue straight on along the forest track.

(11) At the crossroads at the far end of a large field, turn left (CR23). Carry on, ignoring the various side paths.

^GR®3C,^GR® de Pays de Sologne (virtually no signposting)

(12) At the crossroads where four paths meet, take the hard-surfaced track to the left (CR30,^GR®3C), ignoring the track towards Les Acensis on the left.

(13) Leave the hard-surfaced track by turning left onto an open grassy path. This path itself meets a hard-surfaced track on the right-hand side at Château de la Boulaie. Turn left onto the tarmac road, which you will quickly leave as you approach ‘Les Hodeaux’, turning right onto a new hard-surfaced track.

(14) Leave the track and take a grassy path between two hedges on the right, which you’ll follow until you reach Rue des “Hautereaux”.

(15) Head right, then turn left onto the D65 (take care). With the church tower in sight, take Rue des Chartreux at the wayside cross, then turn left onto the D948 (take care) to return to the church square (S/E).

Do not stray from this described and approved route; respect the wild flora and fauna.
(Between 10 and 11) After heavy rain, the path may be muddy or even flooded.

The lack of signposting, including on the^GR®, means you should take care. However, there are relatively few changes of direction, which allows you to focus on the few difficult sections.

Places to see during the walk:
- the village of Cerdon with its 12th-century church and traditional old houses
- the ponds, streams and woodland scenery

Places to visit nearby:
- the church at Caquetoir, Notre-Dame d’Isdes, a remarkable example of Sologne architecture from the Romanesque period of the 11th–12th centuries.