The Sologne region around Jouy-le-Potier

The path taken on the way out of the hike, which crosses the Bois du Bignon and then the Bois Brûlé, offers exceptional views due to the slight relief (30m difference in altitude) and undergrowth illuminated by heather, whose purple flowers bloom from late summer to autumn. The dense or sparse vegetation, consisting mainly of deciduous trees, streams and ponds, provides ideal habitats for birds and large wild animals.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.45 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 20 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 20 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 117 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 95 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The hike starts at the car park between the church and the market hall.

(S/E) Follow the D15, Rue de Ligny, heading south-west. Ignore Rue de la Cave on your left, then turn left onto Rue du Chenil. This street joins Rue de Vignelles heading south-east. Pass Rue des Ormes, then Allée de l'Ormeraie on your right until you reach Rue des Ormeteaux.

(1) Turn right onto Rue des Ormeteaux. This street, which crosses wooded areas and is marked 'Voie sans issue' (dead end), serves two private properties. Follow it to the end.

(2) Take the path on the left at the edge of the property. This path meets a forest lane that borders a forest, crossing a drainage ditch. Follow the lane at the edge of the forest.

(3) The lane enters the forest. Pass the footbridge over the stream on your left, then ignore the private paths on either side. The forest lane, marked by arrows in the hunting area, continues south-east until it meets the tarmac Chemin de l'Enfer. A few wooden posts mark the end of the lane, prohibiting motor vehicles from entering.

(4) Turn left onto Chemin de l'Enfer, which is easy to follow as it is lined exclusively with private roads, until you reach a crossroads.

(5) Leave the path on the right that leads to the communal pond near the Château de Vignelles and turn left again, heading north-west along Rue de Vignelles, which leads to the starting point. This road, paved and covered with vegetation, gradually widens as it approaches the village. It is easy to follow, as it is also lined with private roads.

(1) Take the same route back, following Rue de Vignelles, then Rue du Chenil, turning left until you reach Rue de Ligny. Turn right towards the car park near the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 115 m - Place de l'Église
  2. 1 : km 0.64 - alt. 117 m - Rue des Ormeteaux
  3. 2 : km 2.02 - alt. 115 m - On the left at the edge of the property
  4. 3 : km 2.55 - alt. 109 m - Forest path heading south-east
  5. 4 : km 5.11 - alt. 97 m - Chemin de l'Enfer
  6. 5 : km 5.71 - alt. 95 m - Rue de Vignelles
  7. S/E : km 10.45 - alt. 115 m - Place de l'Église

Notes

The magnificent route taken on the way there makes up for the monotony of the tarmac road on the way back.

Avoid this hike in rainy weather and during hunting season (which only lasts a few days each year): the density of raised hides (watchtowers) is impressive!
It is therefore advisable to check from mid-September to the end of February. Consult the leaflet Usagers de la nature et sécurité à la chasse(Nature users and hunting safety) published by the Office national de la Chasse et de la faune sauvage (National Office for Hunting and Wildlife).

Pay attention to signs indicating private property. There are many of them and their location is often confusing. Follow the route and do not take any shortcuts.

Worth a visit

The quality of the paths under the canopy of trees, alongside streams and ponds, is an invitation to observe nature, far from roads and houses.

The brick kiln: as the name Potier suggests, there were around thirty pottery factories in the Middle Ages, which evokes both the outcrops of clay suitable for firing and a method of construction that was very popular in Sologne, as evidenced by the old half-timbered houses. There is still a kiln in the hamlet of Cendray on the right-hand side as you leave the village on the D18 (heading north-west towards Cléry).

Reviews and comments

3.9 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
3.3 / 5
pierre1er
pierre1er

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Good route when it has rained heavily, as two-thirds of the route is paved, probably for bicycles, as there is no traffic.
A good way to get your 10 km in during winter when the days are short and the ground is too muddy elsewhere. In fact, it's a great default option.

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A-Sophie
A-Sophie

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The first part of the hike is very pleasant, with the promised hills and a forest path. The second half is on the road, a very long straight stretch that runs alongside the forest. If we had known, we would have turned back to avoid this uninteresting section.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Thank you for your comments and recommendations.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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gros léon
gros léon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk in the Sologne forest. The end of the walk on a small tarmac road is not a problem at all, as it is very quiet.
Of course, during hunting season, you will probably need to be cautious, as this type of individual is unfortunately common in the area.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Sorry, I have modified the description corresponding to points (2) and (3) to remove any ambiguity.
I hope I haven't discouraged you, because the first part of the hike is magnificent. The second part follows a small road. It is best to avoid the hunting season.
Thank you and have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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Lukiluke
Lukiluke

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello Sir, no problem getting to point 2. However, from there on, it gets complicated...I didn't understand what "cross the drainage ditch" meant in the description. You say to turn left, but when you turn left, you end up in a field bordering a path. So, from the property, I took the communal path on the left and continued straight on to reach the forest. I then simply followed the winding path marked with green arrows, but nothing matched the rest of the hike description. As a result, I had to turn back, especially since my mobile phone was running out of battery and it was already 7 p.m., for fear of getting lost...

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Many thanks for these clarifications. The environment has indeed changed, and I have made changes to the description following your recommendations.
Have a good day,
Jean-Louis

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Christopher Lulu
Christopher Lulu

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In (2), the "grassy path" described in the route was no longer visible (could nature have reclaimed its rights by allowing grass to grow back in this spot?!). Furthermore, unless you are fairly agile, crossing the "drainage trench" can be difficult.

Therefore, to stay on the route suggested by the author, I would recommend following Rue des Ormerteaux until you reach the property where it ends, then continuing on the left along the path that leads to the forest lane bordering the forest.

Thank you in any case for this route.

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Viviane03
Viviane03

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We had thought we would enjoy the asphalt section less, but that wasn't the case at all. This section had the advantage of being more shaded than the first section. We also found it very pretty. We were glad we didn't turn back.
The small road at point 5 to 2 was quiet; we saw two cars there.
Thank you.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Thank you for your helpful comments to future hikers.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Louis

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Theet
Theet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk in the woods, but as mentioned, the return journey is less enjoyable (along a road). We had some difficulty finding the path to take before entering the forest. The path along the hedge had not been mowed and there was a ditch to cross at the end. Nevertheless, we had a pleasant time. The walk was well frequented, especially in the woods: walkers, cyclists, joggers... Thank you.

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Jean-Louis Pinault
Jean-Louis Pinault

Yes, I am well aware that this long straight stretch on the way back is boring, especially as it is on tarmac (a bad habit that some municipalities in the Sologne region have of tarmacking their paths, even those that are not very busy). I was happy to have discovered the first part of the walk, on a path that looks like it is private but is actually public. I couldn't find anything better for the return journey, as all the access routes are private.
But it would be a shame to miss out on the first part. Turning back may be a solution.
Jean-Louis

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Lemisanthrope
Lemisanthrope

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

If the instructions are clear and complete (as I always find Jean-Louis's directions to be), we were initially amazed by the beauty of the scenery on the way there, but we were quickly disappointed by the long (and at that moment seemingly endless) paved road on the way back, which turned out to be quite boring because the surroundings were all fenced off without exception. So we turned around at the road and did it again. Thank you for sharing.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Daniel Pollet.
Didn't the description and map of the route help you find your way?

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daniel.pollet
daniel.pollet

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Lack of signposting
A shame, as it's a nice hike

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