Château du Bois Charmant and the Font de Benon sandpit at Les Nouillers

Les Nouillers is situated about 6 km south-east of Tonnay-Boutonne. You can park easily in the church square.

(S/E) Walk past the church gate and take Rue de l’Église. Turn left onto Rue des Fontaines: you’ll then have a lovely view of the Château du Bois Charmant, which lies on the opposite side of the valley. Walk past a house with a very tall chimney and you’ll come to a fork in the road where two stony paths branch off. Take the path furthest to the left (do not go down towards the stream). You’ll come out onto a small tarmac road; turn right onto this and follow it for about 200 metres until you reach the start of another road on the right.

(1) At the top of the hill: a sign points to Château du Bois Charmant. Take this road to the right. Further on, a sign indicates that this access is reserved for vehicles heading to the château, but this does not apply to pedestrians. Continue along the path, passing in front of the château – which is private property – and go round it on the right, following a dirt track through the woodland which leads to a wide avenue at the edge of the woods.

(2) Turn left and carry on until you reach a cluster of houses (La Matassière), where the path ends.

(3) Do not enter the hamlet but turn right onto the tarmac road. At the end of the road, turn right again towards the hamlet known as Chez Guérin.

(4) Take Rue des Mille Fleurs on the left between the houses. Turn right once and then left once. Carry on straight ahead on the tarmac, staying on the same road, cross the D216 near the hamlet known as Les Amis and head straight across. Ignore the path on the left leading towards the cluster of houses; pass between some livestock buildings and reach a four-way junction. A little further down on the right, a house behind a row of poplars can serve as a landmark.

(5) Turn right, passing in front of this house. Cross the road and take the white track opposite leading to a former sand quarry. Turn right onto the track, which is blocked to vehicles by boulders, and head down towards the small pond, skirting it on the right. Once at the end, take the path that climbs to the right opposite another depression, which is also a former sandpit: a curious landscape of black sand lies to the left. You could go and have a closer look, but some parts of the path are dangerous near the edge on the opposite slope, so this is not recommended.

(6) It is best to turn right. Walk through the cluster of houses at Font de Benon and turn right.

(7) Almost immediately, after a fenced-off field with a cattle gate, turn left onto a dirt track which can be very muddy in winter: if you find it difficult to proceed, you can make your way through the undergrowth parallel to the track. Join the tarmac road and turn left for 200 m.

(8) Then take the first dirt track on the right, running along the edge of the woodland. This track begins with a small bridge over the ditch (a culvert). At the end of the track, turn left onto the tarmac road and walk for about 700 m, ignoring two tracks on the right.

(9) Take the third path – which is gravelled at the start – just past the Stop sign, 50 m further on. Enter the woods and follow a wide, straight path. About halfway along this path, turn left onto another path and cross the stream via a bridge. Continue along Rue Bonne Nouvelle, reach the church and turn left to return to the car park (S/E).

Two-thirds of the route follows farm tracks and little-used tarmac roads, whilst one-third is on dirt or gravel tracks.

The landscape is undulating.
The path can be very muddy between points (7) and (8). You can then walk through the undergrowth. You’ll make slower progress but stay dry.
The landscape around the sand pit is quite unusual. It is reminiscent of volcanic sands. You can try to get closer and walk around this small depression. But do take all the usual precautions, as the path can be dangerous!

There’s an unusual bell tower at the church in Les Nouillers.
The Château du Bois Charmant can be seen from a distance from Les Nouillers, but as you get closer, it is well hidden in the woods.