We invite you to discover the departments of Mayenne and Sarthe in the Pays de Loire in two walks. The first concerns a walk from Juigné sur Sarthe to the Solesme abbey. As for the second, it is the discovery on foot of the city of Laval. We hope that the overview of these walks in Solesmes and Laval will make you want to discover the charm of Sarthe and Mayenne.
Départ de la promenade
As we are staying in Juigné sur Sarthe in a house on the edge of Sablé, we decide to leave on foot directly from the house. After a short while along the road, the path brings us past a wide open gate with a “private property” inscription. We are a little surprised, because the GPS seems formal … After a moment of hesitation, we respect the sign and walk along a plowing field. The field being a few meters from the path we should have taken, we do not lose sight of it. Finally we end up returning to the route proposed by Google Maps …
Walk along the water
The route brings us fairly quickly to the edge of the Sarthe, which we follow for a while. This allows us to enjoy the view from the opposite banks. Old buildings and the imposing Solesmes Abbey are revealed to us.
Arrival at Solesmes Abbey
Once at the abbey, we enter for the visit. And there it is the drama … Indeed, it cannot be visited. We are a little disappointed but the monks tell us that the adjoining church can be visited. So we go there. And if the first glance is very austere, going forward, we discover recesses with superb decorations. Then a beautiful bluish atmosphere appears at the bottom. The photos below speak for themselves:
Conclusion of this first walk in Solesmes
After visiting the church, we take a tour of the abbey. Then we leave via the same path to return to our rental house.
Laval: the opportunity for a stroll
As our rental is located halfway between Laval, Le Mans and Angers (which we recommend to visit in this order in passing), we decide to visit the center of Laval. We start by passing in front of the closed theater, which was doing a poster campaign that we really liked. Do you find all the cinematographic or other allusions?
A classic of the towns of the region
It is a bit like the Epinal of the towns in the area: the castle at the water’s edge. And I admit that I never tire of it. Even if the one in Laval is a bit lost in the middle of more recent buildings. This is, moreover, the feeling that a visit to the city will leave us: a kind of often unhappy mixture between historical nuggets and modern utilitarian buildings with little worked design.
The old buildings of Laval
After passing the castle, we go deep into the heart of Laval. We discover some monuments there that deserve a glance, as shown by the photos below.
The churches of the city
As often when we visit cities, we look at churches. These are indeed a point of attraction for lovers of old stones. Those of Laval are not exceptional compared to French heritage in general but are well worth a few glimpses.
End of our walk in the city of Laval
As mentioned above, if this is your first time visiting the region, we recommend that you start with Laval. Indeed, if this one has some beautiful assets, they are little emphasized. Consequently, surrounding cities such as Le Mans or Angers are much more pleasant to visit. So you would probably be disappointed if you look at Laval after these.
We hope that these walks in Solesmes and Laval made you want to discover the region. In any case, you can also find our previous hikes below:
