The Saint-Jugon Chapel via the Black Forest

Start from the car park on Allée des Primevères, a short walk from the town hall and the secondary school.

(S/E) Leave the car park on the right and walk up Allée des Primevères until you reach the municipal technical services. Turn right off this road, following a lovely row of oak trees, then walk alongside the stream, which you cross a little further on, over a fine slab of schist. As you pass, note the stone to the right of this slab.

(1) The path winds its way up the slope alongside a housing estate of similar-looking houses, until it comes out onto a small road.

(2) As you emerge into the hamlet of La Glouzie, turn left to go down the road, then leave it on the right at the first bend. Follow this path for about a hundred metres until you reach the bend to the right.

(3) Turn right to head back up towards the forest along a lovely path lined with very tall trees.
At the crossroads after the Croix Jacquary (a cross made of slate, of the sort commonly found in the Pays de Redon), leave the forest track and ignore the path branching off to the right; instead, take the track branching off to the right, running parallel to the main path. Following the edge of a field, it branches off from the forest track, then curves widely along the edge of the woodland.

(4) At the first crossroads you come to, turn left to continue through the woods, then emerge at the foot of a farm clearing overlooked by the first of the wind turbines you’ll see along this route. At the track, turn right, then 50 metres further down, turn left to head back up towards the woods. The path winding through this wooded section is signposted for mountain bikes (two discs and an orange triangle). Don’t hesitate to follow these markings, which are much safer than those of the footpath that is supposed to be there.
The cycle route leads onto a lovely path; head down to the right to reach the village of Brozéas.

(5) In the village, turn left twice to head towards La Haute Bardaie. Just as the road curves uphill to the left, leave it and take the path that runs straight on between two houses. Initially a little damp, this path leads into a wooded area, skirting around a stretch of rather damp meadows. Then, after passing several agricultural plots, you’ll reach the D8.
Follow this road to the left for about a hundred metres, then cross it at the next junction to take the road opposite and continue to the next crossroads.

(6) Turn left to enter the hamlet of La Corblaie. Walk through it, taking in the pretty houses there, and return to the D8. Cross this road again to take the path leading uphill opposite into the woods. This path climbs the wooded slope before reaching a first hilltop dominated by the squat silhouette of an old mill. What a contrast between this building and the wind turbines whirring away all around it!
After the mill, carry on straight ahead, heading down towards the D137. The Saint-Jugon Chapel is just on your right as you arrive there.

(7) Take the path on the right that runs past the chapel. Once you’ve passed the fountain and a cross, leave the main forest track for the path that climbs the slope on the left. This cuts through a patch of woodland, following a moss-covered slope made up of large boulders and tree stumps, before quickly leading onto forest tracks that mark out logging plots. Single-species trees, rows of saplings, square-patterned avenues – this is hardly a picturesque scene! Carry on straight ahead until you come to a cross-path, just before the bottom of the valley.

(8) Turn left, follow this track down to a forest gate and turn right after it. You’ll come out onto an open agricultural area as you reach a farm track. Turn left to reach the hamlet of Saint-André.

(9) Cross the D137 and continue straight on along the small road towards Petit Mabio. Leave this road when it curves to the right and continue along the wide track that opens up on the left. Starting out as a track serving farmland, it soon turns into a forest track. As the track climbs, the wind turbines eventually come to dominate the landscape.

(10) At the junction at the foot of the last of these turbines, turn right, then right again 150 metres further on. Enter the forest again and cross through it to reach Mabio. Be careful not to follow the logging track when it turns left. When the slope becomes steeper, carry on straight ahead along the path that winds its way through the trees. This section is a little tricky due to the slope of the path and the pine needles, which make the ground slippery.

(11) At Mabio, ignore the noisy local residents and turn left to continue through the woods. Turn right after about 200 metres to go round a farm field, then follow the path along the edge of the forest until you reach the banks of the Ruisseau des Brelles. A pleasant, short path runs at the foot of the hillside, parallel to the stream. Only the noise from the road on the other side of the stream spoils the pleasure of the walk. Stay on this path until you rejoin the route you took on the way there.

(3) When you reach the houses, let the path branch off to the left and carry on straight ahead to La Glouzie.

(2) Just before reaching the village crossroads, slip between two houses to take the small path leading down to the right.

(1) At the bottom of this path, cross the stream again over the large schist slab, then head back to the car park where you started (S/E).

Shade and picnic tables are available near the Saint-Jugon Chapel.

As you walk along this route, you cannot fail to notice the numerous slabs of schist set vertically into the ground, usually in a straight line. These are the remains of a type of fence very common in the Pays de Redon: the ‘pâlis’. These slabs were originally connected by chestnut poles split down the middle, and held in place on each side with twine. The holes visible on some of the slabs were used to thread these ties through.

(1) Next to the schist slab used to cross the stream at the start and end of the route lies another fairly large boulder. On this boulder, one can see fairly deep parallel grooves. These are the marks left by the whetstones that were brought here to be sharpened. The wet sandstone was rubbed against the slate to restore its grain, which in turn enabled the various tools to be sharpened.