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Park in the Super U car park at La Montagne.
(S/E) Leave the car park heading towards the petrol station, then turn left to enter the Bois du Brossais. Walk through it until you reach the eastern edge.
(1) Leave the woods on the left, then turn right, following the ‘Loire à Vélo’ signposts. Continue straight on until you reach the roundabout.
(2) Turn right onto the road that crosses the bridge over the four-lane road. At the roundabout, continue straight on. After 30 metres, turn left, then immediately right onto the Chemin de la Queue Levée until you reach the junction with the tarmac road.
(3) Cross it to reach the village of Les Bauches du Désert. Turn left, leaving the hamlet of La Tête Noire on your right. You will soon reach the road running parallel to the four-lane carriageway.
(4) Walk alongside it, turning right, pass through the hamlet of La Tourière and continue left until you reach the roundabout.
(5) Go round the roundabout, take the path on the right at the start of the footbridge to join Rue des Maraîchers. 30 metres from the quarry, take the path on the left. Carry on until you reach the junction with Rue du Rolly.
(6) Turn right onto it, then continue along Rue de la Gilarderie. You’ll reach the village of La Gilarderie.
(7) Turn left onto the forest path. Cross the Ruisseau de Bougon, then take the path that climbs to the right until you reach the tarmac road.
(8) Turn left onto Rue de la Musse. A few metres further on, turn right onto Chemin des Belians until you reach the Le Pianocktail theatre. Continue straight on until you reach the junction with Rue des Sencives.
(9) Turn left onto it. At the stop sign, carry on straight ahead onto Rue du Moulin Laheux. Near the four-lane road, take the cycle path on the left, running alongside the Ruisseau de Bougon once more. You’ll reach the roundabout in the Châtaigneraie neighbourhood.
(10) Turn right and cross the four-lane road via the bridge. At the next roundabout, take the first exit onto Rue Nicolas Appert. At the T-junction, turn right until you reach the hairpin bend.
(11) Leave the street and take the path on the right. Walk alongside the Ruisseau de Bougon, following the Chemin des Canotiers track to the village of Port Lavigne.
(12) Continue straight on along Rue des Pécheurs until you reach the shipyard. Enter the shipyard for about thirty metres, then follow the signposted path on the right which goes round the shipyard. Enter Île de la Fourche by following this path to the old Roche Ballue quarry.
(13) Turn right towards the Roche Ballue quarry and enter the quarry site.
(14) Head right and enter the bird sanctuary. Walk to the banks of the Loire to see the concrete remains of the old jetty used for loading stones from the quarry.
(15) Return via the same route to the previous junction.
(14) Take the path on the right. Continue straight on to the village of La Roche Ballue.
(16) In the village, carry on straight ahead along Rue des Roseaux, then Rue de Gazay. At the end of this street, take the path that leads into the woods alongside the Ruisseau de l’Étier. You’ll reach the old manor house in the village of Fresne.
(17) Turn left into Rue du Manoir, then into Rue du Petit Bois.
(18) Cross the Route de Bouguenais and head straight on into Rue du Drouillard. At the end of the street, at the roundabout, turn left towards the Rond-point de la Libération to reach the Super U car park (S/E).
