Plateau et vallons de l'Ouette

Location : Parné-sur-Roc 12km south of Laval on the D21.

Starting point: Car park at the Prieuré

Heritage :
Parné- sur- Roc, "Petite Cité de Caractère" Parné- sur- Roc is a typical village that has been awarded the "Petite Cité de Caractère" label for its rich heritage. Built on a rugged hillside, the village is well worth a visit, with its narrow streets (roquets), its medieval stone bridge spanning the Ouette, its picturesque houses and its industrial heritage: medieval houses, the timber-framed house of the Croix Blanche, weavers' houses, brick houses, workers' houses and its impressive lime kilns, etc.
As soon as spring arrives, the whole village is in bloom, and a visit becomes an enchantment.

1. From the church square, walk up the Grande Rue. At the crossroads, you'll see a timber-framed, two-storey house built around 1460, which leads up to the cemetery and the housing estate.

2. To the left, a long dirt track winds across the plateau. Below you, the great Gallo-Roman road from Le Mans to Rennes.

3. Before a copse, turn left onto a footpath. At l'Orbereau, cross the by-pass road that leads to the narrow sunken path, then wider and slippery path leading to the flower-filled farmhouse of l'Orvilette (15th and 18th century architecture). (Take care when crossing the D103).

4. Turn left onto the track (beware of ruts filled with water after heavy rain).

5. Cross the bridge over the Ouette and go back up, staying on the left-hand path. Go past the sewage treatment plant and turn left into the street, cross the bridge and go up Les Roquets to the right. Return to Place du Prieuré.

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