Vallée de la Jouanne & Sentier des Moulins
Just 10 kilometres south-east of Laval's centre, the Jouanne river cuts a narrow, wooded valley through the bocage that feels entirely removed from any urban reality. The Sentier des Moulins — Path of the Mills — follows the riverbank past a succession of restored and ruined watermills, some dating to the medieval period, through a landscape of mossy stone, overhanging hazels and kingfisher-blue w
The walk itself
The main circuit from the village of Loiron-Ruillé runs approximately 12 kilometres and is rated easy, with minimal elevation change. The path is well waymarked with yellow blazes and passable year-round, though the valley is at its most atmospheric in April and May when wild garlic carpets the banks and the canopy is still thin enough to let light through.
You pass at least five distinct mill structures along the route, ranging from a fully restored working mill with an intact wheel to atmospheric roofless ruins draped in ivy. Interpretive panels (in French) explain the milling history at key points.
Wildlife and practical details
The Jouanne is a chalk-fed stream, unusually clear for this part of France, and supports a healthy population of brown trout. Grey herons are a near-constant presence, and patient walkers in the early morning regularly spot otters working the shallower stretches near the second mill.
The village of Loiron-Ruillé has a small car park at the trailhead and a café-bar open on weekend mornings. Combine the walk with a visit to the Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre in the village, which has a carved tympanum worth the two-minute detour.
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