Le Ribay walks

A very lovely walk in the Buttes d’Hardanges, a Sensitive Natural Area, between the villages of Ribay and Hardanges. This former military zone is now a true haven of peace and offers a vast array of natural meadows, wet heathland, dry heathland, peat bogs and valley floors.

In the northern Mayenne countryside, Lassay-les-Châteaux is a small town that is well worth a visit. As you walk along the surrounding paths, a few signposts invite you to follow in the footsteps of Lancelot through meadows, forests and the remains of three castles. An easy walk on well-maintained paths and a few country roads.

A superb circular walk starting from the ‘Petite Cité de Caractère’ of Lassay-les-Châteaux, voted France’s third favourite village in 2023. 94 per cent dirt tracks and some wonderful heritage sites to discover along the way: Lassay Castle, Bois Thibault Castle and the ruins of Bois Frou.An interpretative trail based on the legend of Lancelot du Lac enhances this route with several stops featuring information panels on themes from Arthurian legend. The Château de Bois Thibault, open during the tourist season (weekends and public holidays only), features a magnificent round table and a comic strip depicting the legend of the famous knight Lancelot.

This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful walks in the Lassay-les-Châteaux area. Lots of sunken paths, some woodland and a stream.

The village of Crennes-sur-Fraubée, situated on the southern slope of the Corniche de Pail, offers magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. This route, 88% of which is on dirt tracks, is one of the most beautiful walks in the Mont des Avaloirs area.

The Chapelle de Bon Secours trail consists of no less than 89 per cent dirt tracks. It follows the ancient Roman road that linked Gué Saint-Léonard to Mayenne. A short detour is recommended to the Tourbière des Égoutelles, a regional nature reserve. This two-hectare site, situated in a former Armorican sandstone quarry, is home to over a hundred rare plant species, including carnivorous plants such as sundews, round-leaved sundews and the Portuguese butterwort.

A walk through the ages, surrounded by nature. You’ll discover reproductions of Impressionist works by Ludovic Piette and Camille Pissarro, as well as megaliths including the Menhir de la Pierre Robert and a dolmen. Finally, the beautiful Bignon manor house and its hamlet.

The village of Saint-Aignan-de-Couptrain is the starting point for two circular walks that will take you through unspoilt hedgerow countryside. Both routes follow dirt tracks for 90 per cent of the way. Here is one of these circular walks. The second: The ‘Boucle des herbages’ circular walk from Saint-Aignan-de-Couptrain

This 15 km route will take you through the magnificent sunken lanes of Hambers. It is ideal for all nature lovers: on foot, by bike, or even on horseback! This route is marked "No. 24" on the yellow directional signs.

This route will take you along pretty sunken paths and up into the hills. It is signposted with yellow directional signs: No. 38 – on the Crêtes d’Hambers. You can combine this route with No. 24 – the Hambers circular route.

A very pretty trail in the Merdereau valley, through the forest and over the hills of Averton, with some panoramic views and good dirt tracks covering 73% of the route.

Come and explore the sunken paths of Bais, which will take you up to the ridges of Mont Rochard.Nearby, don’t miss a visit to Montesson Castle.This route is signposted No. 37 on yellow directional signs.

The Lac de Haute Mayenne, artificially created by the Saint-Fraimbault dam, will charm you with its rich and varied flora and fauna. But this route will also allow you to discover the confluence of two rivers that feed into the Mayenne: the Varenne and the Colmont.

Starting from the centre of Jublains, this walk will allow you to discover the Gallo-Roman remains of the town as well as the Chapel of Doucé.

Fontaine-Daniel, with its picturesque village and beautiful lake, is one of the best-known places in the Mayenne area, but there is only one busy road to get there and the hiking opportunities around it are limited. This route, which can be done by bike or on foot in a day, connects the town to the village via a greenway through the town of Mayenne, then crosses the rolling countryside of Saint-Georges-Buttavent. It also covers a large part of the Salair forest near Fontaine-Daniel. To shorten the route, you can skip Mayenne and start elsewhere to make a loop around Fontaine-Daniel.

This route will take you through the hills of the Coëvrons and allow you to discover the beauty of the sunken paths in our region.

Come and explore the sunken paths of Izé and the surrounding area on this 8.6 km circular walk. This walk is signposted with yellow directional signs marked “No. 36 – Route du Bois d’Izé”. You can combine this route with route no. 35: “Circuit de la Vaudelle”.

A beautiful walk that runs alongside the Village du Cheval and then enters the forest via a path offering beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. It then crosses the Saint-Ortaire priory and returns to the centre of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne, passing by the lake and the casino on the way back to the car park.

How about setting off on a walk from a peaceful pond, heading towards ancient hamlets? Here, nature shows you its best side, and you’ll discover magnificent views. This 17 km route is suitable for walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers and is signposted “No. 21” on the yellow directional signs.

This route, which has little elevation gain, is an opportunity to discover typical villages and hamlets with rich granite architecture. This route is marked "No. 22" on the yellow directional signs.

This 20.5 km route invites you to linger over the beautiful granite architecture of the village of Mézangers and its superb Château du Rocher, to walk around the Étang du Gué de Selle pond while observing the rich surrounding flora and fauna, to cross the Bois d'Hermet woods and even take an ancient path. This route is marked "No. 25" on the yellow directional signs.

Gain some height on this beautiful heritage walk.

A lovely walk with a succession of paths, sometimes through the forest and sometimes along sunken lanes. You will also follow a section of theGR®365. This walk is signposted with yellow directional signs marked “No. 41 – Collines et vallée d’Orthe”