Antrain < > Sens-de-Bretagne

STAGE PROFILE : 18.6 km 4h35

The absence of difficult terrain as well as the brevity of this stage allows the pilgrim the time to appreciate fully the diversity of the countryside – woodlands, tree-lined pathways – and the remarkable buildings whether religious or otherwise (particularly the church of St Martin de Tremblay) bearing witness to past centuries, as the pilgrim makes his way through the villages and hamlets of this stage.

DIRECTIONS :

0.00 – Leaving from the church of Antrain, follow Rue de l'Eglise for a little more than 50m before forking left into the small road Ruelle des Fossés. Cross Avenue Kléber to continue straight ahead towards Rue du Général-Lavigne, then Rue de Bonnefontaine (cemetery on the left; further on, on the right, the area of l'Abbaye).

At the stopsign (0.9km), cross the D 155 (with care) in the direction of Château de Bonnefontaine. Follow the beautiful oak-lined avenue as far as the Château.

Leaving Bonne Fontaine, the GR® 39 and the Chemin de Saint-Jacques (St James Way) ignore the road on the left to take (Cross on the left) the little asphalt road which goes down for about 100m before heading left onto a narrow walking path with a varied profile (wet during rain) leading to the farm of ...

0h45 03.3 – ... Fossés. Exiting the path, continue straight ahead on a small tarmac road for approx 1km passing the areas of La Soudraie and La Lande before turning left at a T-junction. After a little more than 100m, and after passing the area of L'Ecu, turn right onto Avenue des Bois to go down towards Tremblay (4.7km) [Notice the house of the academic Bertin (to be restored) after a stopsign, and church].

Leave the town taking the small Rue de la Chauvignaie, at rightangles to Rue Emile Ferron, below Place de l'église. At the end of the road, facing Square des Loisirs, turn right onto Rue de la Paix and take it for 100m before taking a left onto a little cul-de-sac towards the old treatment works. At the end of the road, continue towards the right, keeping left, as far as the stream Croix Verte which you soon cross (100m) on a wooden overbridge.

Continue through woodland towards the right. A little further on, leave on your right the new treatment works just before a tarmac road giving access to the treatment works (5.5km). Walk about 20m on this road before heading right onto a woodland path; after 100m and after leaving another path to your right, continue heading uphill alongside a meadow for a little less than 500m before arriving at a farm in the area of ...

1h30 06,1 – ... Le Tertre.

Go around the farm by the right-hand side using a downhill path for a little more than 50m. At the bottom, keep left to go back up a path till you get near to a house on the left, 100m higher up. Continue to the right along a tarmac road. About 20m after having gone round a group of terraced houses, fork right onto a treelined ‘hollow’ path, opposite a beautifully restored house. After approx 150m, keep right near a stream to get onto a superb hollow-path going uphill as far as a tarmac road, which you take to the right. After going straight for about 500m, the path rejoins the GR® 39 which you follow as far as Romazy. Take the left bend then, immediately on the next bend take an agricultural access track on the left, following the GR®. Continue along this path, which soon bends right, across fields to a farm...

2h00 08.0 – ... at the top of an area called La Papillonnais which you go around towards the left to a tarmac road 100m away near a Cross. Go right down this road, and at 400m, after a bend, take a path which goes over a stream to arrive at the edge of the D12 after about 50m. (In wet weather, continue along to the D12 which you take to the left to regain the GR®).

Here the path goes off to the left of the road to go up around the side of a large hillock, still on the GR® 39. (You are now less than 1km from the village of Rimou and its resting place/ gîte d'étape of Bas Ména.)

Get to the top of this hill to arrive onto the D18 (caution) (9km) which you follow to the left for a few dozen metres before heading right towards the areas of La Salle and Bel Air. Having gone down into the valley via a farm track, after 400m the Chemin de Saint Jacques (St James Way) and the GR® 39 take a left onto a hollow path for a little more than 2km as far as a tarmac road, onto which you go left, passing in front of the farm of Grande Fontaine and bending right towards the centre of the town of...

3h05 12.3 – ... Romazy. Go down along the D175 passing the war memorial and the church. Carry on straight ahead and head, between the D-road and an old hotel/restaurant, onto a downhill road (Rue de Roquet), going alongside the river Couesnon ; cross it (about 1 km away from Romazy) at Moulin du Pont, after having walked a few dozen metres right along the D211. Continue left, towards La Mondrais, via an old roman road lined with trees which goes through or passes by the hamlets of Chevrie, Bois Brun, Chemin and, after having left on your left a junction with the D175, the hamlet of ...

3h50 15.5 – ... Pont Gomery. Here turn right towards the areas of Theuré and La Denisais. At the first one, Theuré, take a lovely gravel road uphill to the left. After about 1.5km, turn left to go onto a path, hollow (treelined) at the start, as far as a tarmac road, which you take to the right towards the village of Vallerie. After 150m, turn down the first small road on the left in this village (some lovely houses). This way continues (beautiful house on the left with sculptures and old inscriptions) as a footpath before becoming a ‘hollow’ path (horse trail). Follow it for 250m, cross an entrance to a field, and head back into the hollow path which becomes very rugged for a further 300m. (Caution: in the case of storm or heavy rain this path can become very wet and slippy. In this case it is wiser to go all the way through Vallerie to get to the D92 which you take to the left to get to Sens-de-Bretagne.)
This hollow path leads onto the dead-end Rue des Clouyères. At the end of it you find the Place d'Armes which you cross to take Rue de Gramont which leads to...

4h35 18.6 – ... Place de la Mairie de Sens-de-Bretagne