The Canal d’Orléans, starting from Chevillon-sur-Huillard

Starts from the church in Chevillon-sur-Huillard (large car park).

Yellow markings (sparse and faded)

(S/E) From the car park, head back towards the main street (Grande Rue) and the mini-market, then take the road leading towards Saint-Maurice-sur-Fessard. Carry straight on, past the ‘Leave the village’ sign and then the water tower, until you reach a bridge over the Canal d’Orléans.

(1) Then turn right (ignore a yellow arrow pointing left; the^PR®® path runs in both directions). Follow the canal on your left along a compacted track. Pass the May lock. About 500 m further on, cross a stream (stone guardrails at ground level).

(2) Leave the canal bank immediately and take a grassy path on the right (not shown on the IGN map; take care to spot this start point as there are no signposts here). You’ll come out onto a small tarmac road; follow it to the left.

(3) At the^first junction, turn right towards La Gionnerie. Pass a detached house on your right; the tarmac then gives way to a gravel track. At the end (elevation 91), turn right onto a path between the fields. Further on, enter a woodland.

(4) At the T-junction, follow a track to the left. At a three-way junction, turn right onto a small road.

(5) At the ‘Stop’ sign, first turn left then right to cross the road and join a path leading into a woodland. Continue straight on (south then south-southeast).

(6) Cross a stream (the Limetin) and leave the woodland. Follow a grassy path, passing an abandoned house on your right. Continue along the path, which is lined with hedges.

(7) At the crossroads, turn right onto a wide, compacted track. Carry on straight ahead (south-west) and ignore all side paths.

(8) At the end, turn right onto a small road ( with narrow verges). Cross the Limetin again. Note two isolated trees on the right-hand side.

(9) About a hundred metres further on, turn left onto a track which soon gives way to a grassy path running parallel to a power line.

(10) Back on the tarmac, follow the Route de la Dauvernerie to the right. At the three-way junction (marker 96), follow the^PR®® de Marchais Clair to the left. After a few houses, the tarmac gives way to a grassy path.

(11) You’ll come out onto a small road; follow it to the left. After about a hundred metres, at a Fork in the road, turn left onto the Route des Quatre Croix. Walk through a residential area.

(12) At the corner of No. 46, turn right onto a wide grassy path (not shown on the IGN map), lined with garden fences on the right-hand side.

(13) At the end, follow a small road to the left. At the junction, go straight on towards the Clos de l’Alisier. After the last house, the tarmac gives way to a gravel track. Walk through a woodland, alternating between paths along the edge.

(14) At the junction (sign for ‘Impasse des Barres’ on the right), turn left. At the T-junction, follow the road to the right ( narrow verges).

(15) About 300 m further on, turn right onto the Chemin des Rains. Pass a few derelict buildings. Ignore a dead end on the right and continue along the small road which bends first to the left and then to the right.

(16) At the end of the tarmac road, ignore a turn-off on the right and continue along a compacted track that winds through the fields. After a stretch along the edge of the fields, enter a woodland. At the ‘give way’ sign, cross the D963 road and continue for about 50 metres along the path opposite until you reach a bridge over the canal.

(17) Then follow the towpath to the right^, which^is the alternative route for the^PR®® trail^. Walk alongside the canal on your left-hand side. After about 400 m, pass the Marchais Clair lock. Continue along a path beside the canal. Pass the old Courbouin buildings and a small swing bridge over the canal.

(1) At the bridge you passed on the way out, turn right onto the road leading to the village of Chevillon. At the end of the road, first turn left then right to return to the starting car park (S/E).

Hiking boots are recommended.

Facilities at the starting point (S/A):
- In the church car park: drinking water and public toilets.
- Near the car park: a bar and tobacconist, a bar-restaurant, a bakery and a mini-market.

This walk follows a^PR®® trail designed, marked and signposted by the Loiret departmental committee of the FFRP. The markings are weathered; they are generally sparse and completely absent on some long stretches. A 1:25,000 map is required (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Warnings:
- On several occasions, the route crosses private property along private paths where access is permitted. Several signs and gates regularly remind you of this. Please stay on the paths and respect the local area.
- Walkers should be aware that, apart from the section along the canal, the route includes a significant proportion of tarmac roads (generally with little traffic).

Walk completed by the author on 11 January 2020.

The stretch along the canal, between (1) and (2) and between (17) and (1), is very pleasant, featuring two locks and a swing bridge.

The village of Chevillon-sur-Huillard provides interesting information on local heritage and the history of the canal.