Walk in Donzy

In Donzy, park in the car park on the square near the town hall (Place du Jeu de Paume).

(S/E) Head towards the town hall (a pretty building on the other side of the road), then turn left onto the main street. Walk between the school and the care home. Turn right at the corner of the care home towards Le Commandeur. Walk through this lovely site of old mills on the Nohain. Turn left onto the next street (Rue du Point du Jour) and rejoin the main street (Rue Général Leclerc).

(1) Cross over and follow this street to the left for about fifty metres, then take a lane on the right. Further on, there are information boards about hemp processing. Pass a wash house and you’ll come to a crossroads. Turn left (Rue André Audinet) and continue along this street until you reach the municipal campsite and a path leading off to the left. This will be the way back.

(2) For now, carry on straight ahead to the crossroads, then turn left onto Rue de l’Abbaye. Pass a path on the left, which you will also use for the return journey. You are now entering Donzy-le-Pré. Keep left at the cemetery (Rue Saint-Martin) and you will reach the former Church of Notre-Dame du Pré.

(3) Continue along the road until you reach the former Saint-Martin du Pré Priory. Carry on to the next crossroads and turn left. Pass a street on your left just before going under the Coulée Verte.

(4) Take the first road on the right, Chemin du Bailli, for a short walk to see a wash house on the River Nohain. A lovely spot, ideal for a picnic. Retrace your steps back to the crossroads.

(4) Go back under the Coulée Verte and immediately turn left onto a grassy slope that climbs up and joins this path (you can also follow the road to the right; a flight of steps a little further on also leads back to the Coulée Verte). Follow the Coulée Verte to the left, towards the village. Join the road you took on the way out at the campsite. Follow it to the right and keep right at the crossroads.

(2) Turn right onto the path. Further on, walk alongside the Nohain. At the end of the path, turn right and cross two footbridges to reach a street.

(5) Follow the street to the left. At the Fork in the road, veer to the right then continue straight on, ignoring the side streets, until you reach the Church of Saint-Caradeuc (some pretty houses).

(6) At the Fork in the road, turn right for a very short detour to the former vicarage garden (now overgrown, with the remains of a fountain), then retrace your steps and follow the Grande Rue to the right. At the junction, turn left (Place Gambetta), then head diagonally right towards the bridge but, before reaching it, take the path on the right. Continue across the grass in the same direction to reach the boardwalk through the wetland (information board).

(7) Walk along this nature trail and back, then retrace your steps.

(7) Turn right to cross a footbridge over the Talvanne and you’ll arrive on a street opposite the large public wash house (information boards inside). On leaving the wash house, follow Rue de la Folie to the right. At the junction, go straight on along Faubourg de Larrey, then straight on again at the next junction. You’ll arrive at Place Larrey (wash house).

(8) Cross the bridge and continue along Rue de Villagot. Turn right at the end of the street, then left onto Rue d’Osmond. Turn right onto Rue de la Malosse and you will reach the junction with Rue Notre-Dame. For a round trip, turn left, cross the bridge over the Nohain, then turn right onto Quai Docteur Émile Palet to reach a very pretty spot.

(9) Retrace your steps and cross the Nohain again. At the crossroads, turn left onto Rue André Audinet, passing the Musée de la Meunerie (former mill). Turn right onto Rue du Bas de la Chaume to return to the car park (S/E).

Easy hike, walking shoes recommended

Photo album here

Ruins of the Church of Notre-Dame du Pré and the Priory of Saint-Martin du Pré, old mills, half-timbered houses, wash houses, the wetland, the banks of the Nohain.