No calves at the Château des Vaux

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No, it was not calves, devotees or a certain Mr Desvaux, who once owned the property, but three valleys that gave the estate its name. However, there are many horses. Purchased in 1805 by the Marquis d'Aligre, whose family lived in the nearby Château de la Rivière, it became a renowned hunting destination where horses reigned supreme and were housed in sumptuous stables. Even today, horses still graze in the surrounding meadows.
In front of the château, the statue ofthe 1,000th stag served by the Marquis's hunting parties bears witness to the abundance of game in these 120 hectares of woodland. Since 1946, the Fondation des Apprentis d'Auteuil, which owns the estate, has established a renowned vocational school there, which welcomes nearly 1,250 students.
This circular starting from Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain allows you to discover the site and the Eure valley. You can extend the walk by following the GRP® to the Boizard locks and the Château de la Rivière.

Details

n°41870073
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.14 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 61 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 60 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 219 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 181 m
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Photos

The Château des Vaux - West façade

Description of the walk

Park in the car park opposite the town hall in Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain.

Yellow and red markings for the GRP® Vallée de l'Eure

(S/E) Take the path on the right that descends alongside the village hall and approaches the Eure. It leads to the access road to the Château des Vaux.

(1) Go through the entrance gate. There is a pedestrian crossing on the side. Important note: this is private property but access is permitted to walkers. Please respect the premises. See:
- on the right, a monumental staircase, which you can climb to discover a magnificent brick dovecote,
- on the left, you can walk up to the gate to admire the main façade.
Then return to the bottom of the staircase and follow the road parallel to the valley. After the last buildings, the road becomes a path. Continue in the same direction until you reach the D349.2.

(2) Take a few steps to the right, then turn left onto the small road that soon reaches a crossroads. Turn left and head towards the beautiful Petites Boussardières farm. Go around the buildings and follow the path down towards the valley. Return to the D349.2 and follow it to the right. Pass La Planche aux Chiens. Continue along the road until you reach a crossroads with a path.

(3) Take it on the left. Cross the river over a bridge and climb gently into the woods (private). Cut across a driveway and continue straight ahead. You will come to a crossroads where the GRP® separates.

No markings

(4) Here you have two options:
- either continue right on the GRP® to reach the Boizard locks and the Château de la Rivière about 2 km away, then return by the same route,
- or turn left, which is the route shown on the map, followthe slightly uphill path, continuing straight ahead. Ignore the perpendicular paths and you will reach a large crossroads near the Château des Vaux estate.

(5) Go down the path slightly to the left, look for the electrical box at the corner, which is soon blocked by a barrier.
Important note: access is permittedto walkers with prior authorisation (STANDARD: 02.37.53.70.70) , but please be discreet. Cross straight between the buildings, staying above the château and workshops. Pass by the remains of a second staircase symmetrical to the first one visible on the other side of the valley. Reach the last building.

(6) Go around it on the left, walk up a few metres to find the entrance to a well-marked path on the left that passes above the sports fields. Stay close to the edge of the woods to reach the Temple of Love.

(7) On the left, find the path that descends steeply towards a barrier, cuts across a driveway and climbs back up to the road. Follow it to the left to rejoin the GRP®. Cross the Eure again, climb up to the crossroads, where you will find an old mill on the left and a wash house at the bottom of the meadow on the right. Turn left to pass in front of the church and return to the car park in front of the town hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 197 m - Parking at the town hall of Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 188 m - Entrance gate to the estate
  3. 2 : km 1.94 - alt. 188 m - Le Clos Moussu
  4. 3 : km 3.63 - alt. 187 m - Entrance to the rural path
  5. 4 : km 4.37 - alt. 204 m - Separation from the GRP
  6. 5 : km 6.07 - alt. 214 m - Large crossroads near the Château des Vaux
  7. 6 : km 6.97 - alt. 199 m - Last building
  8. 7 : km 7.53 - alt. 201 m - Temple of Love
  9. S/E : km 8.14 - alt. 198 m - Parking at the town hall of Saint-Maurice-Saint-Germain

Worth a visit

Round trip to (4):
- Moulin de Boizard, fishing, bar and light refreshments - visit the park and canals. Open from May to September.
- Château de la Rivière: lodge and guest rooms. Table d'hôtes. Visit and walk in the park from May to September.
(5) Château de Vaux
Near (S/E) La Loupe 5 km SNCF train station.
Fontaine-Simon 5 km: Perche Water Park - Campsite - Hotel restaurant - Bed and breakfast.
Senonches - 5 km: Huttopia Holiday Village - Castle museum - Tourist Office.

Other walks in the area

Walking Circular starting from Mare de l'Augerie

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↔8.54 km ↗+30 m ↘-35 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Éliph (Eure-et-Loir)
At the edge of the Montécot Forest, this circular route takes you past pretty little farms connected by winding roads. The bridle path on the western edge of the forest offers beautiful views of the countryside towards La Loupe.

Walking From the Senonches forest to the Boizard locks

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De la forêt de Senonches aux écluses de Boizard
↔21.99 km ↗+181 m ↘-181 m ◔6h 50 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Senonches (Eure-et-Loir)
A beautiful hike, mostly in the woods around the Eure valley, starting from the Senonches State Forest and ending at the Boizard locks. Built in 1785 by Louis XIV's engineers, this structure was supposed to be the starting point of an unfinished aqueduct that would have carried water from the Eure to the fountains in the park of the Palace of Versailles. On the way back, discover the Château des Vaux and its gardens.

Walking Circular route from Fontaine-Simon to La Loupe

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Boucle de Fontaine-Simon à La Loupe
↔13.89 km ↗+37 m ↘-33 m ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Fontaine-Simon (Eure-et-Loir)
Circular route starting from Fontaine-Simon along quiet paths and small roads through farmland. Pass by the church in Meaucé then the beautiful La Grande Maison farm surrounded by moats still filled with water.

Walking The Senonchoises "Alps"

Visorando member
Les "Alpes" senonchoises
↔8.16 km ↗+67 m ↘-65 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Fontaine-Simon (Eure-et-Loir)
There is so little relief in the Senonches Forest! So, with a lot of imagination and a little humour, let's have fun transforming this walk through the slight relief caused by a geological fault in the south of the forest into an alpine trail: the 90D!The trail starts, as it should, at the bottom of the "valley", on the banks of the Eure, at the edge of the "lake" of Fontaine-Simon. During the ascent, without ropes or ice axes of course, towards the Fontaine aux Liards at an altitude of 249 m, we will have to cross miniature "torrents", pass through tiny "passes" and follow a ridge path along a "vertiginous ravine"... railway. Then, after a descent into a "deep" valley, you will have to climb the Route de La Ferrière to finally tumble down towards La Billette, where you will begin to see the water ski lift installed on the pond, like a ski lift. If this description doesn't convince you, rest assured that you will at least enjoy a beautiful walk in the forest!

Walking Tour of the Bois de la Ferrière

Visorando member
Tour du Bois de la Ferrière
↔11.02 km ↗+61 m ↘-54 m ◔3h 20 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Fontaine-Simon (Eure-et-Loir)
A forest hike starting from the Perche Water Park in Fontaine-Simon. The path leads into the Senonches State Forest after following the edge of the lake. A picturesque trail along the old railway line, a long forest line and then a path that descends into the Tourbière des Froux lead to this protected natural site, home to rare plant and animal species. Passing through hamlets and ponds, you return to La Ferrière, the site of former iron ore mining.

Walking No hills or mountains in Montécot

Visorando member
Ni côtes ni monts à Montécot
↔10.54 km ↗+32 m ↘-32 m ◔3h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Favril (Eure-et-Loir) (Eure-et-Loir)
In fact, here you will only find a few undulations caused by the streams flowing towards the nearby Eure. This small 637-hectare national forest is surrounded by a bridle path and criss-crossed by straight paths. The D103 crosses it from east to west and is not very busy. A high-voltage power line divides the forest. Parallel to the D103, it overlooks a large clearing and is bordered by a well-maintained path. A long north-south lane, formerly part of the GR®35 hiking trail, marks the boundary of the private woods to the west. Finally, the Merise forest road connects the D920 to the D103: closed to cars from Rond de la Félicité to Rond de Diane.This network of paths allows you to combine numerous circular paths or take shortcuts. Just make sure you don't leave the state-owned forest, which is bordered by an embankment. Private woods are located all around. These woods are rich in game, and large animals are shot there, so it is wise not to venture in on hunting days!

Walking Circular La Loupe, La Trinité without Trinitrine

Visorando member
Boucle de La Loupe, la Trinité sans Trinitrine
↔9.94 km ↗+37 m ↘-37 m ◔2h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from La Loupe (Eure-et-Loir)
Don't worry, no strenuous effort is required to complete this circular around La Loupe, linking the three parishes formerly known as "La Trinité des Bois": La Loupe, Vaupillon and Saint-Eliph. And if your heart races, it can only be from the emotion of remembering the terrible bombing that the town suffered on 17 June 1944. You will pass through woods and fields near the three churches of the former parish. If you want to see them more closely, you will need to make a small detour to reach them. Two of them are often closed and can only be visited on rare occasions. You could also visit the Gros Chêne de Meaucé (the big oak tree of Meaucé). It is a venerable old tree that has many stories to tell before reaching the end of its long life. After walking along the Étang du Gallou (Gallou Pond), you will arrive at the château, where a museum has been set up to commemorate the tragedy of 1944. Be sure to visit it.

Walking Saint-Éliph circular: Be open to Vaufermé

Visorando member
Boucle de Saint-Éliph : Soyez ouvert au Vaufermé
↔7.69 km ↗+85 m ↘-81 m ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Éliph (Eure-et-Loir)
This circular loop takes you along the most beautiful paths in the commune, but returns via roads. Don't hesitate to take this route, as the beautiful site of the Saint-Éliph wash house with its picnic area, the pretty hamlet of Vaufermé, the sunken path leading up to La Haisonnière, and the views of the Perruchet and Théllière ponds, a protected bird sanctuary, make for a varied and enjoyable walk.

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