The small and large loops of the Échandon Valley from Tauxigny

Departure: Place du 11 Novembre, Tauxigny-Saint-Bauld.

Parking: Échandon car park, on the outskirts of the village towards Saint-Branchs.

Markings: Red

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, head towards Le Louroux via Rue de la Liberté. Continue to the village exit via Rue Pont Habert.

(1) Continue along Rue Pont Habert on the right. At the bend, go straight ahead, pass a crossroads and you will come to a path.

(2) Continue straight ahead along the path alongside the Échandon until you reach a road at Gué Perron.

(3) You can turn right to follow the small loop. Otherwise, turn left. At the intersection with the RD82, turn right onto the hard shoulder. Pass the hamlet of La Croix d'Ouault.

(4) Leave the road and turn right onto a path. At the third intersection, turn left between the fields to reach the fork at the edge of a wood, almost at the end of the path.

(5) Before the road, turn right onto a small path to Gué David. Once in the village, continue left onto Rue du Moulin de Remet, then left again onto Rue Principale to reach the church.

(6) At the three-way junction after the church, turn right and continue to the crossroads at Le Prieuré.

(7) Turn left onto the path, then follow the Ruisseau de Montant stream on your right until you reach the Étang de la Luzière lake. Keep right at the Moulin de la Luzière mill. Go up the road on the right until you reach a crossroads at Le Pieuré.

(7) Turn left at the crossroads and head towards this locality. At the end of this road, turn right onto the path between the fields to reach a wood and follow it.

(8) Turn left, then right onto the road to reach Fontenay.

(9) At the intersection, turn left, cross the hamlet, then turn right onto the path. After crossing Quincampoix, go uphill and turn right onto the road to reach Moulin du Pré.

(10) Turn right again after the mill. Continue to the junction with the D21.

(11) Cross carefully and continue along the path opposite to follow the Échandon. Continue to the right and go to the end of the path.

(12) Keep left on the path that goes uphill. Turn right, then right again onto the road towards Manoir de la Boissière. Turn left before the entrance to join a road.

(13) At the intersection, continue left then right through Les Loges. Go straight ahead to leave the road and descend through the fields on a path. Continue right until you reach the road at a place called L'Étang.

(14) At the crossroads, turn right onto the road, then left into the hamlet of La Balluère. At the end of the path, turn right.

(15) Before Gué Perron (bridge), turn left until you reach the crossroads. Turn right at the crossroads, then left before the entrance to the woods. Walk along the woods to the hamlet of Requeugne.

(16) Cross the hamlet and continue along the road until you reach the D83.

(17) Turn right onto this road, then right onto the path that crosses Échandon until you reach the crossroads from the outward journey.

(2) Turn left to retrace your steps in the opposite direction until you reach the town hall (S/E).

Car park, picnic area, public toilets, shops, café/bar.

For more information about POIs (panoramas, monuments, heritage sites, etc.), please refer to the descriptions of the photos on the tour.

Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium:
To the north of the village of Tauxigny, an astronomical observatory stands in the middle of a meadow. With its two domes, it allows observation of the night sky and houses the Touraine Astronomical Society. Open to the public on certain occasions, it is particularly popular during the Night of the Stars in August. Not far away, in the old Ligoret Mill, a digital planetarium has been set up where, under a spherical dome, you can discover the solar system and the universe.

To walk further afield...
Starting from Tauxigny, two other walking trails await you: the Chemin des Moulins to the north (7.3 km - blue markings) and Au coeur des bois to the west (13 km - yellow markings). Two themed trails have also been created by the Société Astronomique de Touraine (Touraine Astronomy Society) starting from the Observatory: one dedicated to the solar system (6 km) and the other to the universe (2.5 km).