Between Tuffeau and Grès Roussard

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Val-d’Étangson is a new commune formed in 2019 from the merger of the communes of Évaillé and Sainte-Osmane. Dedicated to an Irish princess who became a hermit in Brittany in the7th century, the church, extensively remodelled around 1540, features a beautiful Renaissance porch with classical decorations. By undertaking the interior restoration of the building themselves, the residents have revived the tradition of the ‘fabrique’ – an assembly of parishioners responsible, under the Ancien Régime, for the building’s upkeep. In 1841, the local landscape was mainly characterised by small farmsteads, sometimes grouped into hamlets such as La Chauvière, and a few large estates, such as Rateau or a dairy farm.

Details

n°97662584
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.53 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 289 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 279 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 535 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 344 ft
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Photos

Village of Sainte-Osmane

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on Rue de la Mairie.

(S/E) Leave the car park and turn right towards the church. Head left towards Tresson. At the statue of Sainte-Osmane, take the path leading uphill to the right at the foot of the sign and follow it straight on until you reach the junction with the D63.

(1) Cross the road and take the path opposite. Continue to the end, then you’ll reach a crossroads.

(2) Keep to the right. At the junction of the two paths, turn right, then, at the next junction, turn left. Follow the path to the right for 1 km. At the road, turn left.

(3) At the junction of the two roads, take the path leading left along the hedge. Then, at the junction of the two paths, continue to the right and pass Les Bouts de Rallé. Continue along the road, leaving the path behind.

(4) Take the road on the right at the crossroads, then at the give way sign, continue straight on, pass La Noé and take the road on the left (it is possible to continue straight on for a 4.3-kilometre alternative route).

(5) After Le Marchais, take the stony track on the right and cross La Blottinière. At the end of the track, take the road on the left. Continue for 200 metres and follow the path on the right after La Bosserie.

(6) Leave the track and continue along the small road to the right. At the three-way junction, continue right onto the D63.

(7) After the bridge, head left towards Rateau, go 25 metres and take the path that climbs to the right.

(8) Leave the track, turn left at La Chauvière onto the stony path, then take the first path on the right until you reach the Fork in the road.

(9) Leave the path on your left and continue to the right.

(10) When you reach the edge of a wood, take the path on the right between the fields and continue straight on along the small road to reach the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 423 ft - Car park on Rue de la Mairie
  2. 1 : mi 0.42 - alt. 489 ft - D63
  3. 2 : mi 0.71 - alt. 528 ft - Road junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.69 - alt. 518 ft - Routes
  5. 4 : mi 2.74 - alt. 495 ft - Crossroads
  6. 5 : mi 4.08 - alt. 512 ft - Le Marchais
  7. 6 : mi 4.94 - alt. 489 ft - Exit from the path
  8. 7 : mi 5.38 - alt. 348 ft - Crossing at Court-s'il-Pleut (bridge)
  9. 8 : mi 5.86 - alt. 499 ft - La Chauvière
  10. 9 : mi 6.26 - alt. 528 ft - Fork in the road
  11. 10 : mi 6.79 - alt. 531 ft - Edge of a wood
  12. S/E : mi 7.53 - alt. 423 ft - Car park on Rue de la Mairie

Notes

  • Yellow markings
  • 31% tarmac

Map and full route description available in the Perche Sarthois Hiking Guide (50 routes). On sale at Perche Sarthois tourist offices for €10.

Details of the options are available on our website.

Worth a visit

  • Church of Sainte-Osmane
  • Statue of Sainte-Osman
  • Barn at the dairy farm (private).

Other walks in the area

Walking Along the banks of the Tusson towards Val-d'Etangson

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Val-d’Étangson is a new commune formed in 2019 from the merger of the communes of Évaillé and Sainte-Osmane. Possibly first mentioned as early as the9th century, the village on the banks of the Tusson consisted in 1829 of nothing more than the church, the18th-century presbytery with its courtyard and garden, and around fifteen houses. It expanded after 1840, no doubt linked to the opening of the road connecting the two sub-prefectures of La Flèche and Saint-Calais (now the D13).

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The origins of the settlement of Tresson are very ancient, as evidenced by a dolmen situated not far from Les Basses Poches. Furthermore, the territory of Tresson is crossed by the Via Turniacensis, near which a large agricultural estate is recorded in 572. This villa was donated by Bishop Domnole to Saint-Vincent Abbey, which established a priory in Tresson. This combination of factors led to the development of the present-day village in the Étangsort valley.

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Montaillé has developed around two centres: the village centre, built up around the church, and La Brenaille, a cluster of hamlets and farms to the north of the village. The site of La Brenaille appears to have been inhabited since ancient times, whilst the village centre seems to have been settled during the Gallo-Roman period, as evidenced by the route of an ancient road between Le Mans and Orléans. ‘Montaillé’ likely derives from a contraction of the Latin ‘montem’, meaning mountain or high ground, and the name ‘Alhierus’, a Germanic name that may have referred to the landowner following the barbarian invasions ofthe 5th century. As the name suggests, the land is situated on high ground and is close to a stream, the Pibeau, and a spring, the Fontaine Saint Jean-Baptiste.

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↔10.05 mi ↗+486 ft ↘-509 ft ◔5h 05 ▲Moderate
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↔11.37 mi ↗+302 ft ↘-289 ft ◔5h 30 ▲Moderate
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