The Loire from Fourneaux to Saint-Ay, between the Rollin and the Mauve

The walk starts in the commune of Chaingy, in the car park at Plage de Fourneaux.

(S/E) Leave the car park via the road (marked route) or the path, heading towards the Loire.

(1) Follow the towpath, with the Loire on your left, and continue until you cross the Rollin via a small bridge, just before it flows into the Loire.

(2) Continue along the towpath and follow the Loire River from above until you are stopped by a sign prohibiting access due to rockfalls.

(3) Then take the path on the right that goes up towards the Orléans road (D2152). Turn left and follow it without crossing it, until you reach the corner of No. 61. Turn onto the path on the left between two properties and return to the riverbank, where you will see another no entry sign.

(4) Turn right and walk along the Loire at a higher level until you reach the walls of the Bishop's Palace. Continue to the crossroads directly above it.

(5) Stay on the path above, without going down to the Loire, to reach a crossroads.

(6) Turn left (Rue de la Galère), continue as straight as possible and reach the Place de la Mairie, which you will cross diagonally.

(7) Go down one of the small stone staircases and cross the Route Nationale at the pedestrian crossing to take Rue de Voisinas opposite. Walk up this street until you find Rue de Sainte-Barbe on your left, opposite No. 12. Follow this road, which bends to the right, and then keep to the right to take Rue de la Planche Fouchet. Continue along the path reserved for pedestrians and cyclists and, through a wooded area, you will reach a small bridge over the Mauve de Saint-Ay, not far from the Grand Maison and its gardens designed by Le Nôtre, hidden behind the wall or the foliage.

(8) Cross the bridge and continue along this path until it ends. Continue to the left (Rue du Rivage) and join the Route Nationale. Cross it carefully at the pedestrian crossing near the colourful dog on the Moulin veterinary surgery. Turn right and then left onto Chemin de la Plage, which is an extension of Rue du Rivage, which you have just left.

(9) Cross another bridge over the Mauve de Saint-Ay and, when you see the Loire, turn left onto the path after the barrier, leaving the Saint-Ay campsite and a meadow on your left and the Loire on your right. Continue uphill to the Évêché.

(5) Follow exactly the same route you took on the way there until you reach the small bridge over the Rollin.

(2) Continue straight ahead, staying on high ground without descending towards the confluence of the Rollin, from where you can see the bridge you crossed on the way there. Follow the tree-lined path parallel to the Rollin, which flows on your right (not very visible, especially when the water is low), until you find a steep path on the right.

(10) Take this path and descend towards the Rollin. Cross it via a footbridge and then take the second path into the woods on the left and follow it, first through the woods and then across fields, to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

(S/E) Picnic area.

(7) The Place de la Mairie with its war memorial by Camille Lefèvre, the town hall, the church (with stained glass windows depicting the history of Saint-Agil and Saint-Mesmin, among other historical treasures) and the entrance to the Château de Saint-Ay (the Grand' Cour).

(8) The walls protect the four-hectare wooded estate of the Grand' Maison, which saw Pompadour pass through its gardens designed by Le Nôtre.

(2) On the way back, there is a bird's eye view on the right of the confluence of the Rollin and the Loire.