Old stone buildings and sunken lanes in the Pays Fort

Park at the Place de l’Église in Vailly-sur-Sauldre.

(S/E) With your back to the church porch, head in the opposite direction up the Route de Chevaise. Take the first street on the right opposite the town hall, the Boulevard de la République, then turn left just after the fire station onto the Chemin des Sablons. This tarmac road leads onto a dirt track that narrows quickly. Continue straight on at the crossroads.

(1) Turn right onto a less-used sunken track (hard to spot at first) as you enter the forest, leaving the main route. Continue straight ahead at the four-way crossroads. Turn left onto the D57.

(2) At the cross, turn left onto the tarmac road (towards “La Pierre”). At the crossroads, at a place called La Pierre, continue straight on along the tarmac road until you come to a side road.
Here you have two options:
- turn left then take the first path on the right, which is passable all year round,
- turn right then left onto the grassy track. This offers a lovely view of the hedgerows and rolling hills but is only passable after the haymaking season (early June).

(3) In this case, turn left just after the high-voltage power line, onto the grassy path which climbs in a hairpin bend.

(4) Turn right, heading north, up the forest track. At the junction with a tarmac cross-track, continue straight on along the track, which is also tarmac and turns right at a place called Marry.

(5) Keep right at the Fork in the road onto the grassy track, leaving it at the first bend to take a track on the left. Turn left again when you reach a cross-track. The route takes a right-hand bend.

(6) Cross the D926 (take care) at the cross and continue straight on along the tarmac road towards La Vallière. Pass through the hamlet, staying on the tarmac road towards Les Quaires. Turn right at the end of the hamlet, continuing along the main road until you reach a junction with a tarmac side road.

(7) Turn left and stay on the tarmac road until you reach the Quatre Routes crossroads, where you turn left onto the tarmac road.

(8) Turn left at the first crossroads, following the signs for “Les Marchais”, and stay on the tarmac road until you reach the end of the hamlet. Continue straight on along the path that runs alongside a hedge, ignoring the turn-off to the right. Follow this grassy path as it descends into a valley and then climbs back up, running alongside a pond on your left, before becoming tarmac at a place called La Fournerie.

(9) Immediately leave the tarmac and turn right onto a grassy path. This becomes tarmac again at a place called Le Pâtis.

(10) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead, ignoring the adjacent turnings, along the street which curves in a wide circular loop before coming to face the church porch (S/E).

It is best to undertake this walk after the mowing of the paths, which takes place in early June.

During the walk, you’ll see the rolling hills of the Sancerre region. There are lovely views of the wooded countryside.
You can admire the old stone houses in the various hamlets, as well as a pyramid-shaped barn, of modern design but still in use, at a place called Les Quaires.

Don’t miss the pyramid-shaped barn converted into a museum in Vailly-sur-Sauldre