Chapels and fountains around Lusseray, Chérigné and Luché-sur-Brioux

Park in the car park behind Lusseray church.

(S/E) Head towards the church and pass between it and the building next to it. Join Rue de la Mairie, follow it to the left for about thirty metres and turn right into Rue de la Pompe. At the end, turn right into Rue Montapeine then ignore Rue de la Caillerie on the left.

(1) Turn left into Rue de l'Abrégeon and walk through the neighbourhood of the same name.

(2) At the first junction, after the last buildings, turn left. Continue straight ahead and cross the D11 road with great care.

(3) Cross the D740 with great care and continue straight ahead. Shortly after a building on the left, turn left onto a path which forms part of the old Niort-Ruffec railway line.

(4) At the Y-junction, take the path on the right which descends towards the Fontaines de Lusseray site and its wash house (see an alternative route in the practical information). There, you have two options:
- option marked on the map - continue along the farm track that heads left until you reach the D740. Immediately turn right onto the small road that runs alongside the previous farm track on the other side of the small valley. At the wash house, turn left onto a farm track that joins the route of the old railway line.
- Alternative option - cross by walking on the stones at the edge of the wash house to get across the small stream (be careful not to slip in wet weather).

(5) Continue straight on along the track (east-southeast) until you reach a tarmac road. Turn right here; the road immediately gives way to a track. Lined with vegetation, this track crosses the River Dauphin and winds through the plain.

(6) At the junction, first turn right then left and cross the Boutonne. Ignore a street on the left and continue straight on until you reach the Route de Chérigné.

(7) Cross the road and continue straight on along the path opposite (chapel on the right). Continue straight on until you reach a small road. Follow this road to the right towards Haut Genay until you reach a crossroads.

(8) Turn right and follow the Grand Rue with care. Pass through the hamlet of Bas Genay and return to the junction you passed earlier.

(7) Continue straight on to reach the village of Chérigné.

(9) Turn left into Rue de la Mairie. Walk past the cemetery and, at the corner, turn right into Rue de la Boutonne. Shortly afterwards, walk alongside the river. Just before Route des Ponts, turn left into a narrow lane. At the end, turn left and follow the D120. Cross the Boutonne and then the Vieille Boutonne.

(10) At the next junction, turn right onto the path that winds its way alongside the Vieille Boutonne before becoming a small road. Continue straight on to the hamlet of La Fontaine: just after the buildings on the left, follow the path to the left which leads to a wash house on the River Dauphin.

(11) Retrace your steps and follow the small road you left just before, keeping to the left. At the crossroads, cross the Route de Brioux with great care and continue straight ahead into Rue de l’Église. After the church, ignore the path branching off to the left and continue due north along the road (take care).

(12) At the T-junction, turn left onto a small road (stilltake care ).

(13) At the next T-junction, turn right onto a small road. At the next junction, turn left onto the D111 (Route de Tillou). Continue straight ahead and, after Rue Chalon on the right, follow the Route de Brioux to the left until you reach the car park (S/E).

The car park is located in the oval-shaped area next to Lusseray church.

Although this walk presents no particular difficulty, you will still need suitable footwear.

This route corresponds to a mountain bike circuit published by the Department and the Pays Mellois (among others) and is marked with blue signposts. This explains why the route runs partly along small roads (to a slightly greater extent than is usual for the walks typically offered).

This route is lined with picnic tables at three points and benches at others.

Alternative route

At point (4), continue straight on along the old railway line (the left-hand branch of the ‘Y’ formed by two paths) and cross the small valley via a bridge to point (5).

Hike completed by the author on 1 February 2018.

Luché-sur-Brioux

In the Boutonne valley on the edge of the Niort plain live the 145 residents of Luché. Crossed by three rivers—the Boutonne, the Somptueuse and the Dauphin, which rises at the communal wash house—the village extends northwards across the area known as the Niort plain. The chapel and a splendid dovecote overlook the village.
On either side of the D740, in the centre of the village, stands the old school, right next to the Town Hall.
A footpath leads to the nearby church, next to which lies the communal land running alongside the village hall.

A village and four hamlets

The commune comprises the village and four hamlets. La Grange du Bois on the banks of the Dauphin is the largest. The others are Chanteloube, which was home to the mill; Changeon in the plain, near the Somptueuse; and La Maison Neuve at the foot of the water tower.

The name Luché first appears in a document dating from 928 (a circular from the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d’Angély). This name appears in the forms Villa Lupchiacus and Luchiacum.
The locality was known as ‘Luchec’ in 1232, ‘Luchet’ in 1383 and ‘Luché’ in 1648. Its current name, ‘Luché-sur-Brioux’, was officially adopted by decree on 20 June 1896.

The church

The church of Luché-sur-Brioux, with its six massive buttresses, is Romanesque in style. It probably dates back to the late 10th century.
Despite its simplicity, it features a stone vault rather than a simple wooden roof structure, as is typical of most Romanesque churches.
The Gothic-style entrance dates from the late 15th or early 16th century. Its stone bell tower, accessible via a narrow staircase built into the thickness of the walls, is fitted with a bell.

The wash house

Situated to the south of the village, in a leafy setting, it allows the Dauphin river, which rises here, to flow freely.
Crossed by two other rivers, the Boutonne and the Somptueuse, the communal wash house is a must-see.
Partially covered from 1930 onwards, it was subsequently fully covered. It was renovated in 2009.

The Dovecote

The chapel and a splendid dovecote overlook this small village, a stop-off point on the D740 road linking Ruffec to Niort.
Most visible from the eastern entrance to the village, this private property, part of a former farm, stands very close to the old Niort-Ruffec railway line.

Lusseray and the Fountains of Lusseray
Below the road, several springs converge to form the fountains of Lusseray, named after the village where they rise.
The stream thus formed, after passing under the railway viaduct, flows through the wash house. It continues its course towards the village, eventually joining the Boutonne, which runs through the commune.