A walk in the Dreux Forest

The route starts at the Pavillon de Chasse, a crossroads in the centre of the Dreux Forest, accessible via the D 928 from Dreux to the south or from Anet to the north. It is best to park to the west of the Pavillon du Carré, situated at the centre of the roundabout.

^GR® 22 signposting

(S/E) Head north-west along the Route à Blin. After about 500m, turn left onto the Route du Château.

After 500m, near the edge of the forest, turn left onto the Route de la Gratture au Loup; after 200m, turn right onto the Route de Marcilly; then, after 300m, turn right again onto the Route du Gué des Grues or des Minerons. You will arrive near the edge of the forest.

(1) Turn left to stay in the woodland. A path crosses several roads and then skirts the hamlet of Les Vieilles Ventes, veering right twice until you reach a water tower.

(2) Turn left towards the west to continue skirting the hamlet whilst staying in the woodland. The path crosses several roads as it heads north-west to reach the Route de Saint-Roch or des Meuniers, which you take to the right, heading due north for 100m.

(3) At the junction opposite a riding centre, turn left towards the west onto the Route de la Terre Brûlée to cross the entire forested plateau and begin the descent towards the Vallée Moulin.

(4) Halfway down the slope, turn left to head back up south-west and then south along the edge of the plateau, which now overlooks the Eure Valley. Follow this hillside along the Chemin du Pré Ballu. Once you reach the top of the hamlet of Hauterive, veer right to descend into the valley floor and cross the Route du Pré Ballu.

(5) Cross the road and head straight up the slope opposite; at the top, turn right to rejoin the edge of the hillside.

After 500m, before the path descends steeply to cross a small valley, turn left to reach the ruins of the Château de la Robertière.

(6) From the junction in front of the château, head due south along a gently sloping path which crosses the Route de la Pantoufle, then climbs back up to the edge of the hillside and follows it to the left.

(7) After 200m, turn left onto Route du Marquis to avoid the descent into the Louetterie valley and reach Route du Gué des Grues or Route des Minerons.

(8) Turn right onto the Route du Gué des Grues or des Minerons until you reach the edge of the hillside again.

Turn left several times, cutting across a number of roads until you reach the Route du Rond du Berceau. Take this on the right, then head down the Route de Montreuil to the CD 147-2, which climbs up from Gré des Grues.

(9) Head up the slope of the Route de Montreuil on the right-hand side. At the top, veer right to reach the edge of the plateau above the Eure Valley.

Turn left to follow the hillside, pass the three-way junction and continue to the Route du Retrou.

Yellow^PR® markings

(10) Let the^{GR® trail} descend to the right towards Montreuil and continue along the edge of the hillside to the Avre Aqueduct and its structures spanning the Eure Valley.

(11) Carry on straight eastwards along the edge of the hillside, cross the Route de Guyon and continue along a more rugged path to the Route du Bochet: follow it to the left until you reach the Carrefour du Bochet on the CD 928.

(12) Take care when crossing – Danger
Head south-east along the Route du Roi for 600m and turn left onto the Route du Bois Prieur. Cross the Routes de la Belle-Vue de Motel and du Berceau, ignoring the^PR® signposting on the left^.

No signposting or horse riding route signposting

Continue for 500m along Route du Bois Prieur.

(13) Turn left onto Route du Saumon until it meets Chemin du Bon Avis after 450m.

(14) Turn right onto the winding Chemin du Bon Avis until you reach the Route de Brissard. Turn left onto this road, cross the Avre Aqueduct and continue straight on past the Poteau des Bulots crossroads until you reach the Pavillon de Chasse (S/E).

This route presents no technical difficulties and is suitable for a family outing.

The good network of forest tracks in this state-owned forest allows for all sorts of variations, provided you have a 1:25,000 map.

For those looking for a bit more elevation gain, it is possible to head further down into the Eure Valley or into the small valleys that cut a little deeper into the forest: Vallée Moulin at (4), La Robertière-Hauteville at (5), La Louetterie at (8), Le Gué des Grues and St Georges at (9), Montreuil (10), at the aqueduct (very steep) (11) or at Fermaincourt (12).

The route passes two historic monuments: the Pavillon de Chasse (S/E), built in the classical style and clearly visible from all angles, and the ruins of the Château de la Robertière (6), where you can explore the remains (outer walls, keep, well, etc.)

The long stretch above the Eure Valley (between 3 and 10) is pleasant, particularly at the end of the day due to its west-facing aspect.
If you’re tempted to head down to the Eure, the section between Saint-Georges and Montreuil is particularly interesting to explore (castle, paper mill, confluence of the Avre and Eure rivers, chapel, etc.).

Be sure to stop atthe Avre Aqueduct, not only for the unobstructed view from there (11), but also to admire its engineering, as it crosses the Eure Valley via a siphon before resuming gravity flow through the forest.

The area is rich in châteaux: the best known is Anet to the north (Diane de Poitiers), but there are also châteaux closer to the route, such as Sorel, Brazais in Marcilly, Breuil-Benoit, Saint-Georges-Motel and La Coudée d’Abondant.