Limestone and plant remains at Montjean-sur-Loire

Start from the lime-burning hamlet of Châteaupanne, a stone’s throw from the priory and its chapel.

(S/E) Head towards the chapel then take the path on the left. This path allows you to enjoy the atmosphere of the valley, into which the Loire overflows during floods, and to go round the famous limestone hill.

(1) Then follow the Ruisseau des Moulins on your left, where beavers build small dams. The little-known smooth elm is very common on its banks.

(2) After 500 metres, on your left, don’t miss the steep path that climbs up the hill. You’ll then be treated to a breathtaking view of the quarry, which resembles a volcanic crater. It is here that you will encounter the world’s oldest tree, ‘Armoricaphyton chateaupannense’, whose venerable age exceeds 400 million years. At your feet, botanical treasures take advantage of the limestone outcrops to flourish: orchids in spring, rock roses in summer… You will then come to a crossroads.

(3) Continue straight ahead, then go straight on again at the next Fork in the road.

(4) At the Fork in the road, head down to the right towards the hamlet known as Maison Blanche. You’ll take in the more serene landscape of the Loire Valley, characterised by meadows grazed by sheep, terraced hamlets and the imposing ruins of lime kilns. Green lizards and blue-winged grasshoppers (Oedipodes) have taken over the old Loire quays, stony and sun-drenched areas once dedicated to the lime industry.

(5) Finally, you’ll rediscover the wild, fresh atmosphere of the Ruisseau des Moulins path, rich in mosses and ferns, which you’ll follow upstream until you reach the junction with the steep path.

(2) Continue straight ahead and retrace your steps to the lime-burning hamlet of Châteaupanne (S/E).

Saint-Aubin Chapel in Châteaupanne: this^11th-century chapel, listed as a Historic Monument, is characteristic of Anjou Romanesque art.

Saint-Méen Chapel: it was an important centre of pilgrimage in the early^20th century. Saint-Méen, passing through Châteaupanne in 565, is said to have performed several miracles using water from a fountain dedicated to the goddess Maïa, a fountain that would later become known as ‘Méen’. This is how popular belief began to spread, and the sick would make their way to the fountain to invoke Saint-Méen against scabies.

The oldest wood in the world: Who would have thought that such a tiny piece of wood would turn the world of science on its head? It was here, in Anjou, in the heart of the Châteaupanne quarry, that palaeobotanists unearthed fragments barely two millimetres in size. Yet this Lilliputian treasure is a giant of history: at 407 million years old, it is the oldest wood ever discovered in the world.