Towards the banks of the Authion at Trélazé

Park in the François Attibert car park (Hervé Bazin Cultural Centre; Slate Museum).

Blue-marked route, FFRP standard. Circular walk that can be done in either direction. Adjustable distance – see explanations in the ‘during the walk’ section.

(S/E) From the car park, head east and walk past the media library on your right. Cross the Square de l’Union and emerge onto Rue Raymond Lefèvre. Follow this street to the right, then turn left into the Cité des 7 Parcelles, onto Rue Émile Zola. Cross the road and enter the Parc du Vissoir.

Cross the park to the right, passing close to the Salle Aragon on your right and the small pond hidden in the copse; before reaching the low schist stone wall, take the wide path on the right. Exit via the southern exit of the park. Cross Rue Joseph Bara and head straight ahead. As soon as you’ve crossed the street, at the Fork in the road, turn right. You’ll reach the old Petit Anjou railway line.

(1) Follow it towards the street opposite. Cross Rue Ferdinand Vest at the pedestrian crossings and take Rue Daniel Rouger opposite. When you reach Boulevard Jean Pena, walk up it to the left for a few metres and cross it to reach the pumping station opposite; leave the car wash on your left and walk across the grass to turn right after the pumping station. Head back along Rue Daniel Rouger to the left. Pass close to the Églantine stadium on your right and head towards the allotments at the end of the road. After the allotments, continue to the corner with the horse paddock and before the concrete bollards.

(2) Turn onto the path on the right which runs alongside the horse paddock. Reach the old Loire embankment (Rue Camille Perdriaux – D952) and follow it along its base to the left. When you reach the travellers’ site, head back up to the level of the embankment. Continue along the D952 on your right and take the path opposite which runs alongside the Petite Vicomté solar power station.

(3) Immediately after the solar power station, turn left. Pass close to the power station’s information point on your left and head back down towards the banks of the Authion via the path on the right. Follow the Authion north-eastwards (on your right). Walk alongside the Authion for about 1 km until you reach the Ru du Lapin.

(4) Cross the Ru du Lapin and continue along the banks of the Authion for a further 1 km. When you reach the Port de la Chevallerie (the Authion ferry, which operates from April to October, take it to La Daguenière).

(5) Head north (left) along the Chemin de la Chevallerie; shortly afterwards, you’ll reach the Levée Napoléon (III), at the highest point of the Chemin de la Chevallerie.

(6) Turn left onto the Levée Napoléon (III) and follow it for about 300 metres, until you reach the next junction.

(7) Take the path that curves sharply to the right, the Allée de l’Authion (the former Petit Anjou railway line). Follow this path. Pass the Grand Ronceray. Join the Route d’Andard (Rue Pasteur D4) and follow it to the left, heading west. After the cemetery, on your right, cross Rue Pierre Sémard and take the side lane immediately on the right, crossing the car park. Head left along Rue Joseph Le Sciellour. Go through the small park opposite and, at the Fork in the road, take the path on the left. Join Rue Pasteur (D4) via ‘Rue’ Ferrer, walking alongside Saint-Pierre Church on your left.

(8) Walk up Rue Pasteur (D4) towards the west (to the right), passing the former gendarmerie on the right-hand side of the street (No. 50 – La Marianne: see the Marianne uprising). You’ll reach Place Olivier Thuau, level with the town hall forecourt, on your right.

Turn left onto Rue des Toises. Walk between the shops and join Rue du 19 Mars 1962, following it to the left. After the bends, take the path on the right which climbs up and leads to the Biotteau Stadium. Cross the car park towards the glass recycling bins. Behind them, take the path leading back down towards the Levée Napoléon (III). Follow this embankment south-west (to the right) for a few metres.

(9) After the junction, follow the path that gradually descends to the left (remnant) of a fitness trail (“Walk whilst breathing deeply”) and run alongside the embankment below it. Follow the path parallel to the embankment for 300 metres, then head back up towards the embankment and follow it to the left. Go round the Villeneuve-Napoléon Quarry site, following the fence.

Immediately after the fence, level with the solar power station (on your left), turn right and continue along the “Loire à Vélo” route, skirting the quarry. Reach the highest point of Le Buisson (“Terril-Napoléon Viewpoint”) by continuing along the “Loire à Vélo” route for just over a kilometre. Temporarily leave this tourist route to the left before the old railway line below

(10) Climb up to the viewpoint and admire the panorama: a 360° view of the disused slate quarry site, the Val d’Authion, the Loire Valley and the Angers conurbation. Head back down to the “Loire à Vélo” cycle route via the same path you took on the way up. Turn left twice and follow the railway line on your left. This is the former Ardoisières railway line, which was used to transport slate and staff from the quarries to the cutting works (where the slate was processed into roofing slates).

(11) Pass close to the Arena Loire multi-purpose hall (on your right). Cross Rue Ferdinand Vest (D4) via the Malembert Bridge and head down towards Rue Ambroise-Croizat, following the “Loire à vélo” route. Pass between the blocks of shale, go round the chicane and follow the “Loire à vélo” route, which heads up Rue Ambroise-Croizat to the right. After about 200 metres, leave the “Loire à vélo” route and turn left into Rue François Inizan. Follow this street and pass the bakery on your right.

(12) Cross Boulevard Dautel at the pedestrian crossings near the bakery and head for Parc du Vissoir opposite. Pass between the wooden barriers and, immediately after them, turn right between the trees. Head towards the lake behind the mound, passing close to the shelter (a structure for anglers). Walk along the edge of the pond to the right along the dirt track. Continue along the edge of the pond, taking the path on the left. Cross the small wooden bridge. Once past the spawning ground (on your right), turn right before the schist stone wall and walk along this low wall towards the park’s exit.

Take the exit opposite and head towards Rue Raymond Lefèvre via Rue Émile Zola opposite (Cité des 7 Parcelles on your right). Turn right onto Rue Raymond Lefèvre for a few metres and, when you reach the pedestrian crossing, cross the road and take the small path between the houses. Cross Square de l’Union and you will come out at the François Attibert car park (S/E).

- Facilities: (subject to the lifting of health precautions)
Toilets and drinking water available during the opening hours of the Pôle culturel Hervé Bazin.
Toilets, drinking water, cycle parking, picnic area and other facilities: please contact the Slate Museum.

- Picnic areas in the parks along the route and on the banks of the Authion near the solar power station and at Port de la Chevallerie.
- The path along the banks of the Authion can be wet and muddy during wet weather.

This route can be shortened by a third or two-thirds; it can also be extended towards the banks of the Loire or combined with the routes in the town of Les Ponts-de-Cé. It is possible to cycle the route.

Shortening the route:

- Shorten the route to 4 km and enjoy the view from the Butte du Buisson (Terril Napoléon) at point (2). Leave the main route, which branches off to the right, and cross over to the opposite side between the concrete bollards. Turn left immediately and head to the highest point of the Buisson (10). Rejoin the route and proceed to the finish point.

- Extend the route to 8 km and enjoy the banks of the Authion without passing through the village of Trélazé. At point (4), before crossing the Ru du Lapin, take the path on the left which runs alongside the Lapin on your right. Head back up onto the Levée. Follow it to the left and rejoin the route between points (9) and (10).

To extend the walk:

- Extend it to 21 km: At the Petite Vicomté solar power station (3), head down towards the Auberge du Pont de Sorges and join the Ponts-de-Cé walking route “From Sorges to Saint-Aubin”*, signposted in red according to FFRP standards. This adds a further 10 km.

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- Extend the route by 8 km (1) or 14 km (2): At Port de la Chevallerie (5), take the ferry across the Authion to reach La Daguenière towards Port Maillard, following the “Loire à Vélo” route (detour). Then return via the same route (1) or (2), taking the “Loire à Vélo” (main route) heading west via the Levée de Belle Poule and, when you reach the farm of the same name, take the wide path just past it which leads to the banks of the Authion, then head back towards the Auberge du Pont de Sorges to rejoin the “Vers les Bords de l’Authion” route near the Petite Vicomté solar power station (3). (2) It is also possible to take the Daguenière hiking trail “Loire, ardoise, Authion”, marked in yellow, to complete an additional 13 km circular route. https://www.loire-authion.fr/medias/2019...

In any case, the viewpoint at the “Butte du Buisson”, also known as the “Point de vue – Terril Napoléon”, is an absolute must-see. Only mist or fog would spoil this 360° panoramic view of the Loire Valley, the Authion Valley and the industrial wasteland of the slate quarry that operated in Trélazé from the 15th century until 2014.
http://musee-numerique.com/trelaze/Ardoi...

For those looking for the Mongazon, a stream that rises in the heart of Angers and winds its way to Trélazé: imagine it channelled, culverted, constrained and forced to meet human needs – particularly those of the slate quarry. You can see some traces of this near the Parc du Vissoir before the waypoint (1). On the right before leaving the park, ‘the little pond hidden in the copse’; on the left after crossing Rue Joseph Bara; or before the waypoint (10) below the Butte du Buisson, in the deep ditch on the left-hand side as you climb towards the Butte. The latter, to accommodate the slate quarrying operations at the Villeneuve Napoléon quarry, was diverted towards the Ru du Lapin, which runs behind the Arena hall. This ‘Lapin’ has its source in the Villechien area of Angers. Like the Mongazon, it too has been subject to constraints. It was brought back to the surface in the 2000s in the La Paperie area and has been showcased in the Parc des Ardoisières. It is possible to follow part of its course by walking the ‘Des carrières et des quartiers’ trail, which will soon be published on Visorando or is currently available at: http://www.lemuseedelardoise.fr/activite...