Randonnée "Grenet"

An 8-kilometre walk through the Anjou countryside, starting in Saint-Quentin-en-Mauges and exploring the town's historic heritage.

In Saint-Quentin-en-Mauges, the municipality of Montrevault-sur-Èvre, the Grenet trail is an 8-kilometre loop that illustrates the transition between the hedged plateau and the steep-sided valley of the river Èvre. The trail, which lasts an average of 2? hours, invites you to immerse yourself in a landscape marked by water and stone.

The route starts in the heart of the village, dominated by its church. The route soon moves away from the dwellings to join the traditional sunken lanes of the Mauges. These paths, lined with oak and ash hedges, offer natural protection and are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The walker first climbs to higher ground, where views open out over the surrounding farmland.

The path then joins the banks of the river, whose course is marked by outcropping granite boulders. The atmosphere changes: the air cools under the canopy and the vegetation becomes denser. This is where you'll find the Grenet site, with its remains of a mill that bears witness to past activity. The industrial and hydraulic heritage here blends with an unspoilt environment where the silence is broken only by the flow of the water.

The route then climbs back up to the plateau along paths that wind around the hillsides. These passages allow you to observe the local geological structure, while offering views of the village bell tower, which serves as a landmark.

Accessible to regular walkers, this moderate-level walk combines physical exercise with nature observation. Between the wetlands on the banks of the Grenet and the dry paths on the ridges, the Grenet trail is a synthesis of the Anjou landscape, combining rural heritage and the river ecosystem.