Via Sempesserre from Sainte-Mère

Park in the car park behind the town hall in Sainte-Mère.

(S/E) Exit the car park to the right and head towards the centre of the village of Sainte-Mère. Enter the village through the gate to the right of the church and follow Rue du Château, which leads to a grassy area with a cross. Pass in front of the cross and continue along the wooded path which descends and then turns left until you reach an electricity pole. Finally, continue downhill to the right, between two cultivated plots, following the power line. On the way down, you will see an irrigation lake on the left, then another on the right.

(1) At the end of the descent, after a large oak tree, when you reach the ditch, follow it to the left, then cross at the first bridge and continue on the other side, still to the left, until you reach a hedge.

(2) At the intersection with the GR® de Pays Coeur de Gascogne trail, marked in yellow and red, turn right onto a grassy path, then a gravel path.

(3) Pass the hamlet of Mameillac and arrive at a road to take to the right, with a view of the village of Sempesserre on the left. Continue along this road until you reach the intersection with the D 284.

(4) Take the road to the left to the village of Sempesserre. When you reach the village, turn left in front of the church entrance and admire the fresco on the opposite wallbefore going down the road and then the gravel path towards Leyreté and the Orangerie. After passing through Leyreté, continue along the grassy path. At the bottom of the hill, cross the bridge over the Leyreté stream and continue on the right, along the edge of the stream, for about 200 metres.

(5) At the three-way junction, leave the stream on your right and take the grassy path ascending to the left, along a row of trees. Pass in front of the house in the hamlet of Pagine and continue along the stony path.

(6) At the end of this path, at the three-way junction, continue along the stony path to the left, and then again to the left, towards the village of Sainte-Mère, visible on the horizon. Head towards the Gachot farm.

(7) Turn left onto the gravel path in front of the shed, marked GR® de Pays de Gascogne, and follow this path to a road, then turn left until you reach the fork in the road.

(3) After the Pompogne house, turn right onto the path leading down from Mameillac (the path you took earlier). Go down the grassy path to the ditch.

(2) Cross the ditch and continue to the right, along the ditch, until you reach a small road, which you should take to the right.

(8) At the three-way junction, take the dead-end road, climbing to the left, until you reach Le Peyre.

(9) At the end of the road, take the dirt track to the left of the white shed until you reach Majoulin, which you should go around on the left. This will bring you to a small road, which you should follow to the left.

(10) Before a bend in this road to the right, take the gravel path, then the grassy path on the left. This path descends, then climbs up to the farm at Le Moulin (preserves on sale depending on the season).

(11) Take the road on the right towards the N21. Turn left and walk carefully along the grass verge for about 300 metres until you reach the first road on the left, Rue de la Plaine et du 19 Mars 1962. Walk past the town hall and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Water point and toilets at the town hall in Ste Mère and below the town hall in Sempesserre.

Mural in the village of Sempesserre.