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Park near the church in Nantoin (Ville-Neuve).
(S/E) Leave the village and head west up the Petit-Nantoin road, keeping the roads on your right and left.
(1) When you reach Montée de Broize on your right, turn right (signposted "Étang la Grande Chaume"). You are now on a small tarmac road which gradually becomes a wide stony track. Follow it to the Étang de Chaume, ignoring any turnings on the right or left.
(2) You will pass by the Petit Etang. If the water level is low, you may not be able to see it from the road. You can easily access the north bank of the pond.
(3) Walk between the Malymorte pond (small log staircase on the right to take a look) and the Mucillon pond on the left. Follow the markings and directional signs to reach the Étang de la Grande Chaume (sign for "Grande Chaume - 600 m").
(4) Pass it and continue towards the Étang de Fer. 400 m further on, you will see a sign for it (Étang de Fer - 595 m). Turn right (towards "La Vauchesse - 2.4 km").
(5) You will arrive at the corner of a meadow surrounded by woods. Turn left to follow it. You will arrive at a crossroads. Follow the yellow signs, which advise you to turn right.
(6) You will come to a large wooden hut before the Étang du Rif Blanc (private). Turn left. Walk along a small pond on your left. Continue along the dirt track until you come to a valley. Cross the meadow and climb up the opposite slope to reach La Vauchesse (signposted "La Vauchesse - 555 m").
(7) Take a beautiful flat, stony path on the right (towards Champier/Vernondière). Your path will come out onto a small asphalt road. Continue straight ahead.
(8) Take the first path on your right, which descends slowly and then steeply into a valley (signposted "sauf riverains" [except for residents]). From this point onwards, there are no more yellow markings. At the bottom of the valley, you will cross a small stream. Ignore the path that branches off to your left towards the valley. You will almost immediately come to a fork. Take the left fork. A little further on, climb steeply into the forest on a very stony and very wet path.
Follow this path, ignoring any paths that branch off to the right or left. The path is not maintained towards the end and becomes grassy and slightly overgrown with branches. However, you can pass through easily. When the slope of the path levels out, the vegetation changes and you will find yourself walking among broom bushes. Here you can enjoy a beautiful view. You will come out onto a large cultivated area (market gardens). Ignore the two paths that branch off to the left.
(9) You come to a small paved road (with a memorial to a resistance fighter who was shot). Turn left and head down towards the plain. As you enter Nantoin, take the Chemin des Murailles on the right. It turns naturally to the south.
(10) Shortly after the bend, you will find a small path on your right that plunges into the valley. Take this path. It will rejoin your route further down. Turn right (note the backwater and its wash house with a water source). You will come to a road (Montée de Villeneuve), which you take on the left to return to the church car park (S/E).
At point 10, the path downhill is blocked halfway down by a large uprooted tree. Crossing it is a bit tricky (there is an impassable slope on the left and a field below on the right). Otherwise, just continue along the wall path and turn right twice to reach the beautiful wash house
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