CIRCUIT AU FIL DE LA SARTHE

Family hiking trail with a flat profile mainly on paths Suitable for occasional walkers and accessible to mountain bikes. From the square in front of Cheffes church, you can admire this 12th century religious building with its twisted bell tower, dedicated to Notre-Dame and possessing beautiful vestiges of quality Romanesque architecture You then proceed to the Chefs' Bridge. After crossing the Sarthe river and seeing on your left the Chapelle Saint-Sulpice which was restored in 1882, in the taste of the Renaissance, you will pass in front of the lock, before taking the towpath and the footbridge, to pass in front of the mill and go in the direction of Briollay. Then, you will go on to Vérigné, a locality in the commune of Briollay, where you can take a break on the banks of the Sarthe. A rare example of 11th-century civil architecture, the former courthouse of the Barony of Briollay was founded in the 12th century by Foulques Nerra, who owned the rights to high, medium and low justice. From this point of view, you will be able to admire on your right the hill of Vérigné and on your left, the hill of Soulaire-et-Bourg which frame the Sarthe Valley. Back in Cheffes, you will pass by the Manoir des Grandines (private) dating from the second quarter of the 17th century. Note: This circuit is floodable on many places. For more information, please contact the Town Halls de Cheffes (02 41 42 61 41) and Briollay (02 41 42 50 28) Head toilets: opposite the town hall, to the right of the church, square René Goujon and at the river stop, opposite the lock. Picnic tables on the path, at Cheffes, Vérigné and Briollay. All shops in the town centres of Cheffes and Briollay Restaurants in Chefs (closed in August) and in Briollay. Camping de l'Écluse à Cheffes (open mid-June to mid-September) Motorhome areas in Cheffes and Briollay. Public Transportation : - Train station in Tiercé (3 km) - Coaches : information Angers bus station (02 41 36 29 46) You can also take advantage of cruises on the Sarthe in the summer: The electric passenger boat La Gogane docks in Cheffes for guided cruises. A river stopover also allows passing boats to spend the night. And a rental base for electric boats and pedal boats delights young and old alike for an experience along the Sarthe.