The descent from Mont Noël along the Ruisseau des Échelles

On the edge of the Coglais, a charming route combining a walk along a stream with paths through green hills and sunken lanes.

Details

1937489
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.77 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 52 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 61 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 167 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 124 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Montours (35460)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.443468° / W 1.306693°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1316O, 1317SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Description of the walk

Clos Breton car park.

Yellow markings

(S/E) Leave the car park by going round the nursery school on your left, then turn right and continue along the path as it continues, going down a few log steps.
Continue along this path and take the first path on the right (signposted ‘Chemin du Mont Noël’).

(1) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the left towards Grolay. Pass through the hamlet and continue eastwards.
Cross a second road and head straight on towards La Bétinière. In a left-hand bend, ignore a road on the right, then

(2) Cross the hamlet of Grand Mont Noël. Continue straight on, still heading east. Follow the path which makes a wide U-turn to the right, running alongside a pond. The path running alongside a stream on the right-hand side heads west, then makes a wide bend to head south and ends at a road.

(3) Follow this road to the right until it ends. At the T-junction, turn right for a few metres and, after crossing, take the path on the left. The path leads to a road which you should follow to the right. Stay on the right-hand side of the road until the bend.

(4) Follow the path to the right, which continues as a wider track running alongside a stream on your right. Continue to the right until you reach a road. Follow this road for 100m to the right and, after crossing a stream, take the path on the left.
After a bend to the left, cross the stream again and follow the path which turns right until you reach a T-junction.

(5) Turn left and follow the winding path to cross the stream, ending at a road.
Turn right, then 20m further on, take the path on the left which runs alongside a pond on your left. It leads onto a road after running alongside it at a slight elevation for a few metres.
Continue to the right until you reach the crossroads. Turn right towards the south and continue south-south-west until you reach the crossroads.

Red and white markings ofthe GR®34

(6) Turn right and follow the path, which widens after running alongside some buildings on your left. Take the first path on the left, then, after about a hundred metres, continue to the right. Ignore two roads branching off to the left and follow the path as it curves to the right and then takes a sharp bend to the left.

(7) At the crossroads, continue straight on towards the north. Walk past the village football pitch on your right, then turn left. Follow the path to the right and reach the main road. Cross with care and follow Rue Saint-Germain to the left, walking past the cemetery.

No further signposting

(8) Turn right to go round the cemetery. At the stop sign, ignore the road on the left and take the next left to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 155 m - Clos Breton car park
  2. 1 : km 0.79 - alt. 148 m - Cross the road then head left
  3. 2 : km 1.89 - alt. 146 m - Le Grand Mont Noël
  4. 3 : km 3.26 - alt. 139 m - Road on the right
  5. 4 : km 3.84 - alt. 149 m - Path on the right
  6. 5 : km 4.9 - alt. 125 m - Turn left (do not follow the sign)
  7. 6 : km 6.51 - alt. 142 m - To the right – junction with the GR34
  8. 7 : km 8.65 - alt. 125 m - Straight ahead – end of the shortcut
  9. 8 : km 9.53 - alt. 146 m - Turn right onto the street.
  10. S/E : km 9.77 - alt. 154 m - Clos Breton car park

Notes

The route is marked in yellow with frequent signs indicating the route name.
Please note: at (5) you leave this route to follow another one, also marked in yellow: the Échelles route.

At (5), you can take a 3.5 km shortcut by turning right to quickly reach (7).

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 10069762

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We've picked a spot to go back there on Wednesday with some friends.

Machine-translated

Domi2935
Domi2935

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, varied and shaded walk, with hamlets and some pleasant surprises. Be careful at the start – there are TWO schools, and we had a bit of a struggle finding the right one. The one mentioned in the description is at the top of the car park, poorly signposted, opposite a multi-sports ground.
There are two shops in Montours: a bakery and a café-restaurant.

Machine-translated

eeliviso
eeliviso

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

To start the walk, you can park your car in the church car park and take Rue du Sacré-Coeur. The path (the start of the walk) is about a hundred metres to the left and is marked with a yellow sign.

Just before point 5 (towards La Pénidrais), be careful not to stay on the path leading to the farm.
The path to take is narrow and barely visible in the grass (in May, at least); but the small bridge crossing the stream helps you spot it.

At point 7, the yellow branch that doesn’t follow the GR34 has a few very wet sections, which you should be able to avoid by staying on the GR.

Otherwise, I found this route very pleasant: narrow paths, tracks, few roads, shade and sunshine.

Machine-translated

Azimut71
Azimut71

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Pleasant paths (make sure you wear suitable footwear – there are plenty of chestnut trees), short stretches of traffic-free roads, tiny hamlets, clear directions and perfect signposting: it’s just perfect!
I took the shortcut between 5 and 7 given the colour of the sky, and at 7 the PR that goes round the hill following the stream; no problem.

Machine-translated

Vinceboy
Vinceboy

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Well put.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.