Hiking Deux-Sèvres

This walking tour leads you to discover the wonderful local heritage, the town of Echiré and its dairy cooperative, the old hamlets as well as the homes of the lords of yesteryear. In 3 hours, you will admire the château de la Taillée and its superb dovecote, the dry valley of the Maie and the Braye fountain, Coudray-Salbart, the Salbart and Moulin-Neuf wash houses, the Milan farm, the famous Château-Gaillard and of course the bucolic banks of the Sèvre.

Two hiking loops of about 3 hours and a mountain bike circuit of 27 to 33 km, all three marked. Departures from the Monacalis hall. You will explore the remains of the opulent vineyards of yesteryear, devastated by phylloxera at the end of the 19th century: remaining plots of land, old canteens, where the winegrowers used to eat and store their tools, and a windmill. The itinerary "In the footsteps of the Négrette" leads you to this rare grape variety, to a plantation of truffle oaks and to a superb panorama of the Courance valley, with Niort in the background.

Several circuits to be done on foot, by bike or on horseback of at least 10 km are proposed between the communes of Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud (departures at the place de la Mairie) and Arçais via Damvix (in Vendée). You will discover the wild marsh by exploring its conches and its small heritage, including the charming little port of Montfaucon. Poplar groves and wild plants (meadowsweet, comfrey, valerian, iris), decorate the walks.

Walk through the history of Cerize, which begins in the Neolithic period. You start at the castle of La Roche (3 ears of corn gite), its superb park and its pond. You will then discover the architectural and natural heritage of the surroundings: Saint-Pierre church and its tympanums decorated with ceramics (19th century); Saint-Père washhouse; Puy Genest and the Queen of the Meadows trail, a wetland ecosystem; Le Plessis, an ancient fortified village (9th century), the Celtic educational trail, Les Bourrelières and an observation platform. You will end up at the pretty Vannelière pond (fishing allowed).

You will tour Tourtenay and its surroundings in search of beautiful views of the vineyards. Among the historical sites you will cross: the church of Tourtenay, founded by the evangelizing monk Fort, from Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes; the hamlet of Le Moulin, famous for its resistance acts in 1941 - 16 radio transmitters were parachuted there; the Petit-Puy and the church of Saint-Martin, built on the edge of an old Compostela path at 110 m altitude.

You will explore the different historical districts of Parthenay starting from the castle (13th century), the central monument of the district called the Citadel. You will discover the Chemin du Rosaire, and its pretty eponymous chapel, which links the suburbs of Saint-Paul, the tanners' quarter, on the banks of the Thouet, and Saint-Jacques. The view is amazing! You cross the Prée, admire the remains of the ramparts, including the Trilobate tower, an original specimen both for its considerable dimensions (27x28 m) and its cloverleaf shape. You end up at the Saint-Jacques gate.

You walk around the Soleil-Levant lake and the Touche-Poupard dam along a steep path laid out in a bed of old schist and milky quartz. Fauna and flora are astonishing here: as you reach the vanished village of La Folie, and follow the GR 364, you will observe the great crested grebe, come across luxuriant vegetation in spring, columbines, stellar and wood hyacinths. It will be possible to take a break at the hikers' stop.

The suzerain castle of Cherveux is surrounded by vassal residences of beautiful allure. You will discover them all along this loop: the Seneuil dwelling, the Carte castle, the Roche-Cantin estate, the Valière fortress or the Francs dwelling, built around the 15th century. The route is punctuated by many other curiosities, beyond the romantic panorama, hundred-year-old chestnut trees, the Ramées path (former route of the Compostelle pilgrims), the Plan pump (1880) and the Cherveux sundial (1836). The walk is enchanting!

A pleasant walk along the Boutonne valley, where you will discover here and there, alongside the hedges, mills, wash houses, abandoned arms and reaches. You walk in search of various curiosities: the Bassée aux chats, legendary meeting place of these males on Mardi Gras, the roadman's shelter (1840), the path of the Romans, ancient Roman road which linked Saintes to Poitiers. Be careful when crossing the D950. This loop joins the GR 655 pilgrimage route.

You can stroll along the 4 wash houses of Saint-Georges-de-Rex, starting with the one of the Panification (behind the church of Saint-Georges, in the eponymous street), with its polygonal open-air basin. Its washerwomen's sidewalk is topped by a traditional market garden roof (poplar rafters, reed roof and canal tiles). The Reverend, Grande-Fontaine and Richebert laundries follow. Rectangular in shape and fed by a stream, it is accompanied by a small hold, built to allow cattle to drink.

You walk through the land of the Clochard apple. You will discover the town of Champdeniers, cross the Egray valley, a tributary of the Sèvre, then enter the Arpentérault wood (private, in La Chapelle-Bâton). You stop at Verruyes (laze on the pretty beach of its pond) to finish at the golf course of Mazières. Other routes are available on www.champdeniers.fr. It will also be possible to reach Parthenay via the GR 36, or the section of the Vélofrancette.

The loop takes you to L'Absie's points of interest: Notre-Dame abbey church, Bois des Gâts and the Seguin chapel, destroyed during the Revolution and rebuilt in 1874. One of its stained glass windows alludes to the Vendée wars, a theme rarely evoked in Deux-Sèvres. From here, a quick detour takes you to the Chirons garden and the Branlant rock, a magnificent granite chaos (1.5 km round trip). You finish with the Abiès garden (PRM accessible), with its 70 species of resinous trees.