LES MOULINS (N°25)

Walking in Lignières-Orgères, from mill to mill...

This route (64% dirt track) offers two very attractive loops linked by a path. It features a passage through the Monnaye forest. Old mills line the route. Start from the hamlet of La Paquerie, around 3km from the market town of Lignières-Orgères, on the Route de Ciral D525.
First loop: the Lassue mill, the Moulin de la Fonderie (or Fenderie). Take the path through the undergrowth towards La Choletterie. Beautiful low stone walls bear witness to the human activity generated by the Forges. Evocative sites: la Charbonnerie, la Ferrière. Head back towards Lignières on the D525 and after 400m, turn left to the west, le Champ Long, then left again to the south, onto the D221 Pré-en-Pail - St Samson la Ferrière. Back through the undergrowth towards the Moulin de la Fonderie and the lake on the Doucelle, a name that used to be associated with Lignières.
Second loop: Moulin le Tilleul. At the crossroads, as you leave the forest (Monnaye), turn right onto a dirt track. After 800m, turn left onto a beautiful woodland path that leads to the Moulin le Tilleul, which strangely enough gave its name to the river Doucelle. Then you come to the aptly named hamlet of Les Chaussées in the Orne, with its natural slate causeway. There is a remarkable passage between two ponds before returning to the Mayenne after passing through the village of Monnaie. You arrive at the crossroads of the path linking the two loops, which you take in the opposite direction. At the next crossroads, take the path on the right to return to La Paquerie via a local road.