The countryside around Chailland

Hike starting point: near the picnic area by the bridge over the Ernée in Chailland-en-Mayenne.

(S/E) Turn right onto Rue de l’Ancienne Gare, then right again onto Rue Saint-Germain and cross the bridge over the Ernée. Continue straight on along Rue de Saint-Hilaire.

(1) After No. 29 on the left-hand side of the street, turn right into Rue Roquet de Paradis. Pass through the hamlets of Le Paradis, Maisoncelles and then Le Châtelier until you reach a junction.

(2) Carry on straight ahead. Pass between La Basse Boullerie on the left and La Haute Boullerie on the right, and you’ll reach another crossroads.

(3) Turn right. Follow the road as it bends to the left and pass through Montermanger. Watch out for the dog ‘Maya’ on the right. The road becomes a track as you head towards La Bazonnière.

(4) After the hamlet, ignore the road on the right leading to La Gérardière and turn right at the next crossroads. Carry on, ignoring the turn-off to La Bardoulais on the right. Continue along the road.

(5) Turn right to walk alongside the road in the opposite direction and follow the path (not shown on IGN maps) which bends to the left. When you reach the crossroads, turn right and continue to La Guyardais until you reach the road.

(6) Follow the road to the right and continue due south to the hamlet of L’Hirondelle.

Red and yellow markings of the^GRP® Tour des Marches de Bretagne

(7) Turn right. Turn left towards La Corbinière and continue southwards to reach La Gigoulais.

(8) Turn left, then at the T-junction, veer to the right. Pass La Boisardière and reach the tarmac road, Chemin des Maisons Neuves.

(9) Turn right into Ruelle du Vieux Cimetière, which ends at the church. Turn left to pass in front of the church entrance, then immediately right.

No further signposting

(10) Turn right again onto Rue du Bourg Moreau, which becomes Rue Roquet de Villeneuve (an 18 per cent incline) as you leave the town. Continue straight on along this road, ignoring La Multière on the left and then Villeneuve, until it ends at another road running at right angles.

(11) Turn left. Take the first road on the left towards La Pinière. After this hamlet, the road becomes a track that descends along the edge of the woods and joins the D 559 departmental road.

(12) Turn slightly to the left. Keep to the left and cross the Rau de Villeneuve, then follow the Ernée river before entering Chailland via the Quai D’Houdéot.

Once you can see the town hall on your left, cross the bridge over the Ernée on the right, then take the second street on the left to reach the car park (S/E).

Chailland, which has been awarded the ‘Petite Cité de Caractère’ label, is well worth a visit, starting from the banks of the Ernée and the flower-bedecked bridge, near the old wheat mills and a washhouse with a movable floor.
There are four castles in the commune, all privately owned, each with different visiting arrangements.

To reach the Rocher de la Vierge, where the view over the Ernée valley is magnificent, you must pass through the terraced gardens of the former vicarage, on the right after the church.