The Colonne circular loop in Torfou

From Torfou, take the D949 towards Tiffauges. Park in the Colonne car park at the next roundabout.
Follow the yellow signposts.

(S/E) Cross the D753 at the pedestrian crossing to reach the Allée du Couboureau and follow this lane. You’ll see a hamlet called La Foire on your right. Continue along a wooded path called Étang du Bois, heading straight on past the gate. You’ll arrive at the Château de Couboureau.

(1) Turn immediately right and head down the Roman road. Begin a fairly steep descent towards the Sèvre Nantaise, turning right to reach the Foulons mills.

(2) Leave the mills on your right as you walk alongside the Sèvre. Pass under the D753 and head into the Torfou valley.

(3) Cross Rue du Vieux Pont to reach Chemin du Raidillon opposite. Continue for 100 metres until you rejoin Chemin de Saint-Anne, turning left towards the hamlet of Maison Neuve and its cross.

(4) Turn slightly left onto the track to reach La Barre and its junction.

(5) At the junction by the Barre cross, turn left; then, 80 metres further on, just before the water point, take the right-hand bend and follow this path until you cross a bridge over the railway line. You’ll arrive at the hamlet of La Gautronnière on the D949.

(6) Cross the road carefully, then turn right and follow it along. Take the first path on your left, then turn left again. Turn left once more and continue through the Bois de la Barre and the village of Bois Brûlé.

(7) Turn right as you leave the village onto the Allée du Bois Brûlé. Turn right again at the bend and continue for 400 metres until the path ends near a pond. Turn right and head straight on towards the village of Censivier. You will reach the end of the path.

(8) At the end of the path, on the right, cross thelevel crossingwith care. Once on the RD 753, follow it carefully as far as the roundabout and return to the car park at the start of the Colonne (S/E)

La Colonne:
The Column, erected in 1826 on the initiative of Mr Jousseaume, Marquis
de La Bretesche (1779–1839), commemorates the Battle of Torfou or
Battle of Tiffauges, which took place on 19 September 1793, during the
Vendée Wars. It marks a defeat for the Republicans
commanded by Kléber, who had recently arrived from Mainz. The column
consists of a granite cylinder 8.65 metres high and approximately 1.30 metres
in diameter, set upon a plinth 5 m in diameter.

(1) Couboureau Castle
In the 15th century, the Couboureau estate belonged to the
Jousseaume family. The present castle was built in the early 19th century.
In 1828, the Duchess of Berry stopped there.
“On her arrival at Couboureau Castle… To get a better view of the mill’s waterfall… and the ruins of Tiffauges Castle, the young princess nimbly climbed a group of rocks which would henceforth be known as the Rochers Caroline.”
Extract from *Lettres vendéennes*, or *Account of the Journey of H.R.H. the Duchess of Berry* through Touraine and Anjou ....
A giant sequoia can be seen near the château (private property).

(2) Former Fulling Mills:
Dated back to the early 18th century, the Torfou mill was still in operation in 1888. It had a single water channel and three fulling vats driven by a bucket wheel, with a power output of 1 to 2 horses.
Fulling involved beating woolen cloths placed in a vat filled with water and clay (to remove grease) using heavy mallets. The building has been restored by the associations ‘La Perche Dorée’ and ‘Torfou Nature et Sentiers’.

Butcher’s broom: Ruscus aculeatus
A species typically found in old hedgerows; the young shoots are edible, either raw or cooked; however, the berries are poisonous.
During the Second World War, it could be rolled into a ball, with the tips of the leaves acting as a scraper, to scrub kitchen utensils that were to be heated over an open fire.
It has medicinal properties: the rhizome, the underground part of the stem, aids circulation, hence its nickname ‘the plant for light legs’; the roots are used in ointments to treat haemorrhoids or bags under the eyes.
It is even used in the famous ‘five roots’ aperitif syrup.