The meanders of the Sarthe — loop in the Parc Naturel Régional and Géoparc Normandie-Maine

The Normandy-Maine Regional Natural Park has existed since 1975 and extends over 164 communes in 4 departments. One of the most remarkable natural zones in the park are the "Alpes Mancelles", where the Sarthe river has dug itself so deep into the slate that peaks with proud heights of almost 220m have emerged😏 The hiking route "Les méandres de la Sarthe" leads through this area in a double loop, starting at the leisure park of Saint-Léonard-des-Bois (Domaine Le Gasseau). The first of the two loops is just under 4km and first crosses part of St-Léonard, then takes a nice path along the banks of the Sarthe and finally, after a hairpin bend, runs on the back via some viewpoints and the Rochers du Sphinx back to the Begin. Up here, the path follows the geological nature trail with numerous interesting information boards. The second loop starts with a long ravine, then the comparatively weakest part of the tour follows with a longer section through the fields, partly on gravel, partly on asphalt. It gets more interesting again from the hamlet of "La Touzelière": you get back into the forest and climb down a beautiful path (quite challenging when wet) to the Sarthe, which you cross over the Romanesque bridge of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei . This place belongs to the select circle of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France" and attracted numerous painters in the late 19th century. The village itself, the church and the chapel are absolutely worth seeing and fortunately deserted by the usual crowds of tourists so late in the afternoon. After a short swing over the hamlet of Sarthon, you reach the Sarthe again, which you cross at the historic Moulin de Trotté mill (which can also be booked as a holiday home). A longer passage follows on beautiful paths up at the edge of the forest, before it goes steeply down again to the small ferry across the Sarthe. Even if you are already on the right bank, a small crossing must be easy.😊 Almost 1.5 km after the ferry ride, the starting point is reached again. A highly recommended and consistently well-marked tour with Saint Céneri as the highlight, when wet there are some slippery passages.

From May to October a ferry can take you across the Sarthon a little before St Léonard