Solterre walks

Starting from Saint-Didier Church in the welcoming village of Villemandeur, with its many shops, this route will take you due west towards the peaceful village of Saint-Maurice-sur-Fessard, following the old towpath of the Canal d’Orléans, which has been converted into a cycle route. The route passes Machot Lock and follows various paths through the countryside, offering magnificent scenery that alternates between farmland and wooded areas.

A route taking you along the Loing, past ponds, castles, mills and the old village of Amilly, then on to Lac des Closiers, the perfect spot for a picnic. The two locks: the Passerelle de la Marolles lock, followed by the Écluse de la Tuilerie lock.

A stroll along the Briare Canal, passing through the lakes area of the Savoies and Népruns Nature Reserve, ending at Lac des Closiers and a circular route through the beautifully restored Pêcherie district. Peace and quiet, nature, barges, birds and a few beautiful old houses – this is what awaits you.

Ranked among the most beautiful sites in France, explore Montargis through its streets on the water with 131 bridges and footbridges. A gastronomic and lakeside town nicknamed the Venice of Gâtinais.

Circular starting from the lakeside town of Montargis, known as the Venice of Gatinais. The junctions of the Briare, Orléans and Loing canals made it a veritable river crossroads between the Loire and Seine basins until the Orléans canal was decommissioned in 1954. Follow the waterways through the Loing valley, passing rivers, canals and lakes.

Discover the village of Paucourt and its forest, a veritable green lung in the heart of the Montargis national forest.

A largely shaded circular walk along the water’s edge. This walk follows the Rigole de Courpalet for nearly 5km before entering the Forest of Orléans and skirting the Étang du Gué l’Évêque. The Rigole de Courpalet, 32.8 km long, was dug to feed the Canal d’Orléans.

This family hike is historically very interesting. Between the shaded first part and the canal-side second part, the route has a total elevation gain of 28 metres, mainly at the beginning. In terms of history, from Henri IV to Charles de Freycinet, the size of boats has increased, imposing new standards. Today, we talk about the amount of water consumed that needs to be saved.

Marked hike N°71. A whole new way to discover the story of the construction of the Canal de Briare! With this hike you can follow a part of its water supply system and come back along the old route to the incredible monument that we today know as the Seven Locks.

A circular in the Orléans Forest along a pretty path that winds between the trees. You will discover a series of springs converted into fountains and end this walk at the Résistance crossroads, a place steeped in Second World War history. A monument has been erected there in memory of the resistance fighters who died for France.

Discover how the Canal d’Orléans draws its water supply from the forest. From forest ditches to channels and from channels to ponds, the water flows imperceptibly through the hydrographic network skilfully created by human hands to ensure its proper functioning.

The route follows the course of the waterways of Vieilles-Maisons-sur-Joudry near the Forest of Orléans, running sometimes alongside the Orléans Canal and sometimes alongside the ‘rigoles’, tributaries of the Orléans Canal which they feed. These still waters are a source of coolness and tranquillity.

In the Orléans Forest, the route runs alongside the vast Étang de Corcambon, ending around the Étang du Bourg which borders the flower-filled village of Dampierre-en-Burly, at the foot of its fortifications.

This first stage runs along the Loire to take you to Briare, a charming little town full of flowers, with its small river port. Please note: this hike can be done either as part of the 3-stage Gien - Cosne-sur-Loire hike, or on its own by taking the train from Briare back to Gien.

This route is offered by the Gien Town Hall to explore the town while learning about its history and discovering its heritage. As you progress, you will find information boards with explanations of the various historical points of interest identified. I am sharing it here, with my personal modifications to the route and the various points of interest, which are more or less in the same positions.

This route explores the bottom of the Betz valley, with two lovely sections crossing fords or small bridges at Moulin de Madame and Barbigny, and above all a remarkable stretch through the forest in spring when the hyacinths are in bloom. Some sections are shared with other walks starting from the garden in the valley.

This route is the only one marked in green in the communeYou can start it from the village or from the garden in the valley; it takes in two superb valleys, that of the Betz via the Chemin du Roi and that of the Ardouzes, passing in front of the village’s listed church and the 13th-century Château du Mez le Maréchal (in the commune of Dordives).

A lovely route along the banks of the Loing, exploring the ponds surrounding Souppes-sur-Loing. Visit Nemours with its Chaintreauville Fountain, bridges covered in flowers in spring, beautiful church with its bell on the ground and the bridge over the Loing blessed by Pius VII. Arrange for transport for the return journey.

A circular route passing by the lakes of Dordives, taking the "Chemin de César" (Caesar's path), then the Gâtinais countryside to end up in Château-Landon, where you can explore its medieval past. The return journey follows the Canal du Loing with the Néronville canal bridge.

A signposted, family-friendly, shaded walk along the Breteau ditches that feed the Briare Canal. This easy route also takes you to the Étang de la Grande Rue lake and its dam. Suitable for pushchairs and bicycles, you can enjoy the cool shade of the undergrowth in summer and a dry path in wet weather.

This walk follows the city's monument trail and adds the canal, ponds and promenade along the Fusain to combine a cultural approach with the discovery of bucolic landscapes.

A short walk in the village of Bléneau, exploring the Water Gardens on the River Loing, the mural and the carved capitals of Saint-Loup Church in Troyes, the Châtaignier Fountain and a wash house.

The route goes from pond to pond around the village of Champoulet. There is wildlife to discover.

A route focused on painting with Le Michel-Ange des Arbres. Around twenty representations of Henri Harpignies' paintings line this walk among the trees, sunken paths and viewpoints of Puisaye.Saint-Privé is listed as one of the "Cités de caractères de Bourgogne - Franche-Comté" (villages of character in Burgundy-Franche-Comté).