Bois de Boulogne and heritage

Start at the car park near Bracieux church.

Yellow-red markings (^GRP®)

(S/E) With your back to the church, turn right onto the main street (Rue Roger Brun) and cross the two branches of the Beuvron. At the Goland roundabout, turn right onto Chemin du Verger. Follow this path until you reach a crossroads.

(1) At the crossroads, ignore the paths on either side and continue straight ahead along the straight grassy track accessible through a metal gate. Make sure you close the gate behind you.

(2) Do not take the concrete track on the right (which leads back to the previous junction), but the grassy path just after it. Do not continue straight on along the hard-surfaced track that forms part of the Loire à Vélo route.

No signposting

(3) At the crossroads, turn left onto the unmarked grassy path of François^1er, which runs perpendicular to the road; this requires caution. Pass the junction of the same name, staying on this grassy path. At the Chambord junction, continue straight ahead, still on the Allée de François^1er (do not veer left onto the tarmac Allée du Roi de Pologne). Ignore the side paths until you reach a wide grassy path, the Allée Marie Leczinska.

(4) Turn left onto the straight Allée Marie Leczinska and follow it until you reach the star-shaped junction, the Carrefour de Boulogne.

(5) At this junction, take the^third lane on the left. To do this: cross the tarmac-surfaced Allée du Roi de Pologne, then the Allée de Boulogne, and take the next lane, the Allée du Prieur. This straight lane crosses the D923, becoming the tarmac-surfaced Chemin des Oies. Pass the various turnings and go past the hamlet of Le Petit Villesavin.

Yellow-red markings (^GRP®)

(6) At the crossroads, continue straight on along the Allée du Prieur.

(7) At the junction with the road leading to Château de Villesavin, turn right, with your back to the entrance to the Villesavin estate, then immediately left at the crossroads onto the D154 (Avenue des Ponts d'Arian). Cross the Route d’Arian (D102) with care after crossing the two branches of the Beuvron via the Ponts d’Arian bridges.

Yellow markings

(8) At the La Goujonnière crossroads, do not continue along the Chemin de la Blandinière opposite, but keep to the left, staying on the D154. Turn left onto the tarmac Chemin des Aunets as soon as you have passed the hamlet of La Grange.

(9) Turn right onto the tarmac-surfaced Chemin des Benards, which crosses your path, then left at the junction with the track leading to La Trépinière. Ignore the side tracks. The track becomes tarmac-surfaced and is then called Chemin des Bœufs.

(10) Turn right onto Route de Bracieux, then continue straight ahead at the junction, leaving Route de Fontaines-en-Sologne on your right. Avenue de Cheverny bends left at a roundabout, becoming Rue René Masson (D102). Cross the stream La Bonne Heure, then keep right at the fork onto Rue de la Mairie.

(11) Turn left onto the street leading to the old market hall, where you can admire the façade and its staircase. Turn right onto Rue de la Halle until you reach Avenue de la Mairie, where you will turn left.

(12) Turn left onto Rue Jules Girault, then immediately right onto the footpath (Impasse du Tir), crossing the Beuvron via the footbridge. The footpath is followed by a wide, compacted track which bends to the left to reach the car park at Bracieux Church, the starting point of the walk (S/E).

In the Bois de Boulogne, access to the paths is restricted to walkers and authorised persons by means of barriers.

In Bracieux, the old market hall (^16th century) is well worth a visit. It hosts the Solognot market on Sunday mornings. The first floor has been converted into an exhibition space.

Built by the architects of Chambord, Villesavin Castle still houses some fine curiosities, such as the Carrara marble basin in the main courtyard.