A walk for history and nature lovers in Mouliherne

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This charming village is the starting point for a nature walk through unspoilt countryside with wooded hills and dotted with heritage sites.

Details

n°945213
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.72 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 249 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 262 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 318 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 184 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ City: Mouliherne (49390)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.467023° / E 0.017333°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1622SB, 1722SB
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Photos

The twisted bell tower of Mouliherne

Description of the walk

Starting point: Place Émile Delétang – Markings: Yellow – Suitable for hybrid and mountain bikes

(Out and back) From the square, turn right, continue to the crossroads and turn left onto the Roman road which climbs up to the church.

(1) Turn right onto Rue de l’Église. Continue straight on until you reach the cross.

(2) Turn right onto the path; at the junction, turn right and continue for about 1.5 km, passing the Moulin de Champ Renier.

(3) At the junction, after the mill, turn right. At the crossroads, carry on straight ahead. About 100 metres further on, in the bend, carry on straight ahead and continue to the end of the path.

(4) Turn left and carry on until you reach the road.

(5) Turn left, then immediately right. At the end, turn right and carry on until you reach the road (D62).

(6) Cross over and carry on straight ahead along Rue de la Touchardière. At a place called Les Ratteries, turn right. Carry on straight ahead along this track for about 2 km until you reach La Débuserie.

(7) Turn right, then, at the end, turn right again onto the Chemin des Petites Vallées. Carry on to the road, then turn right. At the first junction, carry on straight ahead and at the second, turn left.

(8) Immediately afterwards, take the path on your right, the ‘Chemin de la Caillauderie’. Carry on straight ahead, then turn right at the ‘Carrefour de la Lune’ and continue to the junction (D62).

(9) Turn left, then right above the wash house. Carry on straight ahead, then take the second path on the left. Continue along this path and return to Place Émile Delétang (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 213 ft - Place Émile Delétang
  2. 1 : mi 0.27 - alt. 282 ft - Rue de l’Église
  3. 2 : mi 0.56 - alt. 315 ft - Cross
  4. 3 : mi 2.09 - alt. 259 ft - Path on the right
  5. 4 : mi 2.71 - alt. 295 ft - Path on the left
  6. 5 : mi 3 - alt. 279 ft - Turn left onto the road
  7. 6 : mi 3.63 - alt. 233 ft - Crossing the D62
  8. 7 : mi 5.26 - alt. 184 ft - La Débuserie
  9. 8 : mi 5.9 - alt. 299 ft - Chemin de la Caillauderie
  10. 9 : mi 6.48 - alt. 230 ft - Carrefour de Lune D62
  11. S/E : mi 6.72 - alt. 213 ft - Place Émile Delétang

Notes

Worth a visit

Along the route
- Saint-Germain Church (11th–15th centuries) and its twisted bell tower
- The ‘lantern of the dead’
- The communal washhouse
- The Riverolle, a Category 1 trout river

Nearby
The Louisière leisure centre (fishing, children’s play area, picnic tables)

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 3653715

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A pleasant route with plenty of shade overall. It's a shame that the walk ends on a fairly dangerous road when there is a good path that avoids it and leads to the wash house, which is already marked on the website.
When you reach the main road between points 7 and 8, instead of taking the road on the right, turn left and follow the road for 20 metres, then turn onto the path on the right. Go down to the stream and follow it on the right. This will take you to the road opposite the wash house. Cross the road and take the small road on the left above the wash house.

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PHLNT72
PHLNT72
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant and well signposted. Ideal when it's hot because it's very wooded.

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geges49
geges49

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Mainly forest routes and very few roads, very pleasant.

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angelique03190
angelique03190
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike with no difficulty, but you need to pay attention to the markings, which are sometimes a little far away or off the path.
As other comments have mentioned, the start is not very well marked, so you need to start with your back to the sign.
To avoid the last part on the road, we followed the small stream that winds its way downhill (marked in blue).

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zazano
zazano

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk through the forest with beautiful paths and avenues. Easy to follow signposting. Beautiful discoveries of the church and the lantern.
It's a shame that the mill and its outbuildings are abandoned and that the communal wash house is not well maintained
.

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Rabatteur27
Rabatteur27

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Follow the yellow markings, no difficulty
2 hours for 11.2 km
No difficulty on the route, no elevation gain, very passable paths, trail through pine forests, between farms and clearings
Very pleasant route
Encounter with hunters, very friendly exchanges with mutual respect...

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balou72
balou72

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pretty route, entirely through woodland and natural areas. Very little tarmac and wide, well-maintained paths, with easy-to-follow signposting, except (perhaps) at the start, where the indicated location is behind the town hall.
Beautiful architecture along the way (churches, mills, manor houses) and beautiful farm buildings, too often appearing abandoned or neglected.
Encounters with numerous hunters along the way, a greeting, a few words exchanged and no problems sharing the space.

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mumu55500
mumu55500

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very pleasant route

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flaulin
flaulin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Wonderful walks in the forest and hamlets.
A little hesitation at the start about which path to take to get to the church, then relative direction of the path, so more hesitation with the mix of crosses at the intersections. A little apprehension too when arriving near the farms and hamlets and hearing the dogs, but they are all tied up.
I highly recommend this well-marked hike.

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Mykhi37
Mykhi37

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike. I just have one small criticism about the description of the starting point: it says to start at the end of the square, turning right... except that a square has two ends, and you end up taking the wrong street (which still leads to the church, though). I would clearly indicate to start from the town hall, going up Rue du Val.

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