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In Azay-sur-Indre, park in the car park of the picnic area located on the banks of the Indre, at the bottom of the village (small wooden hall for stopping during tours).
Please note! This route is not signposted as such.
(S/E) With your back to the Indre, take the road on the left, then turn left to cross the bridge over the river. On the other side, ignore the road that branches off to the right, continue over the bridge that crosses the Indrois and then straight ahead on the road. At the cemetery, ignore the path that branches off to the left.
(1) About 60 metres further on, turn right for a return trip to the Moulin de la Follaine. Back at the intersection, turn right onto the road to pass below the Château de la Follaine. Further up, at the crossroads, ignore the first road on the right, which is the entrance to the château, and take the second road, Chemin des Vignes. Go around the château and continue on this road, which heads south-east, passing above the Moulin de la Follaine and then an old fish farm that has been converted into an aquaculture farm.
(2) Further on, when the road ends, continue straight ahead on the path that continues it (old yellow signpost), ignoring a path on the left.
(3) Under a small power line, you will see a small electrical transformer on your right, a yellow sign indicating to continue straight ahead, and a path on your left (yellow cross on the electricity pole). Take this path on your left, which climbs through the fields. At the top, at a crossroads, you will see a yellow sign and the signs. Turn onto the path on your right, the only one without a sign indicating the direction. Continue straight ahead, ignoring a path on the left, then a second one (not shown on the map) just before you reach a wood on your left. Continuing straight ahead, enter the wood and pass under a high-voltage power line.
(4) Leave the woods and follow the edge of the woods on your right, continuing east. Continue along this path, which turns left just before it joins a road (yellow arrow pointing in the opposite direction).
(5) Follow the road on the right to pass through the hamlets of L'Augerie, La Clémencerie and La Rochette.
(6) When you reach a crossroads, continue straight ahead (towards La Saulaie). Shortly afterwards, you will come to a small roundabout. Turn right onto Rue du Lavoir, which crosses the village of Chédigny (no entry sign). From this point, pay attention to the many rose bushes lining the streets. Pass a wooden wash house and continue straight ahead. Shortly afterwards, turn left onto the street towards the town hall/school to reach the church.
(7) Turn right and, at the crossroads, continue right onto Rue de l'Alambic until you reach a larger road, Rue Chante l'Indrois. Follow it to the left. Shortly afterwards, cross a small stream, then the bridge over the Indrois.
(8) Shortly afterwards, at the crossroads, turn left for a short detour to the Château du Breuil and its beautiful Bolée windmill. Return to the crossroads.
(8) Continue straight ahead towards Saint-Michel. Follow the yellow and redGRP®® signs until further notice. Pass an old chapel that has been converted into a house. Continue further along the path that extends the road, with the Indrois on your right. Pass a house. The path turns south to join a road.
(9) Follow it to the right, then take the first path on the left (GRP® sign on a panel on the right-hand side of the road). The path climbs through the woods and comes out into a clearing near a house (known as Bretagne).
(10) Ignore a path on the left and continue along the small, rough road. When it turns left, continue straight ahead on the path into the woods.
(11) Further on, at the crossroads, turn right (I couldn't find the cross shown on the map). At the junction with a wide path (GR®® coming from the right), continue straight ahead towards the electricity pylon, then pass under the high-voltage line. Further up, ignore a path on the right, lined with conifers, and continue straight ahead. Pass a sewage treatment plant on your left, then descend onto a wide path covered with falun (white limestone powder).
(12) On the road, ignore the yellow and redGRP®® andGR®® markings that branch off to the right and turn left. Shortly afterwards, at the crossroads, turn right to take the bridge over the Indre. On the bridge, note a castle on the right bank.
(13) Before the second bridge crossing the floodplain of the river, descend to the right onto a path. At the foot of the bridge, turn right onto a wide path. Continue through meadows and woods. Ignore a path on the left, then a path on the right (not shown on the map). Further on, pass between meadows and fields.
(14) Ignore a wide path coming from the left and continue straight ahead before turning slightly to the left after a few metres. Further on, you will come to a fork. Continue to the right, through marshy areas, on the path that approaches the Indre. On the left, you will see a boundary wall and a beautiful gate. You will soon come to a road.
(15) Turn left, pass the ornate gate, then take the first path on the right and head back. Climb up through the undergrowth, then, at the top, continue straight ahead along the edge of the field.
(16) You will come out onto a road. Turn right and walk along the grounds of the château. At the crossroads, continue to the right and go under the stone footbridge. You will arrive at Azay church, with the town hall and its small springs on your left. Walk downhill for a few metres, then turn left to return to the car park (S/E).
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