Champfrémont: Hiking Trails and Cultural History

In Champfrémont, the hiking options described range from a trail of about half an hour to an outing lasting several hours. The Sainte-Anne grounds and several historic sites also offer specific points of interest for a stay. When planning a visit to the grounds of La Bellière, take the seasonal visiting hours into account.

Hiking: from a short trail to a longer outing

The Rando'Clim trail “Sentier Ste Anne de Champfrémont” is rated as a very easy hike. It is about 1.1 kilometres long and takes around 30 minutes. This estimate gives you an idea of the time needed for a shorter walk and can be compared with the much longer GR de Pays “Tour du Mont des Avaloirs” stage.

This stage covers 16.5 kilometres from Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson to Sainte-Anne-de-Champfrémont and is listed as taking around four hours. This lets you compare the two routes by the time each requires. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

The Sainte-Anne grounds

The Sainte-Anne de Champfrémont grounds are located 1 kilometre north of the town centre and are visited year-round. They include a leisure area with picnic tables and a shelter, a fountain, overnight accommodation for hikers and a restored former livestock market. There is also a pond, a garden for preserving fruit varieties and numerous hiking trails.

The facilities cater to different interests: the trails are part of the grounds, which also have picnic tables and a shelter. If you would like to use the covered area with a group, check the conditions of use in advance.

The chapel and traces of history

The Sainte-Anne de Champfrémont chapel dates from the mid-17th century; Abbé Étienne Jouy began its construction in 1630. Volunteers fully restored it in 1973. Its features include a wooden vaulted ceiling, three wooden altarpieces and a polychrome terracotta statue of Saint Anne from the 16th century.

The statue dates from before the chapel was built. Next to it is a former police post that was used to house cattle thieves on market days. The site thus brings together religious furnishings and a separate, explicitly historical use.

Château de La Bellière and visiting hours

La Bellière is a 17th-century château. E.-A. de Vaucelles designed the park plan in September 1802. Since 6 September 1995, the château, the outbuilding wing, the 19th-century outbuildings’ façades and roofs, the moats, and the gardens and their enclosures have been listed as a historic monument.

The park can be visited from May to September by prior arrangement, on Thursdays or Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. It also opens every year for the European Heritage Days on the third weekend in September. Check the booking details before you travel.

History and the regional setting

The restored Maison du Maquis de Courtemiche served as a refuge for members of the French Resistance, including young men who refused the compulsory labour service (STO). This historical connection complements the site’s architectural and religious history with a link to the Second World War.

Champfrémont lies within the territory of the Normandy-Maine Regional Natural Park and UNESCO Global Geopark. Together with the hiking trails and historic sites described here, this offers a picture that takes in both specific places in the town and its wider landscape setting.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Saint-Calais-du-Désert, Moulay, Saint-Samson, Saint-Germain-Le-Fouilloux, Saint-Germain-le-Guillaume, Bais, Montsûrs, Saint-Pierre-Sur-Orthe

For the main travel overview: Mayenne.