The best traffic-free bike rides around La Chapelle-Saint-Laurent

Sturdy shoes and rain gear are recommended. Enjoy this walk.

The "Filles de Bressuire," monumental sculptural works by Franck Ayroles, adorn the Bressuire train station square. Installed in 2021, they welcome travelers as an artistic nod to the city.

Dating from the 15th century, this manor house in VieuxBeaurepaire, listed as a Historic Monument, is distinguished by successive constructions integrated into older buildings. It is particularly famous for having sheltered Abbot Pierre Proust during the Vendée Wars, who took refuge there to escape deportation and continue to keep the parish registers of Terves.

The old Clécé train station marks a stop on the old railway line converted into a greenway. The disused building, with its simple lines and exposed timbers, is a perfect resting spot for a break.

It is from Place de la Solidarité, near the village hall, and in the light of a sunny afternoon, that visitors can best admire Courlay's church, firmly anchored on a hilltop, built in the middle of the village. It is squat and austere, like a fortress, a half-Gothic, half-Romanesque building whose square bell tower dominates the surrounding houses. Crossing the square, created on the site of the former cemetery relocated in 1900 and now adorned with a beautiful fountain where water cascades over granite chirons, note: the square bell tower with two small bays on each side (11th and 12th centuries); to the east, the large wall of the church's apse; on the north facade, a small rectangular tower resting on the bell tower and housing the stone staircase providing access to the bells; on the south facade, the turret topped with a slate pinnacle, the modillions of the cornice, a small door at the top of a few steps, and the Romanesque portal or main gate.

The Château de la Roche-Faton, located in Lhoumois (Deux-Sèvres) in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is an elegant castle listed as a Historic Monument, dating from the medieval period and enriched during the Renaissance. 🏰 History & Architecture Mentioned as early as 1179, burned down in 1417, it was rebuilt starting in 1544 by Mathurin Pidoux. It comprises three buildings around a courtyard, round towers, a gatehouse with drawbridges (now lost), and outbuildings built in the 17th century. The fortified entrance is flanked by machicolations, while the central building includes a 15th-16th-century main building, crowned by an authentic spiral staircase. 🖼️ Interiors & Decor Several intact fireplaces from the 15th and 18th centuries, as well as a large living room decorated with 18th-century stucco. The Saint-Nicolas Chapel contains the tombstones of Charles-Marie-Auguste de Beaumont, Marquis d'Autichamp, and his wife. 🌳 Gardens & Park An English-style landscaped park and French gardens – designed in the 17th century by the Lords of Vassé – surround the château. A pond from the former moat also remains. 🛡️ Protection & Visits Listed as a Historic Monument: facades and roofs of the main building registered in 1973, wings of the outbuildings in 1993. A private property belonging to the du Dresnay family, the château is open for guided tours of the exterior and for events such as European Heritage Days.

Small, quiet castle, a little hidden away!!

There is a tap in the Halte Randonneurs in the old station building