Les Mauves near Meung-sur-Loire

There are a few parking spaces available on the pavement near the mill on the Mauve.

(S/E) Follow the small road, Chemin de Pantin, along the Mauve towards the north. Pass under the railway bridge and continue along the Mauve, leaving the path on your left. Follow the railway line, leaving Chemin des Meuniers on your left and taking the path that goes around the mill on the right.

Yellow markings

(1) Take the Chemin de la Promenade des Mauves on the left to the Mauve, which you will follow to the Route de la Batissière.

(2) Turn left, then left again at the fork. Continue along Chemin des Culands.

(3) Leave Chemin des Culands on your left and continue along Promenade des Mauves, which is covered in wood chips, passing the barrier, then a first small bridge along the Ilex.

(4) Cross the small bridge, then at the crossroads, head towards Clan, Bonnerie, leaving the path on your right towards La Batissière. Cross another small bridge that forms a right angle. Continue along the Promenade des Mauves until you reach a wide, slightly stony path. Turn right, leave the path on your left, then continue to the Route de Clan, which you will follow northwards.

(5) In Clan, cross the A10 motorway via Rue de Roudon on the left.

(6) At Roudon, continue along the road, ignoring the paths on the right.

(7) Turn right onto Chemin de Brasset. Cross La Mauve. You will reach another fork in the road.

(8) Take Rue de Rondonneau on the left, which leads to the hamlet of Brasset. Continue towards Petit Rondonneau, ignoring the paths on either side. You will reach a large crossroads before Grand Rondonneau.

(9) At the fork, turn right onto Impasse de Rondonneau towards Grand Rondonneau. Leave the path on your left. Reach the end of the cul-de-sac.

(10) Continue along the stony path at the edge of the woods towards Château de Touanne.

(11) Turn left towards Château de la Touanne. To do this, turn left to go around the Touanne estate and continue to the crossroads leading to the main entrance of the château. With your back to the building, take the tree-lined path. At the D2, keep left on the road then turn left immediately after crossing the Mauve de Fontaine river to follow the boundary wall. Follow the edge of the woods as you leave and go around the private property on the right to reach the corner of the field.

(12) Make a round trip to the left in the Chérelles estate to admire the mill and its surroundings.

On your return, leave the path on your right and continue along the meandering Mauve river, at the edge of the woods, then leave the woods and reach a crossroads with several paths.

(13) At the Château de Rondonneau, turn left onto Rue de Rondonneau, cross the bridge over the confluence of the Mauves, and leave the path on your right. Return to the Grand Rondonneau crossroads.

(9) Turn right onto Rue de Rondonneau and walk back in the opposite direction to Petit Rondonneau, ignoring the paths on either side, then cross Brasset.

(8) At the junction, take Chemin de Brasset on the left, pass the Prélefort farm on your right and continue north. Pass Château de Prélefort and you will come to another crossroads on the edge of Mauve de la Détourbe.

(14) Continue along the road on the right, leaving Impasse de Prélaville on your left. Cross Mauve de la Détourbe, then continue through a magnificent forest. At the fork, turn left onto Route de Prélefort, leaving the path leading to Château de Prélefort on your right. Cross Les Mauves twice and pass along a poplar plantation on your right.

(15) At the T-junction, take Rue de Préau on the right and leave it after about 100 metres to take the first path on the right, which is roughly tarmacked and then becomes grassy.

(16) At the junction with Impasse de la Challerie, take the path that veers slightly to the right, then leave it when it turns right towards the stud farm to follow the grassy path that descends towards a gate. Continue through a magnificent forest before reaching the Mauve, which you will follow downstream. Cross the first footbridge. Cross the Mauve de la Détourbe again, then follow the narrow path lined with hedges to the hamlet of Roudon.

(6) You will then rejoin Rue de Roudon, which you took on the way out, and turn left. Cross the A10 motorway, continuing along Rue de Roudon.

(5) At the T-junction with Route de Clan, turn left. Cross the hamlet to the mill. Continue along Route de Clan, leaving the path on your left, until you reach the junction with Route d'Aunay. Turn right and pass Château de Champremault.

(17) At the crossroads, turn right onto Route de la Batissière, which passes through a residential area. Continue along the road, which bends to the left as it approaches La Mauve, until you reach the "Promenade des Mauves" sign 250 metres after the bend.

(18) At the large information sign, turn right onto the Promenade des Mauves. The route crosses the vegetation corridor (riparian forest) via a well-maintained and well-marked path due to its popularity. It crosses several branches of the Mauves via a series of small bridges.

(4) At the crossroads, turn left towards "Parking de la Nivelle". You will then find yourself back on the path you took on the way there.

(3) Pass the Ilex arboretum on your right, heading towards "Parking de la Nivelle".

(2) At the large information board, turn right towards the Promenade des Mauves. Follow the Mauve along the small path that turns left as you approach the railway line to join a variant of the Promenade des Mauves.

(1) Turn right towards the mill. Do not go under the railway line at the first bridge, but at the second, then follow the Mauve along the Chemin de Pantin to the starting point (S/E).

Alternative route:
(10) You can take the path that descends towards the Chérelles mill. In this case, cross the mill courtyard and continue along the grassy path to (12). This reduces the length of the route to 16.0 km.

The hike takes you along quiet minor roads and dirt or grassy paths. It is accessible all year round except between (10) and (12) via the Château de la Touanne, as the path is flooded in winter. In this case, follow the alternative route from (10) to (12).

The route has many twists and turns as it follows the course of a stream. However, the paths are well marked due to the regular use of this walk.

The A10 motorway separates the first circular at the confluence of the Mauves from the other two circulars, along the Mauve de Fontaine on one side and the Mauve de la Détourbe on the other. The motorway is crossed via a small road, which fortunately has little traffic, as continuity via the route of the old circuit is no longer guaranteed.

The Mauves, which are resurgences of the Beauce water table, were shaped to drain the marshes. Later, they supported mills (from the 12th century onwards), which became a source of prosperity for the towns and hamlets they passed through.

During the hike, you can observe the fauna and flora. Various species of trees, flowers, birds, waders and passerines, fish, trout, chub, frogs and other salamanders. The Mauves walk, which makes up the first third of the hike, is well documented. Numerous signs explain what can be observed and how the very special ecosystems encountered during the walk function.

The Ilex arboretum garden (2 hectares) in the middle of the Mauves meanders is a curiosity with its many species of holly (Ilex) and remarkable trees.

Nearby, the town of Meung-sur-Loire, known for its castle and abbey church, is itself crossed by the Mauves, which provided a source of energy for many mills.

The A10 motorway has broken the continuity of the paths between the northern and southern parts of the walk. Fortunately, a small, quiet road allows you to cross it.