Maquis of the Bois du Thouraud in Maisonnisses

A pleasant little commemorative walk starting from Les Châtres or Maisonnisses, exploring the Bois du Thouraud and the site of the first Creuse maquis, in memory of the maquisards who fell on 7 September 1943, and the upper reaches of the Gartempe near its source, the Pierre Fade.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 192 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 198 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 672 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 539 m

Photos

Description of the walk

You can start from Maisonnisses by parking in the square opposite the church.

(S/E) Start the walk with your back to the church, following Rue du1er Maquis Creusois. Head down towards the mill, cross the bridge over the Gartempe and arrive at a crossroads.

(1) Turn right onto the D50 towards Ahun, and continue to the first bend.

(2) Leave the road and take the path on the left into the woods until you reach a junction.

(3) Take the path on the left to stay on the yellow markings and join a road.

(4) When you come out onto the road, turn right and continue until you reach a memorial stone.

(5) Turn left onto the path towards the memorial.

(6) Turn left towards the memorial, follow the circular Chemin des Maquisards path and rejoin the main path marked in yellow

(7) Continue left, pass by the water sources and turn left to join the D34.

(8) Turn left onto this road, heading due south.

(9) Leave the road and take the path on the right just before the road sign and continue to the rocky outcrop of the Pierre de Fade.

(10) Continue and stay on the marked path on the left which leads to the hamlet of Les Châtres.

(11) When you reach the road, turn left to cross the hamlet and continue along this road to reach Maisonnisses and the church square (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 570 m - Square, Church of Maisonnisses. Towards the bridge of the - Gartempe (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.32 - alt. 554 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 577 m - Junction on the path
  4. 3 : km 2.13 - alt. 627 m - Turn left
  5. 4 : km 2.46 - alt. 607 m - Road junction
  6. 5 : km 3.66 - alt. 668 m - Maquis memorial
  7. 6 : km 3.97 - alt. 667 m - Chemin des Maquisards Circular Loop
  8. 7 : km 4.5 - alt. 667 m - Main trail marked in yellow
  9. 8 : km 5.71 - alt. 609 m - Junction D34
  10. 9 : km 6.52 - alt. 592 m - Road sign
  11. 10 : km 7.53 - alt. 622 m - Pierre Fade rock formation
  12. 11 : km 8.2 - alt. 560 m - Les Châtres hamlet
  13. S/E : km 9.58 - alt. 570 m - Maisonnisses square and church

Notes

This hike is taken from tourisme-creuse.com, updated and published on Visorando for wider distribution.

Worth a visit

Between Maisonnisses and Outrelaigue, admire the Gartempe river.
Pay your respects at the site of the first Creuse maquis, where 18 young draft dodgers took refuge to escape the STO; on 7 September 1943, seven young men were killed by the Nazis, eight others taken prisoner and deported; only three would return from deportation; enter their ‘sape’ which served as their refuge, and walk the circular route of the Chemin des Maquisards which passes through the rocky chaos and the spring that supplied them with water.

Admire the curious rock formation known as Pierre Fade.

Visit the church at Maisonnisses.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 24276312
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful, a lovely walk, stunning scenery. The only issue is the tree felling, which makes the route a bit tricky.

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kinelau
kinelau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I was unable to complete this hike due to forestry work from point 9 onwards; it was impossible to follow the Pierres Fades path, which has been closed by municipal order since 14 June 2024.
I followed the main road back to the starting point.
Shortly after point 2, trees had already fallen across the path, but I was able to go round them and carry on.
A lovely walk; I really enjoyed the sections in the forest near the monument to the 1st Creusois Maquis. I’ll do it again when the path is clear.

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meringue34
meringue34

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

There are quite a few tarmac roads along the route.
The paths through the woodland are pleasant.
The Maquis memorial is moving, with photos of the Maquis fighters who were executed.
We ignore the descriptions and simply follow the hike’s GPS.

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Jean-Pierre Déchoz
Jean-Pierre Déchoz
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in glorious weather at the start of autumn. My only – minor – regret: there’s a lot of tarmac, even though the roads in the area are often deserted. In the hamlet of Les Châtres, an artist (though I didn’t see anyone) is clearly creating original works… Well worth supporting! See my photos below.

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ThierryGomez
ThierryGomez

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk that takes you through the Bois du Thouraud, the site of the first Creuse resistance group, where seven young resistance fighters were executed by the German occupiers on 7 September 1943.
There are quite a few sections through woodland, with some stretches on tarmac, particularly at the start and finish; the yellow markings aren’t very recent, but are clearly visible throughout the route.
Well worth a visit

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