BOUCLE DE LA GROTTE (N°2)

Start from the salle polyvalente, 5, Place Georges Morin (WC, picnic table and plenty of parking). Take Rue du Roc, then follow the path that runs alongside the industrial zone and its buildings to the crossroads, then take the path opposite. Shortly after the village of Chevrigny, on the edge of the road, stands an oak tree, estimated to be around 1810. Then meander along a low-walled stream to the ancient and well-preserved Galeux fountain. Continue to La Dreurie, turn left and follow the GR® de Pays to the D242 near the Blin mill. Turn right onto the D242, follow it for about 200 m, then turn left towards Malherbière. Leave the GR® de Pays in the direction of the Grotte, and cross the river L?Aisne on the footbridge that leads to this replica of the Grotte de Lourdes. Emanating from a vow of protection, it was built by the local inhabitants, grateful that the 39-45 war had not claimed any victims among them. The route continues uphill to the village of Les Chapelles and its beautiful 19th-century church, remarkable for its crypt and stained-glass windows. Turn left on the D518 and enjoy the panoramic views as far as the village of Les Molières. Turn right just after the calvary. You reach the village of La Poulerie. Take a narrow path to La Savrière, then continue along the road to the D218. Turn left, then right as far as the village of Petit Saint-Jean, whose statuette is embedded in the wall of a house. After 500m, turn left. At the former campsite, riders and hikers join the D218, which they follow along the berm to Rue du Lac and the entrance to Parc de Beauregard. For walkers and mountain bikers, take the footbridge and tunnel, and the loop will take you around the wetland (a former artificial lake). After passing the dam lined with railings, turn left towards the entrance to Parc de Beauregard, marked by a brick porch. At the first fork in the road, turn left towards the river, where you will come across the Constantian oak, a reference to the hermit Saint-Constant who settled in Javron in the 6th century, in the middle of a rugged wood, on the top of a ravined hillside overlooking the Aisne... On leaving the park, turn right into Rue du Roc to return to the starting point. Please note: as a conservation measure, some trails are closed to motorized traffic all year round or periodically: from October 1 to March 31 and on Sundays, all year round from 1pm to midnight.