Country:
District:
Departure from the car park of the church in Ligny-le-Ribault.
(S/E) Take the path behind the church towards the Cosson. This path passes behind the Ecomuseum, crosses a branch of the Cosson, then joins the main road. Cross the bridge over the Cosson. At the crossroads, turn right onto the D15 towards Neung-sur-Beuvron and Villeny, going around a pond. A sign indicates theGR®3CGien-Chambord. Leave the D15 and turn right onto the shaded street leading to the small housing estate on the left, then the cemetery on the right, following theGR®3C. This then becomes a wide path through a deciduous forest (red and white markings).
(1) At the fork, take the left-hand path lined with ponds on the left and right. Ignore the private paths on either side, all of which are signposted, and follow the rural path through a more sparse mixed forest.
(2) At the crossroads (Métairie des Grandes Chaises), take the path that descends to the left towards Les Thouards and La Ferté-Saint-Cyr, leaving the path on the right that runs alongside the dairy farm. Cross the Arignan and ignore the private paths, all of which are signposted, following the rural path with its well-defined ruts. At an intersection, continue straight ahead along a grassy path.
(3) You will then see the Thouards farm on your right. Cross the main road and take the rural path opposite, which descends between two beautiful ponds. Leave the grassy paths on the left and right of the CR26 (rural path no. 26), which is well marked. You will then arrive at an open, cultivated area. Continue straight ahead, following the path lined with tall trees.
(4) At the intersection with the CR5 (country lane no. 5), turn right, leaving the grassy path opposite. Pass in front of the abandoned Mottets farm. Note the radical change in the landscape, which now consists of cultivated land and pastures alternating with small woods. Leave the grassy path on your right.
(5) Continue north-west on the CR5 (grass path), crossing an obsolete barrier and leaving the well-marked path on your left. Continue north, ignoring the paths branching off on either side. The path crosses a dense mixed forest, then a marshy area.
(6) At the Motte Longuet crossroads, turn right onto the VC11 towards Ligny-le-Ribault.
(7) At the junction, just after the stream, turn left onto the CR29 and follow theGR® Gien-Chambord (red and white markings). The path becomes sandy and crosses a dense mixed forest. At the crossroads, follow theGR®3con the left (CR29).
(8) Cross the Arignan on a footbridge and turn right about 250 metres further on. Follow the sandy path markedGR®3c, which winds through a mixed forest with heather, then a denser forest with fern undergrowth.
(9) Take theGR®3CGien-Chambord on the left. Ignore the other paths on either side. TheGR®3cis easily recognisable as it is covered with a layer of fine sand. After walking alongside a pine forest on the left, you will arrive at an open space.
(10) On the left is an old nursery, La Grande Maison, which has been converted into a large-scale farm. Continue along the pond on the right until you reach the fork.
(1) Take the same path back to the starting point (S/E).
Visorando member
Easy 
