The Châteaux of Coussay and La Tour de Ry

Departure from the war memorial in Coussay. Parking is available in the small car park at the town hall where the memorial is located. Another option is a larger car park on the right-hand side of the D7 when coming from Brizay, just before the town hall.

Yellow markings
The density of the markings is uneven, with sections in cultivated plains lacking support and requiring the planting of marker posts in some places. Nevertheless, the markings are clearly visible at important points.

(S/E) With the war memorial on your left and the town hall on your right, turn right onto the D41 road towards Saint-Jean-de-Sauves/Verrue (north-west). At a fork, leave the D41 turning left and take the small road on the right that climbs slightly towards Verrue/Les Roches.

(1) At the next crossroads (bus shelter), turn right towards Les Roches. Drive through the hamlet, ignoring three successive roads on the right, and continue for a few dozen metres towards La Careille (sign). Leave the road when it bends to the left and continue straight ahead along a path with an embankment and then a hedge on your right. At the next fork, take the grassy path on the right.

(2) At the next crossroads, at the bottom of a slight descent, turn right (marker post). Go up a grassy path between the fields, which is wide but not very well marked. Go back down and you will come to a small road, which you follow to the left. After a house with ivy-covered walls and before some agricultural sheds, all on the left-hand side of the road, turn right onto a path that descends towards the silos of an agricultural cooperative.

(3) Cross the D7 road and take a gravel path slightly to the right opposite, which starts to the left of a shed. Turn left, pass a pond on the left and leave a small fenced private property on the right.

(4) At the next crossroads, turn right (marker post) onto a path between the fields that leads towards the woods. After about 800 metres, walk along a small wood on your left. At the T-junction that follows very quickly, turn right towards the meadows and woods and then reach a crossroads with a small road.

(5) As indicated by an arrow you saw earlier, turn left onto a wide path lined with hedges (ignore the path on the right with a very visible yellow marker, which will be used on the way back). Stay on this wide path, through the undergrowth or along the edge of the meadows.

(6) When you reach a meadow on the left with a large isolated tree in the middle, look for a grassy path on the right blocked by a chain (yellow cross, this will be the return route). Continue straight ahead (east) until you reach a small road, which you follow on the left (beautiful walnut trees on the left-hand side). Ignore a small road on the left and, at the next crossroads (Impasse de Lumi), continue straight ahead.

(7) A few metres further on, turn right into Rue de la Croix Robert. Stay on this very small road heading south, lined first with houses, then meadows and finally poplar groves. Cross a stream and walk along a wood on your left.

(8) At the crossroads, turn right (south-west; house opposite, signpost on the right). At the next fork (signpost^{"PR® Doussay} "), ignore the path that branches off to the left towards some sheds and continue straight ahead uphill. Gradually, the Château de la Tour de Ry will appear on your right. When you reach the agricultural sheds on your right, the path gives way to a small tarmac road.

(9) At the crossroads, follow the larger road on the right and, after a few metres, turn right again towards Coussay. Take two short first turns left then right and, at the bottom of the descent (cross), turn right towards Lairault. Walk along the castle wall on your right (beautiful view through a gate) and continue to a large oak tree on the right-hand side of the road.

(10) Just after this large oak tree, turn left (north-west) onto a path between the fields. At the next crossroads (large pine tree on the left), turn right onto a grassy lane (metal posts, one of which has a yellow marker). As indicated by a sign on the left of the lane, you are crossing private property: do not stray from the lane, do not pick anything, and respect the surroundings. At the end of the lane, go through a chain and you will come out onto the path you took on the way there.

(6) Turn left and retrace your steps until you reach the junction with the small road.

(5) Head due west and take the second path on the left (the widest one). Ignore a path branching off to the left and, at the next crossroads, turn right and continue along a wide path through the undergrowth, bordered by a small ditch on your left. Follow this path through two quick first turns left then right to reach the edge of the woods.

(11) At the edge of the woods, you will see the Château de Coussay. Continue along the wide path, with the ditch now on your right. Leave the château on your left and you will come to the D7 road. Turn left and follow this road for about 200 metres (take care). Just after the sign for Coussay, turn left onto a gravel driveway towards the château (signpost; information board on the left).

(12) Pass a small car park marked out by a green and white chain, with a stone gate on your right. Pass this car park and go around the castle moat on the left (marker post on the right of the path). When you reach the church, turn left and go through the gate on the right of the church. Walk along the cemetery on your left, then turn right. Then turn right again onto the D41 and you will quickly return to the starting point (S/E).

N.B. If the gate near the church is closed, retrace your steps to the D7 road and turn left to return to the starting point.

In dry weather, good trainers are sufficient for this hike. Much of the hike is in open terrain: avoid the hot hours of summer and bring sun protection depending on the season. No water sources identified.

Alternative route:
If you do not wish to cross private property after the Château de la Tour du Ry''
Continue along the small road beyond the large oak tree (10). At the junction at elevation 91 (sign indicating Le Gacon on the right), turn left and take the same path you took on the way there until you reach the junction with a small road (5).

A 1:25,000 map is useful (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 5 September 2015.

In the village of Coussay (12):
- Château de Coussay (16th-18th century), which was occupied for a time by Cardinal Richelieu. Information panels indicate that pedestrians are allowed to walk around the moat (which is still active).
- Coussay Church, originally Romanesque and extensively remodelled since.

In the eastern circular (10):
- Château de la Tour de Ry (15th-18th century).