From Chemin Joseph Gentil to La Caleuvre in the Forest of Rennes

The starting point of the walk is in the “Village La Forme” retail park in the Pluvignon district of the town of Betton. This area is accessible by car from the D29 (between Saint Grégoire and Thorigné Fouillard) via the “Village La Forme” junction.
The exact starting point is at the first main roundabout, at the entrance to the retail park as you arrive. Car parks nearby.

(S/E) From the main roundabout, head east and look for the tarmac road used for deliveries to the Leroy-Merlin store. Follow this road for 10 metres and turn right onto the new tarmac road which descends slightly into the Rignés industrial estate. Follow this track (the footpath on the left) which, further on, crosses a stream and climbs towards the houses in Les Rignés.
At the junction at the top of the area, turn left and continue along the road until you reach the bridge over the D175 expressway.

(1) Cross the bridge over the dual carriageway and head towards the STOP sign on the D97. At the STOP sign, turn left and head north along the A-road, staying on the wide path on the left. After 250 m, reach the Tihouit bus stop. Cross the main road and continue for a further 100 m on the right-hand pavement to reach the junction with Chemin Joseph Gentil in Tihouit.

(2) Turn right and follow the path heading south-east. Ignore the paths branching off to the right and left. After 800 m, the path follows the^GR®39: from this point, follow the^GR® signposting^.

At Bois de Champaufour, you will see the Cesson water tower on your right. Continue straight ahead. Shortly afterwards, you will reach the Petite Saudrais crossroads at the foot of a mobile phone mast.

(3) Turn left to head north up a farm track lined with oak trees and you will soon reach the edge of the Forêt de Rennes at the junction with the D27.

(4) Do not follow the “Chemin Périmétral” (sign) to the left^, but enter the forest and follow the^GR® markings^. The path continues north then north-east. After 1.2 km, the path joins the Allée Forestière de Betton, which you follow to the right for 200 m to reach a stream; cross this and, immediately afterwards, take the “Sentier de la Caleuvre” sign on the left.

(5) After the stream, turn left at the signpost and follow the stream bank, which further down joins the Caleuvre. At the confluence, turn right, continuing to follow the bank of the Caleuvre.
Further on, the path joins the Route Forestière des Jutauderies, which crosses the river via a stone bridge. Turn left at the bridge and head north along this forest road. This bridge marks the end of the^GR® signposting for our walk. You will then arrive at the large Placis Vert crossroads.

(6) Go round the Placis Vert crossroads on the left. At the picnic tables, before the Route Forestière du District, a path heading west is marked in yellow. From this point^, follow the yellow^PR® markings^.
Follow the markings closely; they generally head west and trace the path, which gradually approaches the Route Forestière du District.
After 800 m, a signpost for the Caleuvre trail mentions a junction and a “variant” (marked ‘VAR’) which continues straight ahead.

(7) Follow the “Variante” sign, which points to the path that turns sharply left (south). Descend the slope until you reach a footbridge over the Caleuvre. Cross the footbridge and climb up the other slope. At the T-junction, you will find another signpost for the Caleuvre trail.

(8) Turn left at the sign (do not follow the sign for “Betton via La Petite Hublais”) and head east.
Further on, join the Allée Forestière des Grandes Croix, which you take to the right as it climbs to reach the Carrefour des Bandits. This path marks the end of the yellow^PR® markings for the hike.

(9) At the Carrefour des Bandits, continue straight ahead towards the south. The track, somewhat damaged by horse riders, leads to the edge of the forest after 300 m. Leave the track to the right before the edge of the woodland and follow the path running along this edge towards the west until you reach the edge of the forest at the junction with the D27.

(10) Cross the D27 with care and continue straight ahead along the farm track that leads through the meadows of the Thorigné dairy farms, first westwards then south-westwards. Join the road at Champ Giron. Turn right twice to reach the Champ Giron crossroads, notable for its bus stop.

(11) Turn left after the bus stop. Continue downhill and pass under the motorway. At the end of the bridge, you will see the sign marking the entrance to the commune of Betton. Continue downhill towards the west, pass Le Petit Housset and descend to the Housset crossroads.

(12) At the bottom of this junction, take the road on the left towards Gille Pesset. Go round Gille Pesset on the left, taking the farm track on the left at the first house in Gille Pesset towards Vau Robion. Further on, the track makes a first turn left then right. Please note: 150 m after this bend, turn right (45°) and head down the tree-lined lane that follows the edge of the woods (do not go to the Vau Robion farm).
Return to the tarmac road and turn left towards the farm. 20 m further up, a signpost indicates: "Village La Forme".

(13) Turn right towards the “Village La Forme” shopping area. Once you reach the area, return to the starting point (S/E).

Crossing the new Rignés Industrial Estate at the start may seem daunting, but it is the only way to complete a circular route.

The first part of the route to the hamlet of Tihouit (2) (1.2 km), as well as the section from Champ Giron (11) to Gille Pesset (12) (1.3 km), is on tarmac roads. The rest of the route is entirely through the countryside or forest.

^GR® signposting from (5) to La Caleuvre.
Yellow markings from (6) to (9).

Alternative route (shortcut): On reaching the Allée Forestière de Betton (near point (5)), you can turn left and, after 200 m, reach the Carrefour des Bandits (point (9)), where you turn left (south). This shortens the route by approximately 2.5 km.

Another Variation (shortcut): To reduce the urban section between the Start and (2) and also after point (11), you can start at (2) at the beginning of Chemin Joseph Gentil; and return there from point (11) by following the D97 for approximately 400 m. There is a lay-by on the left-hand side of the D97 halfway between (1) and (2). A cycle and footpath runs alongside the D97 between (11) and (2) for half the route. For the remaining 150m: take great care.

Betton Market: every Sunday morning, Place de la Cale in Betton.