Suiré Chalusson Circular Loop

Park in the Espace Agrippa d'Aubigné car park on Rue du Prieuré

(S/E) Return to Rue du Prieuré and head right to walk down towards the church. Cross the small roundabout behind the church and take Rue de Cueille Saint-Jacques opposite. Turn immediately left to walk down Rue Charles Magnan. At the bottom of the street, note the Protestant Temple tower and continue right into Rue du Bourgneuf. On the left is the Château de Saint-Gelais. Cross the road carefully at the pedestrian crossing and continue to the right along Rue de Cherveux. For safety, walk on the left-hand pavement. After the wash house on the left, cross carefully at the pedestrian crossing to take the wooden footbridges running parallel to the bridges spanning several branches of the Sèvre Niortaise.

(1) Turn left at the crossroads. Note another small wash house on the left. Continue for about 600 m along the small road to the Château de Suiré.

(2) Turn right between the château and the dairy farm. (If you continue along the road for 100 m, you can see the two 12th-century towers.) Note the château’s entrance porch. Head up the path running alongside the wall of the Suiré estate. Further up, go round it to the left and, at the end, leave the wall by turning right onto a farm track, bordered on the left by a hedge. After about 1 km, turn left and walk alongside the motorway.

(3) Turn right onto the small road of the Vallée Sèche de Piémont, which crosses the motorway and becomes a track a little further on. About 350 m after the bridge, take a small grassy and often overgrown path on the left. (If the path is too difficult, you can continue to the next white track on the left and rejoin the route.) The small grassy path joins a white track. Take this to the left to reach the hamlet of La Grande Nouzille.

(4) Continue straight on along the small road which turns left in front of the house.

(5) Cross the railway line, then turn left and go under the motorway. Turn right after the motorway

(6) Take the path on the left and continue straight on below the railway line into the Guignefolle Valley. Ignore the path on the left that goes under the railway line and continue along the grassy track. A little further on, keep right at the fork. The path enters the forest, runs alongside a dry stone wall, then climbs steeply and emerges onto the plateau. Continue through the farmland to the village of Chalusson. Carry straight on along the street.

(7) Turn left and go down Rue de Chalusson, keeping to the right. At the bottom, turn left onto Rue de la Taillée. Pass the mill and continue carefully along the road until you find a dirt track branching off to the right. Further on, after a right-hand bend, you reach the Sèvre Niortaise.

(8) Cross the river via the metal footbridge that passes through a stone pier supporting the metal railway bridge. At the end, turn left and immediately right onto the path below the railway line. After about 200 m, turn left onto the small road leading up towards Saint-Gelais. Once at the top, cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead along Rue du Hameau des Champs.

(9) Walk past the entrance gate to a private garden (note the cedar tree) and continue straight on round the bend. A little further on, the street becomes a track. After about 50 m, turn left onto a path that crosses a small meadow. Ignore the first path that branches off immediately to the left and take the second one, which enters the housing estate and leads onto Rue de la Garenne. Continue straight on along this street until the T-junction with Rue des Ouches aux Moines. Continue along the path opposite. At the end of this path, turn left into Rue de la Baillette.

(10) Turn right onto Rue des Jardins du Prieuré, then left onto Rue de la Fruitère. After a right-hand bend, take the path on the left to reach a shaded path and the car park (S/E).

This route was created by the municipality of Saint-Gelais and the Foyer Gélasien. It is marked in green.
There are no shelters or water points.

• Les Lucs: The Couvent des Lucs (1) A chapel was founded at Le Grand Luc in 1529. At the end of the 19th century, nuns settled there.

• Suiré Castle: (2) Probably dates from the late 18th century, except for the 16th-century gatehouse and the towers near the road, which are identical to those of Salbart Castle and may date from the 12th century.

• Chalusson: (7) A village with steep, picturesque streets, whose main industry was its mill.

• The Chalusson footbridge: (8) opened in 1882.

(source: walking guide from the municipality of Saint-Gelais)