The Louze Plateau and the Bois des Bruyères

A pleasant walk, flat, with a few views of the Pilat and the surrounding hills. Suitable for all seasons, particularly in spring when the orchards are in bloom and in summer when the fruit is ripe. Also features two sections through the forest.
TO ALL HIKERS (SES) WHO FOLLOW MY ROUTES: you can post photos indicating their location on the route.

Details

4350062
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.98 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 105 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 108 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 853 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 768 ft

Description of the walk

Start at the junction of the D131B (Vienne or Auberives road) with the Chemin des Communaux north of Ville-sous-Anjou, at a place called Poncin. Park along the road or 50 m further south towards the fruit shop, which is next to the large fruit and vegetable packing and dispatch building.

(S/E) Head west across the fields along the Chemin des Communaux and turn right at thefirst junction.
Continue straight on along the Route du Château d’Eau and, at the third junction, turn right onto the D131B. Follow it to the left for about a hundred metres until you reach the first track on the right.

(1) Take this path and continue straight on until thefirst junction. Turn left and continue to the next junction.

(2) Turn left, ignore a path on the right, then reach a T-junction after passing through a wooded area.

(3) Turn right, leave the first two paths on your left, then turn left at the T-junction. After a few metres, the path turns right and continues straight on until it reaches a road. Continue to the left and, about a hundred metres further on, take the path on the right.
At the corner of thesecond copse, turn right and head towards the junction with the Route des Vergers.

(4) Follow the path opposite, then take thesecond path on the left. Walk alongside a copse on your right and reach a fork after passing a second copse.

(5) Continue to the right at the edge of the woodland. Cross the road and turn left about a hundred metres further on. At the Y-junction, turn left and return to the road.

(6) Leave the road immediately to the right before the stream. Go through the small copse, then follow the edge on your right and enter the woods about fifty metres after the left-hand bend. Cross a track, then ignore a path on the right and walk a few metres.

(7) Take the first or second path on the left, both of which lead to the same place.

(8) On leaving the forest, at the inverted Y-junction, turn right, follow the edge of the woods and reach a four-way junction.

(9) Carry on straight ahead along the Chemin du Lac and continue to the hamlet of Les Brosses.

(10) Turn right at the junction onto Chemin de Louze, then take thesecond path on the left. At the corner where the field meets the forest, take the path straight ahead, veering slightly to the left. This path turns right to join Chemin des Communaux, passing by the fruit trees (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 840 ft - Junction between the D131b and Chemin des Communaux
  2. 1 : mi 1.15 - alt. 846 ft - Path on the right
  3. 2 : mi 1.93 - alt. 797 ft - Junction
  4. 3 : mi 2.8 - alt. 840 ft - Crossroads
  5. 4 : mi 3.89 - alt. 801 ft - Route des Vergers
  6. 5 : mi 4.43 - alt. 781 ft - Corner of a wood
  7. 6 : mi 4.94 - alt. 768 ft - Junction before the stream
  8. 7 : mi 5.24 - alt. 791 ft - Path on the left
  9. 8 : mi 5.46 - alt. 774 ft - Junction
  10. 9 : mi 5.91 - alt. 797 ft - Chemin du Lac
  11. 10 : mi 6.3 - alt. 797 ft - Chemin de Louze
  12. S/E : mi 6.98 - alt. 840 ft - Junction between the D131b and Chemin des Communaux

Notes

For parking, you can park one or two vehicles just before or after reaching the copse alongside the fruit trees, so as not to obstruct the tractors passing between the tree-lined paths. Otherwise, head towards the fruit shop.
Nothing in particular regarding facilities.

Reviews and comments

3.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.3 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
User 11830098

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk for a beginner like me, apart from the start, which isn’t very interesting.
I had trouble finding my way to points 1 and 7. Some of the paths no longer exist.

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A GPS is recommended to help you navigate the lack of marked paths. With the Visiorando app, you’ll have no trouble finding your way. This flat walk was ideal for someone recovering from illness.
The scenery is quite varied.

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patm69
patm69

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A fairly easy walk; I’m thinking of doing it when the fruit trees are in bloom. We encountered a few problems following the route. Once you reach the D131 B, you need to turn left and follow the road for about 100 metres to reach point no. 1, but when you get to that marker, the path disappears; you’re forced to go much further down a path which also ends in a dead end. We managed to find the route again by cutting across the plantations. Otherwise, I think there’s another option: once you reach the main road, turn right and then take a path on your left to join the route. The second problem is that the route from marker no. 4 to no. 5 is also blocked, as mentioned in the comments above. At marker 4, turn left onto the tarmac road to reach marker no. 5 using the app or a map. Thanks to the author for helping us discover this plateau with all its orchards.

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Klaudius33
Klaudius33

Hello,
Thank you for your valid comments.
I was due to do the route again, but some tendon problems are currently preventing me from going on hikes.

Claude

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agnesgaran
agnesgaran

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There’s a problem between points 4 and 5.
After crossing the road and taking the path opposite as indicated in the description, I couldn’t find the route as described.
I reached point 5 by taking the orchard road until I came to a path on the right just before the Beson stream.

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Klaudius33
Klaudius33

Thank you for your comments. I’ll need to review the route again this May.

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YBoissel
YBoissel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

An easy walk for days when you don’t feel like exerting yourself. The scenery isn’t particularly varied, especially at the start, but the route remains pleasant at this time of year when the fruit trees are green and still in bloom. Shortly after the halfway point, the route passes through a fruit orchard and a field before rejoining a path. A little further on, there’s a minor, inconsequential deviation in a small wood, 2 or 3 km from the end. You can easily correct this using GPS; simply follow the path to the left to get back on track.
You can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the cooperative’s vending machine, right next to the car park.

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grandin
grandin ★

No problem at all – you can, of course, change your itinerary if necessary

Thank you for your follow-up

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Klaudius33
Klaudius33

Hello,
thank you for your comment; I’ll go and have a look, now that we can move about freely, and retrace the route to check this spot. We’ve noticed that farmers are narrowing or even removing paths, tracks or trails along the edges of fields, even though these are listed.
If it is no longer possible to pass through, I will amend the route with the site’s consent.
Kind regards.

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LeMaillero
LeMaillero

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We followed this route on Sunday 2 May but were unable to complete it. It seems to us that between points 4 and 5, just as you pass under the high-voltage power line, the path has disappeared. Perhaps it has been ploughed up?
Thank you

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