The Besson Oak of Port d'Envaux

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This hike offers the opportunity to discover the woods of Port d'Envaux, as well as the Roman church of Saint-Saturnin de Séchaud. In a mineral, green and wooded setting, you will discover a typical natural heritage that is timeless.

Details

n°24482880
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.01 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 63 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 66 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 61 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 8 m
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Description of the walk

The entire route is marked with a yellow line.

Car park in front of the Church of Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud in Port-d'Envaux; GPS 45°49'51.0"N 0°40'19.03W.

(S/E) Take the street on the south side of the church to the calvary.

(1) Turn left, then right, and continue straight towards the woods. The shaded path leads to the Chêne Besson (a double oak tree that is over 200 years old) at the first four-way crossroads. 

(2) Turn left and continue through the woods until you reach the crossroads.

(3) Take the right-hand path until you reach the edge of the forest.

(4) Turn left to re-enter the woods and continue to a fork.

(5) Turn right and walk along a clearing. In Combe de Bidon, the path becomes more enclosed, leaves the woods and leads to a road.

(6) Follow it to the left to return to the Calvary.

(1) Return to the right towards the church of Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 12 m - Saint-Sturnin-de-Séchaud Church
  2. 1 : km 0.26 - alt. 13 m - Calvary, road junction
  3. 2 : km 2.98 - alt. 59 m - Chêne Besson
  4. 3 : km 3.48 - alt. 50 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 4.64 - alt. 22 m - Exit from the forest
  6. 5 : km 5.01 - alt. 36 m - Fourche
  7. 6 : km 6.44 - alt. 9 m - Road
  8. S/E : km 7.01 - alt. 12 m - Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud Church

Worth a visit

The village of Port-d'Envaux is a new town, created 150 years ago for the stone and brandy trade.
The original parish with its Romanesque church was called Saint-Saturnin-de-Séchaud, a village located a little further south at a point where port access to the Charente is impossible. The most interesting part of the church is the chevet, which features numerous carved modillions.

Two castles are visible from the church:
- Le Prévôté (named after the Provost, whose role was to "cite and guard all thieves and criminals arrested in the parishes of Saint-Saturnin and Plassay and take them to Saintes").
- La Tour.

At the edge of the woods, opposite the houses of Le Peu (a term referring to an elevated place), you can see a burial mound. To the east, there is another burial mound called Le Petit Peu.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 8521759

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A well-marked route, partly through the woods, with nothing to be heard but birdsong. It’s a walk we do with our club at least once a year, and everyone loves it.

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Guertrüde 17
Guertrüde 17

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk through the forest with beautiful views over the valley. We set off from Port d'Envaux itself and reached St Saturnin via a path running parallel to the main road for safety reasons. As this hike is mainly through forest, some sections are difficult to walk on after rain... there is a lot of mud, so we advise you to be careful when choosing the time of year to take this route.

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User 25805588

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

If you enjoy walks in the forest, go for it!
Just one piece of advice: choose your moment carefully... Most of the paths are dirt tracks, so beware of rain 😅

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isarouselle
isarouselle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did the hike in mid-November after a rainy day. Yellow markings. Pretty castles at the start. Pleasant woodland. On the way back, we changed the route slightly at the end to visit the small village of Saint Saturnin de Séchaud and go to the fountain marked on the map, which turned out to be a wash house.
To be done again in the spring.

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User 9599611

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Route marked in part. Very pleasant sections in the forest

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User 18591708

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

very pleasant, well-marked hike. The paths are easy and clean with no difficulties

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victorien didier
victorien didier

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant stroll

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User 23494050

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We completed the hike in less time than indicated on Visorando, about fifteen minutes less. This is a great walk to do in hot weather as the wooded environment is wonderfully cool.

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