A circular loop in the footsteps of Rouget le Braconnier

Park in the car park at Place de l’Église Saint-Martin.

(S/E) As you leave the car park, take the street on the right until you reach the junction. At the junction, turn right onto the D75 (Rue Jean de Blois) towards Morannes, and follow it for about 300m (watch out for traffic).

(1) Leave the road and take the path on the right towards L’Érable. This part of the route is very typical of the Beaugeois region, characterised by wooded countryside and hedgerows. Follow the yellow markings.

(2) Take the path on the right towards l'Érable, then turn right to follow the edge of the woods.

(3) Leave the tarmac road and take the path on the left towards La Meule

(4) Turn left and, just before the houses, turn right onto the road. Before La Vêquerie, take the path on the right. Go round the field, keeping it on your right, along a path lined with a few trees and, at the southern corner of the field, turn left and continue until you reach the D135.

(5) Cross the main road and continue along the path opposite. Head towards Virefolet.

(6) Turn left, then right about 50 metres further on, towards La Gilotière. At the junction, keep left to reach the^GR®365crossroads.

(7) Take this^GR® marked in white and red on the right. Go behind a farm, following the path which turns left then right, and continue straight on until you reach a road.

(8) Continue to the right. At the next junction, take the path straight ahead which will lead you to the Gennetay crossroads after turning left at a 90° angle.

(9) Leave the^GR®365and turn right onto the yellow-marked path. Reach the Rodiveau stream.

(10) Cross over and continue through the woods to the junction at altitude 33.

(11) Turn left, then further on, left again. Cross the Rodiveau stream once more.
Continue following the yellow markings to pass La Brosse. After about 150m, turn onto the path on the right and join a road. Follow it to the right to the hamlet of Le Plessis.

(12) In Le Plessis, note a 18th-century townhouse. Turn left at the next crossroads and walk alongside the Poirier d’Aubert before reaching the D859.

(13) Cross it and then turn immediately right. You’ll reach the hamlet of La Boissée and then the D859 again.

(14) Cross it again and continue straight on to the Moulin Vieux.

(15) Take the path on the left which will lead you to the D135. On your right, you’ll see the village of Saint-Germain.

(16) Take the road on the left and, after about 250m, leave the road and turn right.

(17) Continue to the left and walk alongside the football pitch to reach the D859 a little further on.

(18) Turn right and follow this road. Shortly after passing Rue Henri Trouilleau, you will come to a small lane on the right.

(19) Take this small lane. Turn left onto Rue Charles de Gaulle for about 50 metres, then turn left onto Allée des Jardins. Turn right onto Rue du Chanoine Baron, then left onto Rue Guillaume Lemaire, and continue to Rue Rouget Le Braconnier, then back to the starting car park (S/E).

Yellow-marked route – 90% on paths.

You are in the Bois du Grip, the favourite hunting ground and refuge of Rouget le Braconnier. It was here that the rural legend surrounding his name took shape. Composed mainly of deciduous trees, this woodland features an increasingly abundant variety of pine trees as you approach the southern part of the route.

(16) On the right, you can head to the village of Saint-Germain, which is well worth a brief detour to visit its remarkable church, listed as a historic monument. This parish, established as early as the 11th century, now hosts numerous concerts and exhibitions.

(S) Just beyond the Church of Saint-Martin (an 11th-century building), you will notice the former gendarmerie where Rouget le Braconnier was taken in 1857 following his arrest. The official plaque reading “Gendarmerie impériale” is still in place.