Les Sentes de Fondoire

From Guesnes or Monts-sur-Guesnes, follow the road signs for “Étang de Guesnes / Sentes de Fondoire”. Park in the car park by the pond, near a sign with a map of the walks (to the west of the refreshment kiosk). Depending on your exact parking spot, follow the signs for “Départ des randonnées”.

The route follows the entire length of the Sentier des Acacias, which is signposted with a leaf symbol. At the start and end, it shares the path with the Sentier de la Source (signposted with a heart) and the Sentier des Mares (signposted with a dragonfly). The signposting is one-way, in the direction described here. At intervals, small signs indicate the distance covered since the start.

Signposting: Acacias + Source + Mares

(S/E) Set off southwards, at right angles to the access track to the car park, and cross a footbridge over a stream. You will immediately pass the Cabane des Sentes and the sign for an arboretum, then walk alongside the pond on your left.

At the corner of the pond, cross a path and continue straight ahead along a compacted track. Walk alongside a pine forest on your right. At a junction (with a forest gate opposite), turn left and walk alongside the ruins of the Ferme de Fondoire on your left. Continue, passing the Ponton de la Source on your left, until you reach a crossroads (old lime tree; wooden sculptures).

Signposted ‘Acacias’

(1) Then turn off to the right (ignore the other signposts to the left). At a fork in the road that appears shortly afterwards, turn right again and wind your way through the woodland. Pass through a forest gate, cross a path and continue straight ahead through the woodland (several species of pine are signposted). At a T-junction, rejoin the path you crossed earlier, follow it to the right and you’ll reach the Carrefour de la Pause du Chêne.

(2) Then cross another lane and take the path opposite which heads off to the left. At the three-way junction that appears immediately, turn right. Then cross some experimental plots planted with black locust trees: stay on the main path and ignore all the side paths. You’ll come out onto a lane; follow it to the right.

(3) At the next junction (Cabane Abrissel on the right), take the^second lane on the left, which is narrower than the^first. Continue straight on towards the west and, after about 500m, you will reach the Pavillon de Fondoire. Then take the^first lane on the left.

(4) After about 150m, before a forest gate, leave the lane and turn left onto a path that leads into the woods. The path winds its way through the woods, alternating between dips and bumps. You’ll come out onto a wide lane (with old cellars on the left).

Follow the lane to the left and cross the Bois Meunier. After about 300m, at the start of a right-hand bend, leave the lane and take a grassy path on the right. Wind your way through the woodland, passing close to the junction you took on the way there with the Cabane Abrissel, and cross two clearings. At a crossroads (bench), turn left.

(5) At the T-junction, take a wide path to the left. At the next junction, continue straight ahead (orange arrow). After just under a hundred metres, ignore a grassy path on the right and take the Sente des Grands Animaux diagonally to the left (ignore the alternative route for hunting days, which branches off to the left at a 90° angle).

Head straight north-east along the wide path through a pine forest. At the T-junction (forest gate), follow the path to the left. After about 200m (a tree stump converted into a seat on the left-hand side), take a path leading off to the right into the woods. Wind your way through the undergrowth until you come out onto a path, then follow it to the right.

Signposted: Acacias + Source + Mares

(6) At the crossroads (with a grey poplar opposite), follow a compacted track to the right.

Signposted: Acacias + Mares

After about 200m, at a junction (large pine tree), continue straight ahead. Pass between two large oaks and walk past a willow grove on your right, then a marsh. You’ll come out onto a path and follow it to the left. Walk past an archery range on your right, cross a stream and reach the corner of the pond.

Then turn immediately right onto a wide grassy path. Pass a wooden watchtower on your left and walk alongside the^first pond on your left. At the corner, turn left and walk between two ponds. You’ll come out onto a lawn and turn left to go round a landscaped pond on the left.

Then take a path on the left and head towards the pond. Follow a path on the right to ‘return to the start’. At the next junction, turn left. At the edge of the pond (refreshment stand), turn right to return to the starting car park (S/E).

Please note: the Fondoire trails are not open to the public throughout the month of January.

A good pair of trainers is sufficient for this walk, which mainly follows well-maintained paths and tracks.

No water points were spotted along the route. There is a refreshment stand by the pond, just before returning to the car park.

A detailed map is useful (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Alternatives:
- Sentier des Mares (2.2 km) – At the junction (1), turn left. At the Carrefour du Peuplier Grisard (6), veer left and follow the main route to the end.
- Sentier de la Source (1.4 km) – a wheelchair-accessible circular route – At the junction (1), turn left. At the Carrefour du Peuplier Grisard junction (6), head slightly left and follow the main route for approximately 200m. At the junction, turn left. Walk to the pond and go round it on the left. Pass by the Cabane ds Sentes and return to the car park where you started.

Hike completed by the author on 3 May 2019.

The route is marked by numerous information boards, particularly about the many species of trees encountered along the way, and the huts which serve as shelters and play areas for young and old alike.

As well as several remarkable trees, which are signposted on site, you can also enjoy:
- The Étang de Guesnes (S/E).
- The ruins of the Fondoire Farm and its spring (1).
- The Pavillon de Fondoire, a former hunting lodge, used as a lookout post by the Resistance fighters during the summer of 1944.
- Some old cellars, between (4) and (5).
- The reed beds and pools near the pond, past (6).