Brie Pond Route

Park in the square by the “old Petit Mairat station, which used to serve the village”.

(S/E) Cross Rue du Bourg and take a quick first turn left then right to join Chemin de la Cure. Head down into the valley, passing the former presbytery, and continue straight on.

(1) Turn left to cross the field, head up through the woodland to reach the Route du Maine Joizeau. Turn right and follow the road along the pavement.

(2) Before the bus shelter, cross at the pedestrian crossing and take the path opposite. Further on, turn left at the junction to reach the hamlet of Les Roulis.

(3) Follow the road to the left, cross Rue de la Carrière and follow the path opposite, which leads to Rue Jean Dumousseau. Turn right towards the hamlet of Le Quérut, then take the first road on the left towards Le Temple.

(4) Cut across Rue des Templiers and cross the village. On leaving the village, join a small white track through the woodland, continue left until you reach the D91 and cross it. Continue along the white track opposite.

(5) Turn left into the woods to follow the old railway line. Keep going straight on, cross Rue de Fonfroide, and continue straight on at the junction until you reach Route de Verrières. Cross it and head straight on.

(6) Turn right, then immediately left. Follow the path to the wash house by the pond. When you reach the Route des Brebions, turn left. Carry straight on at the junction, then keep to the right to reach the church. Walk past the primary school on your right to return to the starting point (S/E).

Yellow signposting.
Generally sunny.
Suitable for families: yes
Free parking at the start point, Place de la Gare
Travel by bus using the Möbius on-demand transport service: 05 45 65 25 35

Contacts: Town Hall: 05 45 69 96 89 / Tourist Office: 05 45 95 16 84
Extract from information sheet No. 019PA: Walks between Touvre and Charente

Places to see along the way:
(S/E) Petit Mairat station: at the start of the walk, a plaque explains the history of the steam train which ran from 1912 on the Angoulême–Confolens line, carrying both passengers and goods.

On arriving in the valley, walkers can settle down on the terraces blending into the natural surroundings and admire the market hall, the playground and the community orchard.

(3) Off the trail, Tartassonne is the village where André Thévet, a tobacco importer in France during the 16th century, lived. His Renaissance-style family home, with mullioned windows, can be seen on the street that bears his name.
The presence, in the Middle Ages, of a Templar commandery in this village of Le Temple gave the hamlet its name. A plaque commemorates the history of this village, which was also once home to a Protestant church.

(5) The old railway line once led to Verrières station, situated at the foot of the village. The little train used to fill up with water here from a well that still stands today.

The pond’s washhouse: in the past, a pond covering an area of 6,800 m² stretched out here. This pond belonged to the Lordship of Nesmond, the history of which is recounted on a plaque at the entrance to the village of Le Logis, opposite the cemetery. After the Revolution, it was partially drained and turned into meadowland. Hemp grown on the numerous hemp fields bordering the site was retted here. Today, only a small body of water surrounded by gardens remains.

Saint-Médard Church was built between the 11th and 12th centuries; it is one of around twenty examples of early Romanesque architecture in the former diocese of Angoulême. Taking the very steep path up to the bell tower, which runs alongside the church, offers a panoramic view of the village and the church’s bell tower. A plaque on the façade explains the history of this building.
Three further plaques affixed beneath the market hall recount the history of Brie, whilst those at the library and the museum of antique tools opposite the church tell their own stories.