The medieval paths of Sargé-lès-le-Mans

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Walk along the sunken paths on the outskirts of Le Mans.

Details

n°478515
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 82 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 91 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 118 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 61 m
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Description of the walk

By car, park on Place de la Poste behind the church.

(S/E) From the car park, take Rue des Capucines, which runs alongside the church on the right, and continue to the Maréchaux roundabout. Yellow markings.

(1). Dangerous crossing of the D301. Follow Boulevard Nature opposite, straight ahead across the fields and then along the sunken path until you cross the small road at Haut Ardrier. Continue to the next junction 150 metres away. Yellow markings.

(2) Follow Boulevard Nature on the path to the right, then Chemin de la Boissière to the left. End of yellow markings and Boulevard Nature. Continue 400 metres past the Haute Gémerie stud farm.

(3) Take Boulevard Nature on the left. Yellow markings.

(4) At the end of the sunken lane, turn right onto Route de l'Arche en Vallée towards Chapelle Saint-Michel. Pink markings for the Sargé route.

(5) Opposite the chapel, turn onto Chemin de la Fouasserie, which climbs to the left. Pink markings. Pass the farm and turn left.

(6) At the top of the path, turn right onto Route de la Chauvinière, then pass a road on your left. After Landes de Montsort, do not turn left onto Rue du Sablon Blanc at the stop sign, but continue straight ahead towards the second stop sign, which you will see 200 metres ahead.

(7) Before the Bouquetière ruins, turn left onto the path. Pink markings. At Champ Fleuri, return to Route de la Prévoterie (dangerous crossing). Take Chemin de Monfort opposite, then at the next junction, turn slightly left onto the footpath that crosses the business park. Stay on this path until you reach the roundabout.

(8) At the roundabout, cross Route de Bonnétable to the right, then go down Chemin de la Fontaine Saint-Martin, to the right of the road bridge.

(9) Turn right onto Chemin des Fontenelles, which crosses the Gironde stream and goes straight up to Sargé-lès-le-Mans (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 102 m - Place de la Poste behind the church
  2. 1 : km 0.84 - alt. 113 m - Rond-point des Maréchaux
  3. 2 : km 2.2 - alt. 116 m - Route de la Béroize
  4. 3 : km 3.55 - alt. 73 m - Boulevard Nature on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.67 - alt. 61 m - L'Arche en Vallée
  6. 5 : km 5.37 - alt. 76 m - Saint-Michel Chapel
  7. 6 : km 6.02 - alt. 110 m - Route de la Chauvinière
  8. 7 : km 7.34 - alt. 109 m - La Bouquetière
  9. 8 : km 9.45 - alt. 93 m - Route de Bonnétable
  10. 9 : km 9.9 - alt. 76 m - On the right, Chemin des Fontenelles
  11. S/E : km 11.32 - alt. 102 m - Place de la Poste behind the church

Notes

Access
- By car, park on Place de la Poste behind the church
- Access by SETRAM bus, stops "Cerisiers" or "Sargé-lès-le-Mans"
- Good bar/restaurant at the foot of the church in Sargé-lès-le-Mans, open for lunch on weekdays

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 12 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 24684839

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

pleasant, well-shaded sunken paths to walk along in dry weather; I'm not sure about winter.

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philrando15
philrando15

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, mainly in the countryside.

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Rouann
Rouann

I haven't done this hike yet.

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RICOU62
RICOU62

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

With the help of the Visorando map, it's easy to find your way around and complete the entire hike without any difficulty. There weren't many people out when we went. Lots of shaded paths and not much tarmac. Suitable for families.

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Ciblor
Ciblor

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route created using the GPX track on my GPS, and the track is perfect.
The route is very pleasant with shaded sections in the woods.
There are a few sections on roads and crossroads, but these are short and not particularly dangerous.
Suitable for younger children.
Thank you for the ride.

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Enrico72
Enrico72

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike alternating between paths, sunken lanes and quiet roads.
Please note: not recommended the day after heavy rain.
I use GPX tracks and have not encountered any problems.
Thank you.

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Coq72
Coq72
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Little traffic on the paved paths, beautiful and interesting route through the woods. The only drawback is the mix of different trail markers, but the description is very accurate. Not much of historical interest.
Best done in good weather.
I would definitely recommend it.
Enjoy your hike!

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Dr Marche
Dr Marche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

The part of the hike on certain paths is nice.
However, there are many sections on the road and few iconic places to see.
Passing by a McDonald's and a Flunch restaurant spoils the natural atmosphere a bit, especially with the unpleasant smell.
We expected to see things dating back to the Middle Ages given the name of the hike, but this wasn't the case. There was only one chapel, which unfortunately we couldn't access...
Perhaps the name of the walk should be changed or it should be made clear that there are no medieval buildings to see.
Otherwise, the section on the "nature boulevard" is pretty cool!

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claire greneche
claire greneche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike, lots of paths, very close to the town. We did it in 2½ hours, walking at a brisk pace, without many breaks.

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Patisse
Patisse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

tar: A trail I didn't know about! Great, nice and hilly, perfect for when the weather is nice...

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beaudouinnicole
beaudouinnicole

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk very close to Le Mans. Easy access and parking. The start of the walk is very pleasant, especially when you arrive at the Gémeries stud farm. Beautiful sunken paths, very wet in places during rainy periods. The end of the route, through the industrial estate and under the ring road, is less picturesque. You can easily shorten the route by cutting across at the Sargé roundabout.

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Pierre ALLAIN
Pierre ALLAIN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Despite the cold weather (-11°C) at the start at 9am, it was a great hike.

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patrice.emerit
patrice.emerit

Hello,
Thank you for your review, which will allow me to modify my description. I am delighted that you enjoyed this pleasant hike near Le Mans. Perhaps we will meet again on the trails.

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pfsmalo
pfsmalo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hi, first of all, the route is very good, along sunken lanes and through woodland. The tarmac sections, except those marked as dangerous, are quiet country lanes with little or no traffic.
There are one or two minor issues, however.

1) At the start, if you are in the small car park behind the church, there is no need to walk along the church; turn left and you will be on Rue des Capucines. If there are no spaces in that car park, there is another one 200 metres further on, still on Rue des Capucines.
2) The 250-metre section of Rue des Capucines before the Marechaux roundabout is under construction (as of 2 May 2017), but you can still get through.
3) #6, do not turn left onto Rue du Sablon Blanc at the stop sign, but continue straight ahead towards the second one, which you can see 200 metres away, and the road turns left before the stop sign. If you make the mistake of turning left onto Rue du Sablon Blanc, it's easy to get out of it by going to the end, turning right and then rejoining the path a little further on by crossing the junction, where there is a pink marker on the sign in the middle of the road.
4) Follow the footpath and continue to the end, where you will come to the roundabout.

NB There is a great bar/restaurant at the foot of the church in Sargé, with a daily menu at £12.60 all inclusive. Very welcoming to hikers. It's a shame it's closed on weekends and public holidays.

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