The Grande Charnie Forest

Park in the church car park.

(S/E) From the car park, head east, going round the church, then turn right onto Rue de Neuvillette and right again onto Rue de l’Avenir. The road turns into a track at a left-hand bend, which very quickly goes round a pond on the left-hand side and joins the D9 (Route de Neuvillette).

(1) Cross with care and continue straight ahead. Follow the track. Cross Rue de Bouillé and continue straight ahead.
At Chemin de l’Anjuine, turn right. Ignore the first track on the right and cross the stream to go round Bouillé.
On the right, you can see the ruins of the old castle (15th and 16th centuries), of which only a tower remains, now converted into a residential house.

(2) Join the Route de Bouillé (D161) and turn left. Follow it for about 500 m.
Turn right towards La Tellerie and Le Petit Fourneau. At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead heading due south.

(3) Cross the D9 departmental road and carry on straight ahead. Pass through La Cormerie.
At a bend to the right, carry on straight ahead so that the edge of the forest is on your right.
At the D9, turn right and follow it for 250 m.

(4) Take the path on the left and, at the lake, turn right. Continue to the Haute Croix Maillard. Just past the first house, turn left and carry on straight along the path, heading almost due south.

(5) Once you reach the top of the incline, head right and, at the first junction, turn left. Follow the path as it curves widely to the left, then turn right onto the path heading due west towards the Sacré-Cœur.

(6) Walk to the Sacré-Cœur statue and back, then continue to a wide forest track on the right.
Follow it to the right and head due north down to Les Tuileries.
At the junction, turn left and walk past the hamlets of Anguecherie and Les Baillés.

(7) 50 metres before the D-road, turn left onto an uphill track. Follow the track as it bends to the right and ignore a turn-off on the left. The path joins the D230.
Follow it south-west to Gros Fouteau.

(8) Turn right and keep right at the Y-junction. At the crossroads, continue to the left. At the crossroads with a road to the right, take the path to the left (signpost indicating ‘Table des Diables’ 800 m ahead) and at the next Y-junction, continue to the right. Take a short detour to the left to visit the Table des Diables.

(9) Return to the main path and, after 100 m, turn right (see note on signposting). The path joins a road at La Gauberdière.

(10) Follow this road to the left, then turn right towards La Mulochère, ignoring the road to the left. Pass through the hamlet and follow the path due north to the D9 county road.

(11) Please note that this road is very busy; make sure you stay on the left-hand verge. Cross the road and head right, then turn left at the first road towards La Haute Farinière. Pass the farm and walk alongside a shed on your right. Turn right and, immediately afterwards, ignore a path on the left to follow the tree-lined track heading east-southeast. Continue straight ahead on the road.

(12) In the middle of a right-hand bend, turn onto the path on the left and head east to reach the D618 departmental road.
Follow it to the right for 200 m, then turn left.

(13) At the wayside cross, let Route No. 2 head off to the left and carry on straight ahead along the Chemin de la Brunette. Enter Torcé-Viviers-en-Charnie.
At the crossroads, turn right towards the post office and the town hall and carry on to the church car park (S/E).

Note on local signposting
This route uses several local routes shown on the map next to the church. These are, in order, routes No. 26, 29 and then 27, and run largely parallel to the mixed (walking and cycling) route No. 2.
The latter, which is 42 km long, comprises two circular loops, a section of which they share, starting after the junction following our waypoint (9). At this junction, the signposting is somewhat confusing, as it refers to route No. 2 twice using different symbols.
For our route, simply ignore this signposting and turn right at a 90° angle, as described.

The 15th-century Church of Saint-Pierre in Torcé houses a 15th-century Virgin and Child and a 17th-century painting (The Virgin of the Rosary), both listed as historic monuments.

The Sacré-Cœur.

The Table des Diables dolmen.