In the footsteps of Chateaubriand

On the D102: Château de la Ville Ollivier car park.

(S/E) Follow the departmental road northwards (to the left as you leave the car park). Take the second road on the left and, immediately after, the small road on the right.

Red and white markings for^{the GR®} 39

After about a hundred metres, take the path on the right. Ignore a turn-off to the right and follow the path as it curves to the left. Continue along this path, keeping the Couesnon river below you at all times.

(1) Stay on the^{GR® when}it forks to the left.

No further markings

Then, at the fork in the road, let the^GR® continue straight ahead and carry on to the right.

(2) Turn left onto the Equibreiz route (horseshoe-shaped) and head towards La Théaudière.
At the crossroads with a wayside cross on your right, carry on straight ahead and slightly to the right along the path leading to La Chaîne Rambours

(3) “La Chaîne Rambours” manor house (^18th century). Follow the road to the right as it climbs northwards.
After the first house in Launay Binel, turn left onto the track, which very quickly becomes a footpath. Continue along this path.

(4) On the left, there is a possible shortcut to reach (7) directly – see below. Otherwise, turn right and rejoin the road.

(5) Follow the road to the left. At the junction, in the left-hand bend, carry on straight ahead towards Rabbat. Continue westwards until you reach the T-junction. Turn left to join the departmental road. You are now on a^{PR® route} marked in yellow.

(6) Cross the D794 with care. Continue south-south-west to La Prévôtais.

(7) Turn left onto the dirt track, following the signposts. Carry on straight ahead at the first junction, then turn left onto the next track. After 150 m, turn right and continue along this track.

(8) Turn left onto a path through hedgerows until it joins another path.

Red and white signposts for^{the GR®39}

(9) Take the^GR® on the left. Carry straight on at the junction. Do the same at Le Pâtis when you reach the departmental road.

(10) After Le Pâtis, turn onto the path on the right and continue until you meet another path.

(11) Manoir de la Sécardais (^16th and^17th centuries). Turn left and follow the path as it winds several times to reach another track (T-junction).

(12) Continue along the path to the left and head north-east.

(13) Turn left onto the road, then right after 50 metres, level with a bread oven.

No further signposting

Take a hairpin bend to the right. Cross the Seinière again. Continue to the district road, which you follow to the right to return to the car park, walking alongside the castle wall (S/E).

Shortcut:

At (4), turn left. Cross the departmental road and continue straight ahead, keeping slightly to the right. At the end of the path, turn right and, when you reach the street, turn left. At the three-way junction, turn right to reach (7).

Alternative route for the return journey

For a route of approximately 12 km

At ::5: instead of turning left towards Rabbat: turn right, then turn left at the junction. Leave La Bouëxière on your right, pass through Theuré and continue towards the Moulin de Guyon, joining the^GR®39which comes in from the right.
On the descent, before a hairpin bend, take the path that climbs to the left, then stay on it as it descends to reach the Passage des Intrépides. Cross the Couesnon and leave the^GR® behind, continuing to the right.
Just before the houses, leave the road and follow the path on the right which descends and then runs alongside the river. Continue along this path, following the Couesnon upstream, until you reach the D102 county road.
Walk up it a little to the left, then cross over and take a small path on the right 50 metres further on. Take a sharp right-hand bend, cross the Couesnon via the footbridge, then continue almost directly opposite along the path overlooking the road.
Stay on this path, following the Ruisseau de la Motte stream below. After a bend to the right, cross the stream via the footbridge and, as you head uphill, cross the D102 to reach the starting point, which is directly opposite.

Château de la Ville Olivier: owned by the municipality of Mézières-sur-Couesnon, this residence comprised eight flats until 20 August 2013, when part of a ceiling collapsed. Since then, the building has stood empty and access is prohibited.