From the wash house to the dolmen in Longeville

A short, easy walk to discover an old windmill, the little Courolles wash house set amongst the greenery, and the Grand Bouillac Dolmen.
Start and finish 200 m from Bouil Beach in the commune of Longeville.

Details

3603420
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.30 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 10 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 10 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 17 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the motorhome car park near Bouil Beach in the commune of Longeville.

(S/E) Take the Chemin des Oursins northwards, with your back to the beach, and continue along this road, keeping north. Pass the La Bolée d'Air campsite.

(1) After crossing theD21 with care, take the small road slightly to your right towards the mill ruins.
After the mill at a three-way junction, turn left and go behind the farm, keeping it on your left, towards Pont Métayer.

(2) At the bend, leave the road, go straight on along the path and rejoin the road that descends towards the little river Le Goulet, then continue straight on along the path, ignoring the road on the left which will be the return route.

(3) Take the first path on the right and, at a T-junction, turn right; after about 100 m, turn right again to reach the Courolle wash house.

(4) Continue round the first stretch of water.
For the return journey, take the path in the opposite direction, i.e. turn left twice.

(3) Turn left again and, before the little river Goulet, take the road on the right, pass between two ponds and continue along this somewhat monotonous road. Pass the Grand Bouillac dolmen.

(5) At the junction, turn left, heading slightly downhill towards the River Goulet, which you cross. After the Goulet bridge, the road climbs slightly.

(6) Turn right towards La Phélippière, continue along the road which becomes a track, and turn left onto the road at Les Gréffiers. Continue along this road for about 250 m; it bends to the left and, after 75 m, turn right.

(7) Cross the D21 with care and take Avenue des Chevaliers in the village of Les Courlis.
After the tennis courts, turn right onto Avenue des Mouettes and leave Les Courlis at the stop sign, taking Chemin des Rochettes on the left.

(8) At the small roundabout, turn right onto Chemin des Roulettes and, just before Chemin de la Cartière aux Chats, turn left onto Chemin des Palourdes towards the forest.

(9) You will come to Chemin des Oursins and, on the left, the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 12 m - Motorhome parking in Bouil (Longeville)
  2. 1 : km 1.09 - alt. 13 m - Crossing the D21
  3. 2 : km 2.52 - alt. 12 m - Junction on the path
  4. 3 : km 3.25 - alt. 13 m - Junction
  5. 4 : km 3.71 - alt. 9 m - La Courolle wash house
  6. 5 : km 6.99 - alt. 11 m - Junction
  7. 6 : km 7.4 - alt. 8 m - Junction
  8. 7 : km 8.27 - alt. 11 m - Crossing the D21
  9. 8 : km 8.98 - alt. 8 m - Small roundabout
  10. 9 : km 9.22 - alt. 8 m - Chemin des Oursins
  11. S/E : km 9.3 - alt. 11 m - Motorhome parking in Bouil (Longeville)

Notes

(1) Crossing the D21 is tricky, especially in summer, so please take care.

(7) Cross the D21 again to enter Les Courlis; take care.

Worth a visit

(2) If you’d like to see a modest example of traditional Vendée peasant housing, continue along the road, cross Pont Métayer, then turn right to rejoin the route.

(4) Picnic area at the Courolle wash house. Continuing along the path that led you to the wash house, 50 m to the left – be quiet – you may be lucky enough to spot herons on the pond, which you can walk around; otherwise, there are always frogs in the wash house basin.

Don’t miss the Museum of Prehistory: head north from the wash house towards the village of Saint-Hilaire-la-Forêt, less than 500 m away. From April to September and during school holidays, there are activities, demonstration workshops, themed events, shows and talks.
Préhisto’ CAIRN site
17 Rue de la Courolle
85440 Saint-Hilaire-la-Forêt
02 51 33 38 38
lecairn@vendeegrandlittoral.fr

Before (5) the Grand Bouillac Dolmen

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
3 / 5
pavil95
pavil95

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This walk does not disappoint. Admittedly, the straight stretches through farmland can be a bit monotonous. Nevertheless, there are a few surprises along the way, such as the remains of an old mill, the Grand Bouillac dolmen and the ponds near the wash house, which are dotted with shaded benches and picnic tables. The weather was perfect, with soft sunshine and, above all, little wind. A quiet and safe area, apart from the main road to cross, as mentioned in the introduction.

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melloni boris
melloni boris

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Highly recommended

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Guillaume D
Guillaume D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route along quiet roads, pleasant in May when it’s not too hot (there’s not much shade on sunny days)

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Fran91
Fran91

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Disappointing. Too much of a straight stretch through the fields.

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Chamdom
Chamdom

Hello, thank you for your comment – it’s much nicer than the last one and makes me want to share more.
Have a lovely day.

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Cricri85
Cricri85

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, this is a route that takes in the beach, the forest and the plains. Thank you for introducing us to the little mill, the wash house and the Grand Bouillac dolmen.

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Petit-frère
Petit-frère

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

This route is more than just disappointing – it’s downright uninteresting. The route is mostly on tarmac and features long, endless straights. There are only two points of interest: the wash house and the dolmen, but that’s not enough to make it worthwhile. This route doesn’t deserve to be listed on Visorando...

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