Exploring the trails of Pruillé-le-Chétif

Start and finish at the car park of the town hall and church in Pruillé-le-Chétif.

(S/E) Head up towards the school and follow the ‘Fuchsia’ signposting for the Botanical Trail. At the well, turn right onto the path leading towards a marl pit. Once at Route de Beausoleil, first turn left then right to continue towards the stadium, then follow the paths lined with labelled plants. Join the small road leading to Anillé.

(1) Follow the cycle path to the right towards Rouillon and cross the road to continue opposite. Before reaching Route de Rouillon, take a sharp right and head into the woods to return towards Pruillé-le-Chétif. You will reach the hamlet of La Folie.

(2) At the Maison de la Petite Enfance, take the footpath on the left called Les Hautes Épines. Cross the Route de Rouillon and reach a junction of two paths.

(3) Turn right and follow Chemin des Hauts Bois to the end, where it joins Rue des Bois. Then turn right towards the village centre and the D50.

(4) Cross at the bus stop. Continue left onto Impasse du Lorier, then Rue des Ormes. Turn right towards La Bichetière, leave Rue des Chênes on your right, then take the path on the right behind the houses: blue signposting – Chemin de la Nouvelle Chasse au Dagon – which leads to the cemetery. Follow the road to the left towards Saint-Georges-du-Bois, then take the first exit on the right.

(5) Head along the path on the left leading to the Petite Brosse farm via Chemin des Éclos in Pruillé-le-Chétif. Go round the farm on the left and continue right along the forest track. Carry on to the first road: at the top, do not turn right onto Chemin des Tréfins.

(6) On the Route du Grand Beauvais, turn right towards Champ Fleury. At the hamlet of Champ Fleury, at the 50 km/h speed limit sign, turn right onto the path leading up towards Les Tréfins.

(7) At the top, turn left onto Chemin des Tréfins, continue straight on and cross the D50 at the pedestrian crossing towards the stadium. Go about 20 metres past Rue du Champ de la Marnière on your right.

(8) Take the path on your right called Ruelle de la Vigne. At the end of the path, first turn right then left to join the D50 at a cross. Turn left and return to the town hall/church car park (S/E).

You will walk almost exclusively on dedicated hiking trails or on sections of road with no traffic.
In the heart of the village, on the few hundred metres of road you will take, the pavements ensure your safety.
Botanical Trail: marked in fuchsia over 3.5 km

(S/E) On the right-hand side of the town hall you will find a covered area, very useful in the event of a passing shower.

Public toilets and an automated external defibrillator (AED) are available under this covered area.

On the first part of the route, from (S/E) to (2), you’ll follow the botanical trail.
Here you will discover:
- a marl pit (an old open-air quarry from which marl was extracted in the 1800s to improve the sandy soils of the surrounding villages, etc.
- small signs at the foot of the trees indicating the names of the species
- other information boards on wildflowers, birds and nesting boxes, and pollarded trees.

It is worth noting that the cemetery at Pruillé-le-Chétif features a remarkable Renaissance-style cross (1550–1590), topped by a disc with, on its south face, a figure of Christ on a cross decorated with fleurs-de-lis and fruit.
On the reverse side of the disc is an unidentified figure with outstretched arms beneath a canopy (Saint Peter, patron saint of the parish?). Curiously, this figure has a very long face typical of the 12th century, and another curiosity: in other cemeteries, when a figure is depicted on the reverse side, it is always the Virgin and Child.