The area around Sarzay, from its castle to the Vauvre valley

This walk in the southern Boischaut region allows you to explore the beautiful countryside around Sarzay and its magnificent 14th-century medieval castle, as well as the Sainte-Madeleine Fountain at Le Pondron and a lovely spot on the banks of the Vauvre in Vignonnet. The route is now called “In the footsteps of the Lord of Barbançois”, who founded the castle.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.27 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 203 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 230 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 771 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 610 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Sarzay (36230)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.601482° / E 1.904793°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2226SB, 2227O
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park near the town hall, behind the church, alongside the D51.
You’ll find an information board detailing the various routes on offer: follow the yellow markings.

(S/E) Return to the D51 and turn left (yellow markings andGR® 46). At the road junction, keep to the right to stay on the D51.

(1) Turn left towards the stadium (yellow markings) and continue along the track until you reach the D41.

(2) Follow the road to the right and, immediately after the bridge, turn left towards Les Sadets. At the next junction, turn right, then, as the road curves, take the grassy track furthest to the left.

(3) Turn left again, then continue right along the small road until you reach the junction at the entrance to the hamlet of Les Sadets du Haut.

(4) Turn onto the farm track on the right. At the end, turn left and, 100 metres further on, turn right onto a grassy track (yellow markings). Then follow the small road to the left as far as Les Loges.

(5) At the junction (cross), carefully follow the D51 to the right as far as Les Loges des Bois.

(6) At the junction, turn left onto a farm track which joins a small road.

(7) At the cross, follow the small road to the right for 40 m and turn left towards the Bellevue farm. Continue straight on at the next two junctions.

(8) On the descent (elevation 213), at the junction of four tracks, turn right onto the grassy track, then left onto a track suitable for vehicles which takes you to Le Pondron.

(9) Turn left onto the Route des Coutures.

(10) Head down the Route de la Fontaine on the right to join the D51a and reach the Fontaine Sainte-Madeleine.

(11) Retrace your steps. Head back up the Route de la Fontaine.

(10) Turn right. Continue up the grassy track until you reach the junction you passed on the way out.

(8) Take the path leading down to the right to join the D51a and follow this road to the left until you reach the first house in Vignonnet.

(12) Then turn left onto the street which branches off to the right further on. Follow it straight on at the next junction.

(13) At the end of the street, turn right and head downhill at the second junction. Take the D51a to the left and, at the crossroads, take the path on the right which leads to a picnic area on the banks of the Vauvre.

(14) Cross the ford via a footbridge and follow the path on the right (yellow markings andGR® 654).

(15) After the climb, at the crossroads where four paths meet, turn left and join the D41. Follow it to the left towards the castle entrance. At the junction of the D51 and D41, go round the cemetery on the left and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 728 ft - Town Hall Square - Église Saint-Pierre (Sarzay)
  2. 1 : mi 0.41 - alt. 663 ft - Stadium Drive
  3. 2 : mi 1.09 - alt. 614 ft - D41 road
  4. 3 : mi 1.73 - alt. 679 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 2.12 - alt. 650 ft - Les Sadets du Haut
  6. 5 : mi 3.12 - alt. 719 ft - Les Loges
  7. 6 : mi 3.7 - alt. 768 ft - La Loge des Bois
  8. 7 : mi 4.52 - alt. 755 ft - Cross
  9. 8 : mi 5.26 - alt. 699 ft - Elevation 213. Four-way junction
  10. 9 : mi 5.94 - alt. 692 ft - Le Pondron. Route des Coutures
  11. 10 : mi 6.07 - alt. 689 ft - Junction. Return via the fountain
  12. 11 : mi 6.14 - alt. 673 ft - Sainte-Madeleine Fountain
  13. 12 : mi 7.21 - alt. 646 ft - Junction
  14. 13 : mi 7.46 - alt. 686 ft - Vignonnet
  15. 14 : mi 7.68 - alt. 636 ft - Footbridge over the - Vauvre (rivière) - Affluent de l'Indre
  16. 15 : mi 8.18 - alt. 728 ft - GR 654
  17. S/E : mi 9.27 - alt. 728 ft - Town Hall Square - Église Saint-Pierre (Sarzay)

Notes

Make sure you wear suitable footwear as the surfaces vary. Furthermore, some paths are sometimes very grassy and may be damp.

This walk can be shortened by about 4 km (saving an hour) from point (7): turn left and then right to return to point (13) in Vignonnet.

Worth a visit

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

5 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
domipot
domipot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk through the bocage landscape of fields, hedges and woods
with views of the slender silhouette of Sarzay Castle.
The tour of the castle is very interesting, with rooms full of artefacts and a climb to the top offering panoramic views.

Machine-translated

jmgaeng
jmgaeng
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This magnificent walk takes you to a real hidden gem: the medieval castle of Sarzay, which you can visit for the modest sum of €7 per person.

Machine-translated

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.