Rueil-la-Gadelière walks

These circular loops will not take you into the bush in search of large predators, but along good paths through woods and fields on the outskirts of the Perche, in this transitional region known as the Thimerais. You will pass through the landscapes that inspired the painter Maurice de Vlaminck, who founded Fauvism in the early 20th century with his friends Derain and Matisse.Having settled in La Tourillère, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, 100 years ago, the artist fell in love with this region, which he tirelessly explored until his death in 1958 in search of places of inspiration.These circular loops starting from neighbouring villages aim to give you a feel for the landscapes "where the wind bends the trees and chases the clouds across a dark sky" that captivated the painter, reminding him of his paternal family's homeland of Flanders.This hike takes you from Rueil to Saint-Martin aux Portes de Verneuil, where the "Fauve" often visited.

This walking route follows paths that pass close to sites associated with Vlaminck, a painter from the early 20th century. Slightly undulating, the route crosses back and forth over the Avre aqueduct, which carries drinking water to Paris. Passing through the valleys of the Buternay, Lamblore and Nouvet, this walk is characterised by water that is either visible or sometimes just hinted at.

Vlaminck, the famous Fauvist painter, greets walkers as soon as they arrive, as his bust, sculpted by Paul Belmondo, stands in the Town Hall Square. He is then commemorated at La Tourillière, where he lived before being buried in the local cemetery.

The painter Maurice de Vlaminck lived near Rueil-la-Gadelière from 1925 until his death in 1958. This year marks the centenary of his arrival in the area. Six circular loops named "Sur les traces d'un Fauve" (In the footsteps of a Fauve) allow you to discover the places that inspired the painter."I liked the countryside: slightly hilly, with endless fields and meadows planted with twisted apple trees. Here and there were copses, woods and farms surrounded by thorny hedges. It was on the edge of the Perche, a region where the plains of Beauce come to an end in a series of undulations, a region that has retained the appearance that the ages have shaped. Nothing modern alters its structure or disturbs the harmony of the landscape." Maurice de Vlaminck.This circular, between Beauce and Thimerais, crosses the agricultural plain near Verneuil, following the Avre valley to Montigny and returning to Rueil-la-Gadelière through fields and copses. You can visit the Château de Montigny (open to visitors by appointment).

The painter Maurice de Vlaminck lived near Rueil-la-Gadelière from 1925 until his death in 1958. This year marks the centenary of his arrival in the area. A three-day itinerary already allows you to explore his homeland from Verneuil-sur-Avre to La Loupe. Walkers who are unable to undertake this crossing can take one or more of the short circulars "In the footsteps of a Fauve". These allow you to discover in detail the places that inspired the painter."Beauche is the village next to the hamlet of La Tourillière. Its origins are lost in the mists of time. One cannot imagine that its pleasant, wholesome appearance has ever changed. The spire of its bell tower pierces the clouds. It can be seen from far away because Beauche is built on flat ground in the plain..." Vlaminck.Starting from Beauche, this short route through fields and woods skirts the Château du Boulay Saint-Clair. On the way back, it passes by the Benne pond, which has recently been restored by the municipality of Rueil-la-Gadelière.

In the centenary year of Maurice de Vlaminck's move to La Tourillière near Verneuil-sur-Avre, here is a journey through his heartland between Verneuil-sur-Avre and La Loupe. These towns are both served by railway stations that can be reached from Paris Montparnasse. Woods, fields and forests were the inspiration for many of the painter's works. With cloudy skies guaranteed, take a stroll through the landscapes that so strongly inspired this colourful, versatile artist, where he welcomed the greatest celebrities of his time.

To mark the centenary of Maurice de Vlaminck's move to La Tourillière near Rueil-la-Gadelière, a few kilometres from Verneuil-sur-Avre, recently renamed Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton, this tour offers a three-stage discovery of the region that inspired the painter.A hunter, fisherman, walker, cyclist, motorist and motorcyclist, he came to settle here to find peace and inspiration. From 1925 until his death in 1958, under an often changeable sky dotted with clouds, the painter tirelessly explored these landscapes of fields, copses and the vast forest of Senonches, in search of subjects for his many paintings.We will first go from Verneuil to La Ferté-Vidame, passing by his grave in the cemetery of Rueil, his bust sculpted by his friend Paul Belmondo in front of the town hall, and above all his home in La Tourillière, preserved in the state in which he lived.

Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface of the Baine (or Benne) pond, there is a whole world of plants and animals. The route, which starts in this hamlet in the commune of Rueil-la-Gadelière, takes you around the Bois de la Noë, passing by the farms of Bois Normand and Rueil. It is located south of Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton, at the gateway to Normandy. Return via the hamlets of Les Bruyères and Le Canada.

The painter Maurice de Vlaminck lived here, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, from 1925 until his death in 1958. This year marks the centenary of his arrival. A three-day itinerary already allows you to cross his country from the Verneuil-sur-Avre station to the La Loupe station. Walkers who are unable to undertake this crossing can take one or more of the short circulars "In the footsteps of a Fauve". These allow you to discover, in detail, the landscapes that inspired the painter. This one, starting from Boissy-lès-Perche, follows the valley of the Ruisseau de Buternay. After crossing the ponds near the Chapelle de Réveillon, it flows towards the Avre, joined by other streams. Their courses, partly underground, reappear at the source of the Vigne, where their waters are collected and carried to Paris via a 100 km aqueduct.Landscapes of cereal fields cut by the stream, wide horizons from which you can soon see the bell tower of the church of Verneuil.

These circulars will not take you into the bush in search of large predators, but along good paths through woods and fields on the outskirts of the Perche, in this transitional region known as the Thimerais. You will pass through the landscapes that inspired the painter Maurice de Vlaminck, who founded Fauvism at the beginning of the 20th century with his friends Derain and Matisse.Having settled in La Tourillère, near Rueil-la-Gadelière, 100 years ago, the artist fell in love with this region, which he tirelessly explored until his death in 1958 in search of places of inspiration.These circular loops take you through the landscapes "where the wind bends the trees and chases the clouds across a dark sky" that captivated the painter.This route starts in Saint-Lubin de Cravant, where the church inspired the painter. It follows the Meuvette valley, which was once canalised. The Avre Aqueduct crosses the valley on imposing arches. It supplies Paris with drinking water.

Starting from Morvilliers, this loop takes you to the sites where a tragic episode unfolded during the final days of the Maquis de La Ferté-Vidame in August 1944.It first leads to the farm of Mary Thibault, the instigator of the Maquis. It then crosses the Bois de Malassis, where the Maquisards hid after machine-gunning a German car, killing the driver and the secretary of the Kommandantur of La Ferté-Vidame This action triggered the fury of the SS, who, after searching the neighbouring farms in vain, arrested three young members of the Maquis in the hamlet of Les Rayers. They were taken to the nearby Château du Gland, where they were tortured. The first man was shot on 11 August in front of his comrades. The next day, the other two were also executed. They had to dig their own graves. A commemoration takes place every year in the clearing and at the cemetery in Morvilliers, where the bodies were returned after the Liberation.

On the edge of the Senonches Forest, north of Perche, La Saucelle is a real crossroads between different historical and natural sites. On this short route, come and discover what the Knights Templar brought to the village. It was here, in La Saucelle, that they first settled in the Drouais region, and even in Eure-et-Loir. This settlement, in 1165, was made possible thanks to donations from local lords. These were largely plots of land in the Carnutes Forest. The Knights Templar cleared these plots and all those that followed, creating the vast plain that surrounds the village.

Starting from Lamblore Town Hall, this circular leads to La Ferté-Vidame, where you will find reminders of historical figures: The Dukes of Saint-Simon, the father, who after acquiring the estate had the parish church built, and the son, the famous memoirist, the Marquis de Laborde, who had a sumptuous palace built, the romantic ruins of which still remain, and laid out a huge park. King Louis-Philippe wanted to restore this building, which had been dismantled after the Revolution, to its former glory, but he was only able to build the "Petit Château" (small castle)...A detailed tour of the village and park is a must. The return journey takes you past the former Citroën test centre, a mecca for the automotive industry. This is where the most famous models of the chevron brand were developed: the Traction Avant, the 2CV, the DS, the Ami 6, the SM... After passing the Champ-Brulé equestrian centre, the route returns to the village via the beautiful Chemin du Mortripié, which has been reopened by the local council.

This loop, on the edge of the Perche region, leads from La Chapelle-Fortin to La Ferté-Vidame. Close to the Perche, it is divided between two types of landscape, both of which are represented by the painter Maurice de Vlaminck: vast expanses of crops under cloudy skies and woods with gnarled trees. Living in La Tourillière near Rueil-la-Gadelière from 1925 to 1958, the artist frequently visited the neighbouring villages in search of inspiration: churches, villages buried under snow, paths lined with bare trees. The circuit leads to La Ferté-Vidame, a town with a rich historical past: a medieval fortress where the Duke of Saint-Simon wrote his memoirs, which became the palace of the Marquis de Laborde, Louis XV's wealthy banker, a small château converted by Louis-Philippe into outbuildings and recently restored by the Eure-et-Loir Departmental Council, the new owner of the site. La Ferté-Vidame is also home to horse races held in summer at the Pipe-Souris racecourse.

Let's go in search of the Blaise, a mischievous little river that hides so well from its source that geographers are perplexed. According to the elders, it originates near the Rond des Louvetiers, between Tardais and the Étang de la Bénette. Recent maps show it near the Grand Rond. In fact, these are "gouttiers", episodic streams that flow towards and cross the Tardais pond. It emerges under the dyke where a mill once operated, but suddenly disappears, sinking into a "chasm". It sometimes reappears. At the edge of the forest, the Ruisseau de Saint-Cyr joins it. Together, the two waterways pass at the foot of Louvilliers-lès-Perche, flowing sometimes on the surface, sometimes underground. The Blaise reappears definitively in the Étang de Dampierre. In the past, it enabled the establishment of a very important steel complex. It then flows towards Dreux, which it crosses, before joining the Eure at Fermaincourt.