From Sury to Vitry via the canal and its ponds

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From the Combreux lock, discover the Canal d'Orléans and its ponds in a forest where a rich and varied fauna will accompany you and allow you to observe them as you walk along the path.
Be early, discreet and attentive to enjoy it.

Don't rely on the photos showing the towpath. It has been replaced by a cycle path. The walk loses some of its charm but is still very pleasant.

Details

n°123532
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 19.54 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 12 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 12 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 136 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 116 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Combreux (45530)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.955714° / E 2.294367°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2319OT, 2320ET
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Photos

Finish
Étang de la Vallée
Start
étang de la Vallée

Description of the walk

Park after the Combreux lock bridge, on the left or right side of the road (picnic area with tables).

(S/E) From the car park, cross the bridge and turn right to follow the Canal d'Orléans towards Vitry-aux-Loges via the cycle route. Pass the Moulin Rouge lock and reach the Vitry-aux-Loges lock.

(1) Cross the canal via the lock footbridge and head left.

(2) At the bridge, turn right onto Rue Gambetta, then takethe first left onto Rue Jules Ferry and continue along this road until you reach a three-way junction.

(3) Turn right onto Chemin Vert and, at the end of the road, continue straight ahead for about 100 metres.

(4) Turn right onto Avenue de la Gare (D443).

(5) At the T-junction, turn left onto Route de Seichebrières and ignore two streets on the right.

(6) Turn right onto Route Forestière de Vitry à Boiscommun towards La Cigogne. Continue straight ahead, ignoring the two paths on the right, and continue to the road at Carrefour de la Vallée.

(7) Now follow the well-marked Sentier des Bois Bézard trail to the right, heading south, until you reach the Étang de la Vallée lake.

(8) At the road, take the pond's dyke on the right and you will quickly reach a crossroads at the south-eastern tip of the pond, which is also the start of the shortcut option.

(9) Continue along the pond, turning left and passing in front of the hunting dog kennel.

(10) A few metres before the fork, rejoin the Bois Bézard path on the left and continue along the pond towards Étang Neuf.

(11) Turn right onto Route des Étangs, which follows theGR®3BorGR®3(white and red markings), and you will now see Étang Neuf on your left. Continue along this forest road.

(12) Cross the D9 (take care) and continue opposite on the Route du Crot aux Sablons to reach the Étangs de Brin d'Amour and Crot aux Sablons.

(13) At the fork, continue on theGR®3Bon the left, walk along the Étang du Crot aux Sablons and follow the forest road to the junction with the Courcy-aux-Loges forest road.

(14) Take the path on the right and continue to the next junction.

(15) Turn left and continue straight ahead to reach Sury-aux-Bois at the stop sign that marks the junction with the D909.

(16) Turn right towards Combreux/Orléans and cross the bridge over the Canal d'Orléans.

(17) Leave theGR®3Band turn right to follow the canal again via the cycle route and return to the car park at the start (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 124 m - Car park before the Combreux lock
  2. 1 : km 2.88 - alt. 117 m - Vitry-aux-Loges lock - Canal d'Orléans
  3. 2 : km 3.06 - alt. 116 m - On the right, at the bridge
  4. 3 : km 3.69 - alt. 119 m - Chemin Vert on the right
  5. 4 : km 4.5 - alt. 126 m - Avenue de la Gare, on the right
  6. 5 : km 5.01 - alt. 125 m - T-junction, left onto Route de Seichebrières
  7. 6 : km 5.5 - alt. 129 m - Turn right onto the Vitry to Boiscommun railway line
  8. 7 : km 7.03 - alt. 130 m - On the right, Sentier des Bois Bézard
  9. 8 : km 8.63 - alt. 126 m - On the right, the Etang de la Vallée dyke
  10. 9 : km 8.99 - alt. 127 m - Start Variation, shortcut
  11. 10 : km 9.62 - alt. 126 m - On the left, Sentier des Bois Bézard
  12. 11 : km 10.77 - alt. 131 m - GR3B on the right, Route des Etangs
  13. 12 : km 11.94 - alt. 132 m - GR3B straight ahead, Route du Crot aux Sablons
  14. 13 : km 12.64 - alt. 131 m - GR3B, left onto Route de Crot aux Sablons
  15. 14 : km 13.73 - alt. 134 m - GR3B on the right, Route de Courcy-aux-Loges
  16. 15 : km 14.19 - alt. 131 m - GR3B on the left
  17. 16 : km 15.35 - alt. 128 m - Sury-aux-Bois, stop, turn right onto the GR3B
  18. 17 : km 15.61 - alt. 128 m - Turn right onto the cycle route
  19. S/E : km 19.54 - alt. 124 m - Car park before the Combreux lock

Notes

Wear good waterproof shoes, especially at the edge of the Étang de la Vallée.

Alternative route: at point (9), you can take the road on the right and return directly to the starting point (S/E).

Worth a visit

(8) The Carnutes sensory trail.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Itssmith
Itssmith

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, enjoyable because there were few people when we did it. Worth doing again, I recommend it.

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Stclair
Stclair

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very enjoyable hike. Varied landscapes. Very reliable description.
Worth repeating

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claguy
claguy
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this route starting from Vitry. We loved the variety of landscapes (town, countryside, forest, ponds and the towpath along the Orléans Canal). It was the first time we had done the section of the canal between Sury and Combreux. We loved it because it is much wilder than the section from Combreux to Orléans and because the vegetation is coming back to life at this time of year. It was a beautiful day for hiking, with a little sunshine and two short showers, one of which cut our picnic short. We only came across two fishermen, two people on bikes and a few walkers in the afternoon along the canal.

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yannickjosselin
yannickjosselin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk along the canal. We set off from Sury church.
We crossed the canal on the footbridge at the Moulin Rouge lock and returned to the road leading to the Vallée pond. We didn't go through Vitry, which was too urbanised for our liking.
Then there were beautiful views of the ponds. At the end, at point 13, we went straight ahead down a rather wild path instead of following the forest road.
All in all, it was a beautiful and varied hike, with the added bonus of passing by the superb Château de Combreux.

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Fleur de lune
Fleur de lune

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, both in terms of the diversity of the landscape (canal, ponds, forest) and the reliability of the description. Worth repeating in spring or autumn in good weather, as we were unable to appreciate it fully due to the weather.

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Lantin Mickaele
Lantin Mickaele

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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Josie45110
Josie45110

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the magnificent setting of the Orleans Forest. Good paths and almost no roads. Varied landscapes: forest, pond, canal. I did it in three and three-quarter hours with two breaks to drink and have a snack.

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boucles d'or
boucles d'or
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very beautiful, green hike with plenty of water sources to refresh the dogs. We modified the route slightly to avoid the town (with eight dogs in tow, towns aren't ideal). So we started at point 5 and for the return trip, we cut across at S/E to get back to point 9. From there, we took the Bois le Roi Forest Road to reach points 6 and 5.

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Grole45120
Grole45120

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We took a few liberties and moved the starting and finishing points to Sury aux Bois without changing the proposed route. Beautiful walks combining the banks of the canal, a little flat land, forest and ponds; This allowed us to discover the small villages we had previously passed through by road in a different way and to enjoy a very pleasant picnic near the Vitry aux Loges lock (clean tables and benches). If you like exploring, take a moment to visit the village church. In the forest, you can also see trees carved like totem poles.
Thank you for this beautiful hike.

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toplevel
toplevel ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

For once, I didn't read the descriptions and relied solely on the map.
It was a beautiful hike, easy because there was no elevation gain. The village of Combreux offers beautiful buildings for passers-by to admire. The walk along the canal and around the ponds is very pleasant, with surprises such as these dead trees carved on their stumps. The few crossings of departmental roads did not bother me because there were very few cars.
The weather was fine and warm (19°C)
Unfortunately, I was unable to complete this hike because the friend I was hiking with had a sore leg.
I'm keeping this route in mind for next time.

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carolinefrançois
carolinefrançois

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I know this greenway route, the forgotten canal.

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