The Arcais chain boat

de fr

Motorhome owners, from the Arcais area, discover the village centre, its port and its famous chain boat for crossing the Sèvre Niortaise.

Details

n°306997
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.03 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 16 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 16 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 36 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 7 ft
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Description of the walk

(S/E) From the motorhome parking area, take the path that runs alongside the boules court and then past the picnic area.
At the “Teurtous” bar, turn left then cross Rue du Coursault. Continue for 50 metres and take the narrow path on the left.
At the next street, cross over, head straight ahead and then turn right onto Rue des Bateliers, following it up to Place de l’Église.

(1) Turn left, walk past the church, then head down to the right until you reach Rue du Grand Port.

(2) First turn right then left and follow the path alongside the Leat de la Garenne. Keep going straight on until you reach the chain-driven boat.

(3) Carry on to the small bridge.

(4) Follow the same route back to Rue du Grand Port.

(2) Turn left onto Rue du Grand Port, then left onto Rue du Marais, before turning right to reach the motorhome parking area (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 23 ft - Motorhome parking area
  2. 1 : mi 0.23 - alt. 36 ft - Village square
  3. 2 : mi 0.35 - alt. 20 ft - The harbour
  4. 3 : mi 1.26 - alt. 13 ft - The chain-driven rowing boat - Sèvre Niortaise (fleuve)
  5. 4 : mi 1.55 - alt. 7 ft - Bridge
  6. S/E : mi 3.03 - alt. 23 ft - Motorhome parking area

Notes

A peaceful walk, flat and mostly in the shade.
Best done on foot or by bike, preferably in the morning to avoid the crowds of walkers.

Worth a visit

Enjoy the cool air of the Marais Poitevin.
Admire the hollyhocks in the little village and its narrow streets.
Do pop into the tourist information office opposite the church. You’ll receive a warm welcome there.
À la carte packages combining cycling, canoeing, rowing and dining are available.
Rowing boats and canoes are available for hire at the harbour. Reasonable prices.
Have fun crossing the Sèvre Niortaise in a chain-driven rowing boat. Once on the other side, you can carry on towards Damvix.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
françois legendre
françois legendre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A great way to discover the crossing boat and the banks of the canals and the Sèvre Niortaise,

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Coco l'asticot
Coco l'asticot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly enjoyable and entertaining route along the Sèvre, with the added bonus of discovering the chain boat. Thank you for this wonderful discovery.

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SEVERIN Sylvie
SEVERIN Sylvie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very peaceful nature route. We didn't see anyone else. We really loved the wild side of it, with all the deciduous trees and nutria burrows. A haven of peace! And the ferry crossing with Rosalie's boat was the highlight of the walk. I highly recommend this hike.

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SEVERIN Sylvie
SEVERIN Sylvie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Interesting route. However, we didn't return by the same route but did a circular route and passed through the village, which is very beautiful (take the road on the left through the woods on the way back). It's a walk worth doing as it's not very long or difficult, and you can take the chain ferry.

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Denis D
Denis D

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start of the hike is poorly marked. The rest is very interesting. Thank you for this route.

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lojp17
lojp17

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A sign said that the chain boat was unusable due to vandalism, so we made a round trip.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed walking along the water.
We will return once the boat has been repaired.
Thank you for this suggestion.

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Lerat Henri
Lerat Henri

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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rondeauyannick
rondeauyannick

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk that can be extended to the next bridge and back on the other bank, then take the chain ferry and return to the starting point.

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lydie85130
lydie85130

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant, peaceful walk, ideal for this hot weather.

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cocollico
cocollico

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Although the route, explanations and landmarks, particularly the starting point at the "caravan park car park", are very average,
the scenery along this walk is very pleasant and even magnificent.
However, it is a shame that you have to take the chain boat there and back and retrace your steps along the same path.
So we made a one-way trip with the chain boat crossing to return to Arçais via the other path of La Conche, after a fork in the river and a crossing at the Bourdettes dam to return via the Damvix/Arçais road, which allowed us to make a circular route and walk about 9 km (allow 2 hours).

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