Route “Au fil du Temps” in Niort-la-Fontaine and Lassay-les-Châteaux

Starts at the Place de l'Église in Niort-la-Fontaine.

Yellow markings

(S/E) With your back to the square, turn left then take the second right, Rue Croix de Pierre, towards Housseau, to the north of the village (D243). Leave the houses behind and turn right onto a sunken track called Chemin de la Pissette at a sheep pen.

(1) Follow it, cross the stone bridge over the Lassay and continue straight on until you reach the road.

(2) Turn left, then cross the D243 with care and continue straight on towards the hamlet of La Monnerie

(3) Enjoy the lovely surroundings and discover a magnificent watermill and its leat. Continue towards the hamlet of La Rivière then head off to your left. You’ll reach the D219 (Niort-la-Fontaine / Melleray-la-Vallée).

(4) Turn right until you reach a path on the edge of the forest on the right.

(5) Follow it. After 300 m, you’ll come across an Impressionist painting on a saltire; you’ll soon discover 11 others by Ludovic Piette or Camille Pissarro. Continue to the left and discover the Allée de Montfoucault, with the home of the painter Ludovic Piette—a friend of the famous Camille Pissarro—in the background. The paintings reproduced here were all created on site. Walk through the hamlet of Montfoucault and you will soon come across the iconic work: “The Harvest at Montfoucault”.

(6) Walk along the pond and then turn left onto the small road towards the hamlet of “La Val”. Further on, turn left again to enter a charming sunken lane and continue to the road (D219).

(7) Cross with care and turn right. Then turn left onto a path that runs alongside two agricultural plots and soon enters some woodland to the south. At the end of the path, at the junction, turn right and follow the sunken path which will lead you into a field. Be sure to follow the path left by previous walkers so as not to damage the crops. After crossing the path (Z-shaped route), you’ll come out onto a new path.

(8) Take the path on the left heading south towards the hamlet of La Guilbardière. At the road, turn left and continue before turning right (alternative: you can also choose to turn left to shorten the route).

(9) Turn right onto a path with lovely views of the bocage, and continue straight on heading due south for about a kilometre.

(10) The path then continues to the left. Cross over to the other side of the hill and then turn left to continue northwards. (If you wish, you can take a short detour to see the Chapelle Bion on your left, then retrace your steps). When you reach the hamlet of La Chauvinière, turn left and then head back up to the crossroads you passed earlier.

(9) Take the path on your right which climbs towards Bignon. Further on, you’ll come across a dolmen; a short detour to your left will take you to the menhir known as the Pierre Robert, standing in the middle of a meadow.

(11) After stopping at the dolmen, continue to your right and walk through the historic hamlet of Bignon. When you reach a road, turn right towards the village of Niort-la-Fontaine and continue straight on until you reach the church (S/E).

Dirt tracks: 62%.
Circular: Yes.
Signposting: Yellow^PR®

Along the route: works by Ludovic Piette.

Dolmen and menhir near (11).