From Nogent-le-Rotrou to Rémalard

(S) From Nogent-le-Rotrou railway station, take Avenue de la Victoire opposite. Turn left onto Rue Saint-Hilaire and follow it for about 1 km. Turn left onto Rue Giroust.

(1) Turn right onto Rue des Ruisseaux, which climbs towards Brunelles.

(2) After Bellevue, at the top of the hill, turn right towards Le Bout du Bois.

(3) At the fork in the road, turn right and enter the Bois des Perchets. Pass between the private properties and follow the path. At the crossroads, continue straight on through the forest until you reach a fork. Take the path on the right, which leads to a small tarmac road.

(4) Continue straight ahead on the road until you reach the D110.8, which you cross. Follow the forest track straight ahead, then turn right at the Fork in the road. At the shed, turn right to reach the tarmac road D110.

(5) Turn left and continue along the road (watch out for traffic). Take a quick look to the right at the Moulin d’Arcisses. 800 m further on, turn left onto the D103 towards Ozée.


(6) Continue left on the D103 towards Nogent-le-Rotrou. 50 m further on, turn right up towards Beauvais.


(7) At the top of the hill, follow the road to the right, heading due north, which passes in front of the Cour Bailleau. When you reach a Fork in the road, take the path on the right. On the plateau, there is a beautiful view. Pass through the Minières farm.

(8) Turn right at the no-entry sign (power pylon), then left onto the D110, which leads to the D923 (the busy Chartres–Le Mans link road). Cross carefully and continue straight ahead on the small tarmac road towards Condé-sur-Huisne, which passes through the Bois de la Galaizière.


(9) 300 m further on, turn right towards Les Souches. Continue straight ahead. At the hamlet of Le Fouteau, the tarmac road becomes a grassy track. A few metres further on, at the gate, turn left. The path winds through the forest and leads to a Fork in the road. Ignore the path on the left and continue straight ahead. The sunken path climbs, flanked by meadows, and the view of the Perche hills to your left is breathtaking!


(10) At Bel-Air, head down the tarmac road to the left for about thirty metres, then take the path on the right. A few metres before reaching the D203, turn right towards La Cour au Loup. The tarmac road climbs through the hamlet (beautiful unobstructed view to the right).

(11) Once you reach the top, where the path becomes grassy, continue left onto a tarmac path. Carry on straight ahead to the D203, cross it and go straight on along the forest track opposite.

(12) Take the second path leading down to the left. At the tarmac road, cross over and continue towards the Bonnizeau farm. Leave this farm on your left and carry on straight ahead along the sunken track through the fields for over a kilometre. Beautiful views of the surrounding forests and hills.


(13) At the tarmac road, turn right for about a hundred metres then veer left; be careful not to miss the entrance to the small path (also marked in yellow), the start of which may be somewhat obscured by vegetation. It quickly turns into a typical sunken lane winding through the fields. Continue like this for 800 m, until the path is no longer lined with trees and climbs steeply through the fields.

(14) Turn left, north-west, onto the grassy path towards Rivray. If you miss this junction, continue up the slope onto the plateau and take the old Roman road on the left (elevation 173) (signposted, which also leads to Rivray). In both cases, the path joins a small tarmac road. Continue left to enter Rivray. The road winds downwards.

(15) Stop on the descent for a 50-metre detour to the left between the houses, and take the time to see the feudal motte. Return to the road and continue the descent for 50 metres.


(16) Before the Stop sign, go down the embankment on the right (also marked in yellow) and continue through the small pedestrian tunnel that passes under the railway line. It is also possible to go as far as the Stop sign and cross the tracks via the road tunnel. Please note that in this case, the lack of pavements makes this crossing dangerous for pedestrians. Cross the D918 and continue straight ahead.


(17) Cross the bridge over the Corbionne. The path soon becomes very wet, but it is often possible to walk along the edge of the field on the left until you reach a small gap where the path becomes more passable. At a fork in the road, take the path on the right.

(18) At the T-junction, follow the path on the left to La Haie. Once on the tarmac road, turn left, then after the last house, turn right onto a sunken path. This path climbs. At the top of the hill, there is a magnificent 360° panorama. Continue straight on along the grassy path, which veers slightly to the left.
(19) When you reach a fenced-off meadow, turn left. The path runs between a cultivated field and the fence. Turn right at the Fork in the road. The path becomes tarmac. Walk through the hamlet of La Foucaudière. Continue straight on to the D622. Turn left onto it. 100 m further on, turn right towards La Chaussée.

(20) There is a pleasant picnic area on the square in front of the chapel in this pretty hamlet. Continue straight on and turn left to return to the D622. Follow the D622 to the right for about 1 km. At the junction with the D10, cross carefully and continue straight on towards Villeray, one of the picturesque villages of the Perche. Cross the Huisne. On the right, take a look at the old 19th-century mill, now a restaurant. After the bridge over the Huisne, turn left. The road climbs steeply past the château. Continue straight on to the top of the hill.

(21) Don’t miss the path on the right between two houses, which quickly becomes a sunken lane. Continue straight down the hill. The path joins the D622. Turn left onto it and continue straight on to Saint-Germain-des-Grois.


(22) At the church, turn right towards Cour Bercy onto a pretty little tarmac road that winds for about 500 m. At the ‘Private Property’ sign, turn right, cross the Huisne and continue to the Voie Verte, which is still often shown on maps as an abandoned railway line.


(23) Join the Voie Verte and follow it for about 3 km. There are beautiful views of typical Perche countryside all along the route.


(24) At the old station on the right, leave the Voie Verte and continue right onto the tarmac road towards Dorceau.

(25) At the bridge, take a look at the romantic Dorceau mill. You can stop at a picnic area. Once past the bridge, continue straight on and follow Rue du Château through the village to Saint-Étienne Church. Another stop to admire the two sundials on the façade and the cemetery. Leave the church on your right and continue straight on, still on Rue du Château. You leave Dorceau via a small tarmac path which turns into a dirt track at the bend. Continue straight on for 1 km.


(26) Cross the D920 with care (watch out for traffic) and continue straight on towards Rémalard, skirting the housing estate. When you reach the tarmac road in front of the football pitch, turn left. Follow the road that runs alongside the stadium.

(27) Turn right onto Rue de Hautbourg towards the Church of Saint-Germain-d'Auxerre in Rémalard (E).

Before setting off on your hike, print or download a recent version of the route map. In the event of changes, always follow the signposting on the ground.
A day mainly spent in the countryside. Few shops along the way. So make sure you stock up on provisions for the day before leaving Nogent-le-Rotrou (plenty of shops, as well as doctors, a hospital, the SNCF railway station, etc.). There are shops again in Rémalard, your next stop. Along the way, there are many charming spots that make ideal places for a lovely picnic.

Nogent-le-Rotrou, with its many neighbourhoods and historic monuments, is obviously worth a visit. But for now, save this visit for the final stage of the Tour des Collines, as your return to the SNCF station will take you through the town.
Along the way, don’t miss Rivray and its feudal motte, the charming hamlet of La Chaussée, Villeray with its mill and castle hotel, and of course Rémalard. Between Saint Germain des Grois and Dorceau, the Tour des Collines du Perche will follow ‘la Voie Verte’ for around three kilometres; this is the former railway line that linked Condé sur l’Huisne to Alençon, and which has been converted into a tourist route open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders.