Bois-Aubry Abbey

Start from Luzé. Park in the car park near the church and the pond, between a playground and the recycling bins, at the village exit on the D110 towards Marigny-Marmande.

(S/E) With the bell tower of Luzé church on your left, take the tarmac track, leaving the playground on your right. Shortly afterwards, turn right onto a small road and pass between a pond on your left and the cemetery on your right.

(1) When you reach a sewage treatment plant, carry straight on along a grassy track with a hedge on your left. Continue between the fields and ignore a track branching off to the right. You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the left for about a hundred metres.

(2) At the junction, turn right onto a small road that goes uphill. Walk past a house with blue shutters and continue along a path. Walk alongside a woodland on your right; further on, enter the woodland and alternate between walking through the undergrowth and along the edge.

(3) At the corner of the woodland on the left-hand side, carry on straight ahead between the fields towards some farm sheds clearly visible on a hillock. The path climbs and curves to the right, leaving the sheds on the left. At the top of the hill, the path turns sharply to the right and joins a small road: follow this to the right for about 200 metres.

(4) When you reach a farmhouse, turn left (yellow arrow) onto a stony track that starts at the foot of a walnut tree. Turn right with the track, ignore a path branching off to the left and continue due south. Walk alongside a woodland on your right, ignore a path branching off to the right and arrive at a Fork in the road.

(5) Then take the path on the left (let the track continue to the right). You’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the right for about 200 m.

(6) At the corner by an EDF substation, take a wide gravel path on the left. Follow this path south-southeast, first between the fields and then through a woodland. When the path turns right onto a private road (signposted), carry on straight ahead.

(7) At the junction you come to immediately, carry on straight ahead (south-south-east) along a wide path through a pine forest. At the next junction, turn right (yellow and green signposts). Head down through the woodland and you’ll catch sight of the bell tower of Bois-Aubry Abbey. Leave the woodland and continue due south between the fields, keeping the bell tower in your sights.

(8) You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the right (to visit the abbey, turn left; see the ‘During the walk’ section). Pass the Orthodox monastery of Saint-Michel and Saint-Martin and continue along the road for about 1.5 km.

(9) At the crossroads, take the^second turning on the right, the D110. Follow this road for about 600 m (caution: fairly busy road).

(10) At a left-hand bend, if you wish, turn left onto a small road towards Franc Palais. After about 500 m, you’ll reach the gate to the manor house, on the left.

(11) Retrace your steps to the previous junction.

(10) Continue along the small road (on the left as you return from the manor house) and pass the hamlet of La Morellière. Keep going straight on along the D110. Shortly after a crossroads (marked by a cross), you’ll find the starting car park on the right (S/E).

Good trainers or low-cut walking shoes are sufficient for this route, which follows small roads and well-maintained paths.

There is a water point and picnic tables by the pond in Luzé, between (S/E) and (1). There are no shops in Luzé.

Up to Bois-Aubry Abbey (8), the route follows – apart from one shortcut – an old^PR®® trail maintained by the FFRP Touraine committee, of which only very few traces of the yellow markings remain. Afterwards, following the closure of the paths in the Bois de Villevert, the route takes you along more tarmac than you might wish…

A detailed map is essential (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Walk undertaken by the author on 24 July 2018.

Bois-Aubry Abbey (12th–15th centuries) is the main destination of the walk. You can simply view it from the outside or visit the interior: to do so, at the (8), turn left and, after about fifty metres, you will find the entrance gate on the right (ring the bell).

There are two options for visiting the abbey:
- Self-guided tours every day except Mondays, from¹ April to 30 September, from 10.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm. Admission (July 2018): €8 per person.
- Guided tour (no booking required) on Tuesdays and Sundays, from 15 April to 15 September, at 3.00 pm sharp. Price (July 2018): €10 per person.
A signposted trail takes visitors through the partially ruined buildings, which are currently undergoing restoration, as well as through a large, well-maintained garden at the far end of which lies the grave of the American actor Yul Brynner (1920? – 1985).

Along the way, you can also admire:
- Luzé Church (12th–17th centuries), near the car park where the tour begins.
- Several beautiful houses and farmhouses.
- The Franc Palais manor house.