Things to see and do Pays De La Loire

Former chapel of the castle, the collegiate church is located within its walls but is accessible by a bridge. It is one of the most prestigious religious buildings of the 15th century in Anjou, specific of the Angevin Gothic style. The church is composed of a 44 meters long and 12 meters wide vessel, and a 18 meters high vault. There is an oratory from which the lord attended the services in all discretion. This church has been classified as a historical monument since 1907.

This majestic edifice, built on top of a limestone hillock, rises to 106 metres and rests on the foundations of an ancient Romanesque church. Eleanor of Aquitaine ordered its construction in the first half of the 13th century, and it was built in one go, something extremely rare for the time when works were generally built bit by bit, often requiring several centuries to complete. The collegiate church is inspired by the plan of Poitiers cathedral, which also has three very slender naves. The church thus offers a mixture of Poitevin and Angevin Gothic styles. An architectural and artistic ensemble that can also be admired at night, when the site is illuminated by beautiful ground lighting. Named collegiate church since 1478, when Louis XI instituted a college of canons, the interior has very beautiful 16th century sculpted stalls as well as a painting of the Assumption by Jean Boucher. There is also a relic, "the belt of the Virgin", a piece of cloth brought back from the crusades which was often believed to have the power to promote fertility and the birth of male children. For this reason, the building became a popular place of pilgrimage on the route to Santiago de Compostela. A staircase allows you to discover the frame and the surrounding panorama. If you have time, a visit to the village gives you the opportunity to discover several 15th and 16th century houses.

Gennes was an important Gallo-Roman city because of its privileged position on the Loire and trade routes. There are still many remains of this period, more or less well preserved, of which the most remarkable is the amphitheatre of Mazerolles. Considered the largest Gallo-Roman amphitheatre in the west, it could accommodate up to 5,000 spectators. Its construction is original: on the hillside, the cellars of the arena were dug; only the podium and the surrounding wall were built. During the Empire, the theatre organised the circus games, which saw gladiators and animals confront each other, but also naumachia (water fights) thanks to a machinery that allowed to flood the arena. One of its main characteristics is its perfectly preserved terracotta drainage pavement. This amphitheatre and other remains discovered - baths, temples, aqueduct, habitat - were part of a vast Gallo-Roman complex built at the end of the 1st century AD and used until the beginning of the 3rd century. Finally, an area of habitat has recently been revealed during an archaeological diagnosis that completes the observations already established. For the time being, the researchers hypothesize that Gennes would have been a large sanctuary in a rural area and a place of conciliation before the conquest of Gaul. Guided tours and animations help to make these ruins full of history talk!

Goubault's oldest printer, Goubault is no less at the cutting edge of technology. Since 1995, this company has been awarded the "green imprim" label thanks to intelligent management of its waste and the use of plant inks. A one-and-a-half hour tour at the heart of an impressive workshop, of printers passionate over the last four generations. This visit will particularly delight children.

This site visit shows the solutions of "sustainable development" found by Véolia cleanliness in order to respond to one of the greatest challenges: what do we do with our waste so that we don't with the planet? It is a two-hour journey to the country of waste proposed to you. The transformation of the latter into mineral, organic and energy resources will no longer have a secret for you thanks to the visits of the selective collection centre, the high-performance sorting centre, and the energy recovery unit.

A swamp zone in the heart of Nantes! A former Loire flood meadow, the Malakoff marshes cover an area of 16 hectares classified Natura 2000, implying that the riches of its flora and fauna are protected. We cannot enter freely. In agreement with the City of Nantes, the Bird Protection League (LPO), however, allows you to visit this marsh, which was nicknamed Little Amazonia because of its luxuriance. The diversity of landscapes to see can only fascinate those who love wild nature: roseless, water bodies, alluvial forest, meadow, mares… Also presence of Highland cows (rustic Scottish race) which naturally maintain the grassland and pasture 10 months of the year. Since 2012, the Plague Sauvage, carried out as part of the centenary of the LPO and the Estuaire 2012 Contemporary Art Biennial, offers a privileged view of the site and its birds.

You sit on a bench facing the castle and a 20-metre high water jet rises in front of you! As you sit down, you have just activated the mechanism of a contemporary work of art by Jeppe Hein. When you get up, the jet falls back, which surprises you a ^second time. And you wonder: that's exactly what the artist wants! The work Did I Miss Something? ("Did I miss something?"), has been relocated here for the Estuaire 2012 art event. Indeed, it had been installed on the Loire in 2007, but the currents had damaged the mechanism. Enjoy the wooded park and on Sundays, visit the guest rooms decorated by artists!

Located in the heart of the island of Versailles, La Maison de l'Erdre is a building that looks like a Japanese tea pavilion, a change of scenery guaranteed for this piece of Asia in the heart of the city! It houses permanent exhibitions that allow you to discover the ecosystems of the Erdre. The aquariums presenting the local fish species have disappeared. Transition obliges, there are no more animals in captivity, the place turns towards the ecology of the river via panels. The Maison de l'Erdre also hosts temporary exhibitions on the environment and numerous photo exhibitions. Panels teach visitors about the history of this island and its activities in the past, a nice introduction before a cruise on board Bateaux Nantais!

New: a large-scale game for children aged 4 to 10. Soon water games and various facilities for the comfort of all.

Tram No. 1, Bouffay stop. A beautiful garden ideal for children, with its fountain where the water springs out of figurines hanging in the air. It is a little neglected by families because a little difficult access for strollers.

Horse in Bélinois offers horse and pony rides by level group. And for the walking riders, there's really something to be fun about. Choose the two-hour walk (at 30 €) and leave in the heart of the forest. You can ride in long stretches of sand in the middle of the pine trees at any time. For the less adventurous, there is also a carriage, towed by a percheron. The farm also offers pensions for horse owners, stay for groups and hikes in France (Oléron Island during summer, for example) and abroad (hiking in Morocco). All year round, there are courses on ponies and horses, discovery courses, address games, initiation to the aerobatic, the passage of the galops. Everything is possible!

Founded in 1977 by a group of railway enthusiasts, the Transvap aims to preserve a railway heritage but also to travel: from Beillé to Bonnétable, you travel 17 km on board old locomotives. You will pass through Tuffé, Prévelles and finally Bonnétable. During the theme days, you will also discover the church of Beillé and its stained glass windows, the old abbey of Tuffé, the house of the potter of Prévelles and the garden of the castle of Bonnétable.

From the museum of Vivoin, the Hemp Circuit stretches over 30 km and passes through all places suggestive of culture. In particular, it makes it possible to stop in farmers who have restored their oven or who have themselves known culture more than sixty years ago. Indeed, hemp, in Sarthe, is a culture, a tradition in particular the north of the department. People who have people today easily tell how they saw, forty-five years ago, their parents exploiting what has made Maine great: it was around 1865 that hemp cultivation reached its peak. The Sarthe is then the first producer department. Its production is mainly used for textiles, fishing nets, ropes and sails of the navy. Then, competing with cotton and synthetic fibres, this culture is declining. Since 1990, however, it has developed and produced, among other things, paper, fuel, medicines, textile fibres, cattle feeds, fertilizers, insulation products… Hemp ovens have been restored, thanks to the energy of a backup association. They are to rediscover with this circuit through the belmontaise campaign. Information and leaflet at the Tourist Office.

Garden profiles on the terrace decorated with a th century basin but also a colombier to coo next spring. The grounds of the town hall are the construction of a monastery. There are numerous collections of trees, but also of shrubs, as well as local essences and varieties of ancient roses. A real pleasure 30 min from Le Mans.

Housed in th century turrets, the th century building was undoubtedly the residence of the Dukes of Alençon, whose coat of arms still appears on the facade.

The city hall and its gardens reflect in part the beauty of this small, belmontais village. The Specialities know well, tourists also travel to visit this wonderful corner. And city hall is an essential step.

The Church of Notre-Dame is certainly one of the most beautiful jewels of the belmontais heritage, both by its seniority and by the diversity of artistic riches it is home to. Built in the th or th century, in wood, she underwent fire and several destruction. Rebuilt in 1686, its orientation was modified to enlarge it. His choir is thus directed to the west. The Romanesque gate, the oldest remnant of the church, dates back to the th or th century. Beautiful archivolts adorned with grimaçantes heads and rafters are carved on its high side. The stained glass windows are beautiful.

From the Cistercian Abbey of Champagne founded in 1188 by Foulques Riboul, he died only the kitchens and the redesigned western wing in 1740 whose cellar was of origin (vault and pillars). Remarkable also of wall paintings representing a landscape and the main oak staircase of 1740 with its massive ramp and 33 steps cut in the mass. The building was saved from the complete ruin and restored by several generations of the Luzu family, which acquired it in 1899.

Today, the area is both a farm and a prestigious welcoming place with three reception rooms, a group accommodation in addiction and three charming guest rooms in the main building.

Visit by appointment in the afternoon from May to September.

We would like to point out that the wheel of this mill no longer exists. Only the interior remains inside the mill.

A few stone steps to climb, lit by a large black lamp, and you are there. Just opposite you is this small Romanesque chapel of the th century seems to resurface from the Middle Ages. Everything is original, apart from the lanternon added in the th century. Inside, you can admire the exceptional frescoes of the 1688 th and th centuries, as well as a altarpiece by the manceau sculptor Pierre Lorcet in. The latter has the particularity of being covered with terracotta scenes. She was listed in Historical Monuments in 1946 for her mural paintings.

Built in the seventeenth century with a fortress destroyed by the English during the Hundred Years War, the castle was enlarged and restored at the end of the nineteenth century. Located at 260 m above sea level, at the edge of the Perseigne Forest, it enjoys a beautiful panorama. However, the castle does not visit. The church, former chapel of the castle today, is open during the Heritage Days. But nothing prevents you from enjoying the point of view and admiring the castle by far.

The Grand Lucé estate is one of the largest estates in the Pays de la Loire. If the 18th century castle, which has become a superb luxury hotel, can no longer be visited, the 30-hectare park with its French gardens, exotic garden, vegetable garden, forest, pond and meadow could soon be reopened to the public, following the direction given to the project by the American owner. The site is currently available for rent for the organization of private events.

Route the Hermitage: 5 h on foot, 2 h by bike, 18 km (yellow markup, departure road behind the church). Route Les: 4 h walk, 1 h 30 by bike, 15 km (red markup, departure road behind the church). Rock-Acute Route: 2 h on foot, 1 h by bike, 8 km (purple markup, departure site of Stones-Higher). Come and discover the lake, the castles, but also the rush, the butternut, the vineyard… Possibility of bicycle rental.

Discovery of the forest of Saint-Mars-la-Jaille and Ancenis thanks to numerous hiking and equestrian tours. A tour guide «In Pays d'Ancenis» is available in tourist offices and town halls. The big hikers will choose the GR 3 which runs along the submarine trail. The most beautiful sites can be discovered by the Loire Dream Trail, a 64 km loop well marked. You can also choose to go up the Loire by bicycle. The fact sheets are also available in tourist offices and town halls.

They ceased their activity in 1875. A blast furnace, the houses of the founder and his clerk at the Étang Pond, the house of the master of the forges at the pond of Provostière are the remains.

You can see it at the entrance of La Turballe, on the road to Saint-Molf, at the place called Les Quatre Routes.... Rue du Moulin! Formerly called "Moulin de Maincrom" (the curved stone), named after the plot where it was built in the 18th century, it was modernised in 1893: it was raised by one floor and provided with a second pair of wheels, equipped with the Berton system and an orientation reel (butterfly). Its construction dates back to the 18th century, but it was valiantly ground wheat and barley until 1969. A visit to this windmill reveals the mechanism that crushes the grain and extracts the flour. On 4 levels, the strength of the wings, 52 m² of sail area, drives the spinning wheel, the lantern, the big iron, which, in turn, by various gears, rotate the sorter, the running wheel, the blender, to obtain the fine flower and the oatmeal... A miller's house, next door, a former storage place, presents a collection of objects from the past in order to bring back to life the time when the donkey came and went between the farm and the mill... and that the wings turned in the wind... These items were collected from donors. Among the objects are: headdresses and costumes, embossing and ironing irons, lace, heaters, clogs... The miller's house can be visited free of charge, in addition to the visit to the mill.

The bell tower of the church Notre-Dame-de-Mercy, known as Trescalan Church, offers the highest view of the peninsula. At a height of 33 m, it rises on the hillside at 45 m above sea level. At the origin of the construction, the bell was finalized in its upper part by a dome roof. A panoramic bezel allows very beautiful views and a complete overview of the entire landscape extending from the mouth of the Loire to that of the Vilaine, towards the wide and the islands of Morbihan and towards the great Brière. To access it, you have to climb 110 steps. After a 1 ^st level you can discover the arch of the church's frame. The church, for its part, includes many curiosities such as the ship Pie IX, ex-voto suspended in the choir, the statue of Notre-Dame-de-Brandu (Virgin to the Child) and the statue of polychrome wood dressed in Saint Brigitte.

This 8 km course along the Lecourbe is accessible to hikers, cyclists and people with reduced mobility. Located in natural surroundings, the trail takes a practicable route with strollers and can be carried out in any sense. The Lecourbe Park and the Beautour Dock can, for example, be a starting point. A great opportunity to discover the "Folies", dating from the th century and th century, as well as the many boats now restored and converted into workshops and exhibition spaces. This circuit will lead you to discover the past activities of the men and the ecological, historical and heritage of the sites crossed. It is punctuated by 17 educational panels that will allow you to learn more about the "secrets" of the Nantes Nantes.

This cave has always been a place of pilgrimage and is located on the north side of the church. Also called a cell, it is where Vital (or Viau), the former patron of the parish, lived. The cave was forgotten during the Revolution. The priest Lechat rediscovered it in 1849. It was then 7 m long and 2 m wide. In the past, the opening of the cave was in the priory's garden. We went down a stone staircase there. The outer entrance to the cave was then placed in the northern chapel of the church. In 1910, Father Sort had a reduction of the Lourdes cave and a wire entrance built, which were restored in 2017 by volunteers.