Circular walk between Saint-Martin-lès-Melle and Saint-Romans-lès-Melle

Car park at the village hall in Saint-Martin-lès-Melle.

(S/E) On leaving the car park, turn left onto the road towards Saint-Romans-lès-Melle, leave the village and ignore the first road on the right.

(1) Take the path that appears shortly afterwards on the right and continue to the next junction.

(2) At the junction of the farm tracks (altitude 110), turn left and follow this track, which passes under a power line.

(3) At the next junction with a road, take the road on the right and, shortly afterwards, go straight across the junction towards Pompérain.

(4) In Pompérain, turn left onto a track towards Font-Maye (wash house), and continue along the track towards Saint-Romans-lès-Melle.

(5) The track leads out very close to the Romanesque church of Saint-Romans-lès-Melle. Follow the road uphill towards the village centre and immediately turn left onto Route du Logis (signposted). Walk past the farmhouse, which is part of the traditional local architecture.

(6) At the next junction, turn left onto the road towards Bel-Air, then, immediately after passing the first house on the right, take the path that winds its way between houses and gardens. At Le Pontreau, take the main road on the right towards Bel-Air. Leave the village. From Le Verdillon, the path follows the^GR® 655 (Way of St James). Continue to the crossroads (altitude 103).

(7) Turn right towards Trappe. On leaving the hamlet, turn right onto the path towards Le Bassiou.

(8) Cross the Béronne via a raised bridge. At Le Bassiou, turn left onto the road, then ignore the first road on the right.

(9) At the lowest point, about a hundred metres further on, take the road on the right (near Prélebeau). Towards the top of the climb, turn onto the first path on the left, the Mouille-Pain path.

(10) At the bypass around Melle, cross the road and immediately afterwards take the path on the left leading uphill. At the top of the climb, turn right towards Saint-Hilaire.

(11) At the next junction, leave the track leading to Saint-Hilaire on your right and continue left towards the water pumping station. Go round it and take the track on the left which joins the road overlooking the bypass.

(12) Follow this on the right until you reach the junction with the road to Saint-Hilaire. Turn left, cross the ring road again and carry on straight ahead towards Le Prieuré. At the junction with the road coming from Melle, turn left and follow the road along the footpath running alongside it until you reach the car park at the Saint-Martin-lès-Melle village hall. Just before the town hall in Saint-Martin-lès-Melle, cross the ring road at the pedestrian crossing before returning to the car park which marks the start of this route (S/E).

Easy parking is available in the car park at the village hall in Saint-Martin-lès-Melle.
This route includes sections on roads due to the rainy season (early March). A route with more footpaths is possible with a few variations (recommended in dry weather).

This route takes you to the Font Maye washhouse and the Romanesque church at Saint-Romans-lès-Melle. It partly follows the^GR®655.

Saint-Romans-lès-Melle
See the 19th-century church at Saint-Romans-lès-Melle (notably the mascarons on the north-west portal)

Melle
You can visit three Romanesque churches dating from the 11th and 12th centuries:
- Saint-Hilaire (the most significant of the three churches, both for its architecture and its sculpture. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a stop on the Way of St James.)
- Saint-Pierre (Romanesque chancel)
- Saint-Savinien (the only one to have been built within the walls of the fortified town. Its chevet is surrounded by the town’s ancient walls. It served as a prison in the 19th and 20th centuries).
In Melle, there is also the Hôtel du Ménoc (former courthouse)