La vallée de l'Autise à Xanton

de fr

Une petite boucle sans difficulté avec des sentiers et des chemins qui traversent des prairies en longeant l'Autise jusqu'à Denant puis retour par une piste cyclable à travers les champs.

Details

n°496993
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.20 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 33 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 33 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 89 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 33 ft
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Photos

L'Autise
Shaded path
Footbridge over the Autise
The Xanton wash house

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in front of the church.

Yellow markings

(S/E) Join Rue Gabriel Marsaud (D15) and turn right, continuing for about 150 m.

(1) Turn right onto Chemin des Villardières.

(2) Leave Chemin des Villardières by turning right, reach the Autise and cross it via a concrete footbridge.

(3) Enter a meadow on the right through a log barrier forming a chicane and walk along the left-hand side of the meadow. Pass several chicanes and join a shaded path, then a track.

(4) Take the D104 on the right and walk carefully along the road. Cross the bridges over the two branches of the Autise.

(5) Turn right towards the hamlet of La Vallée and continue along the track closed to motor vehicles.

(6) Carefully follow the D15 to the right and head for the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 56 ft - Rue de l'Église
  2. 1 : mi 0.17 - alt. 56 ft - On the right: Chemin des Villardières
  3. 2 : mi 0.41 - alt. 46 ft - Path on the right
  4. 3 : mi 0.54 - alt. 46 ft - On the right, a wooden barrier with a chicane - Autise (rivière)
  5. 4 : mi 1.67 - alt. 43 ft - Denant. Turn right onto the D104
  6. 5 : mi 2.02 - alt. 49 ft - On the right, the Valley
  7. 6 : mi 2.91 - alt. 89 ft - Turn right onto the D15
  8. S/E : mi 3.2 - alt. 56 ft - Rue de l'Église

Notes

This route is marked in yellow by the Sud-Vendée Marais Poitevin Tourist Office.

(3) (4) If you wish to avoid this section or if it is impassable due to flooding, continue straight ahead and after 200 m, turn right. Walk for approximately 1.5 km. At Denant, turn right and rejoin the route at point (4).

Worth a visit

- At point (2) You can take a return trip to the Guissais mill (1 km round trip).

- Saint-Pierre Church in Xanton is listed as a historic monument. Its foundations date back to the 10th century and the entrance porch to the 11th century.

- Very close to Xanton, Saint-Vincent Abbey in Nieul-sur-l’Autise and the Maison de la Meunerie are well worth a visit.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
jlfaure
jlfaure

Thank you for your comment. An alternative route to avoid the pasture is provided in the practical information section

Machine-translated

User 10275841

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this peaceful and pleasant trail.
A quick note about the section between markers 3 and 4: this year (depending on farming activities, of course, and it's great that they're still going strong!), along the Autise, after marker 3, there were cattle in the field to the right of the tree hedge – and not just cows! On the left, a cornfield stretched for about 900 metres.
It might therefore be useful to include in the description an option to bypass the area by taking the path that goes around Les Aspics.

Machine-translated

Champery
Champery

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

The stretch along the banks of the Autize is beautiful and quite wild, with American crayfish and dozens of little frogs hopping out of our way. The final stretch after the bridge is monotonous and devoid of shade.

Machine-translated

Sneg
Sneg

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this lovely little route, which we really enjoyed, despite the brief stretch on the D104.

Machine-translated

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