The Soleil Levant lake from Clavé

(S/E) Walk westwards past the church. Cross the road known as Chemin du Bas Bourg at the start of the bend to take a path opposite heading south-west. This leads to a ‘landscape information board’ with a view over the Touche-Poupard lake and the hillside opposite, and descends towards the lake.

Off the route, about a hundred metres further along the path, look out for the Gros Chêne fountain (spring) below. The path turns right, enters a wooded area with a pond and runs along the lake’s shore. Continue to the junction with a path on the left.

(1) Continue along the path on the left, which runs above the lake shore and eventually leads to the Route du Soleil Levant (D329). Follow it carefully to the left to reach a junction with the D142 on the right, before the causeway bridge that crosses Lac de la Touche Poupard and forms the “Plan d’eau du Soleil Levant”.

(2) Continue along the D329 and cross the lake to reach the junction with a path on the left. Opposite, on the right-hand side of the road, take a path across the meadow at a small lay-by for two or three cars or a hikers’ rest area with picnic tables. The path soon joins a small road leading to the hamlets of La Morlière and La Malardière. Turn right to follow the lake shore and continue to the sharp left-hand bend. You can take a short path on the right that runs alongside the small road for a while.

(3) At the bend, continue straight ahead along the path that runs alongside the lake. Walk to a T-junction. Turn left under a canopy of hazel trees to climb up to the old hamlet of La Bourgogne.

(4) When you reach the road leading to the hamlet, cross it and take the tarmac path opposite. Walk through the hamlet and back down to lake level. Cross the stream and continue towards the hamlet of La Folie. Just before you reach it, turn left and follow the lake’s edge on your right.

Just as the path veers away from the lake, take the narrower path on the right that runs alongside the water. The route now follows the^GR®364-^GR® de Pays. A little further on, the steep path passes a hundred-year-old chestnut tree. The Chambon stream, which flows across the lake, feeds natural waterfalls in a schist bed dotted with a few milky quartz inclusions.

(5) At the far end of the lake, the route crosses the Chambon via a footbridge not far from the ruins of a watermill, the Moulin des Isles. In spring, the lush vegetation features numerous columbines, endless carpets of chickweed and bluebells. Follow the lakeshore until you reach a wide path that climbs to the left.

(6) Take this path uphill until you reach the path on the right. Here, the route leaves the^GR®364.
Continue by turning right at the start of the wide path onto the one that heads back towards the lake and runs alongside it on the right-hand side. Pass below the Soleil Levant farm and arrive at a small road leading from the D142.

(7) Continue along the path beside the lake until it joins the D142 road.
Turn right __carefully until you reach the junction with the D329.

(2) Turn left for about 150 m. Take the path on the right that runs alongside the lake, the same one you took on the way there.

(1) Turn left onto the path and follow the clearly marked uphill path to join the D329 road. Turn right and carefully follow the road for about twenty metres before turning right onto a small road leading into the village towards the Jardin Clavéen, a relaxation area with plants, a shelter and a fountain. When you reach Chemin du Bas Bourg, turn right onto it and head back to Notre-Dame Church (S/E).

The car park is located on the square next to Notre-Dame Church, in the south of the village, just past the cemetery (on the other side of the road).

This hike across varied terrain requires sturdy footwear.

This route is signposted as it follows the “Le plan d’eau du Soleil Levant” route published by the Deux-Sèvres Departmental Hiking Committee. It is marked in yellow. Part of the route follows a section of^{the GR®364}-^GR® de Pays, marked in red and white. Nevertheless, it is advisable to follow the directions in this description and on the map, whilst also observing the landscapes you pass through. Distance markers from the starting point, or even the GPS coordinates of waypoints (including the start), can also help hikers find their way.

Hike completed by the author on 24 and 28 July 2020.

Clavé
The commune of Clavé is part of the “Pays Sud Gâtine” community of communes.
The 329 inhabitants of the village of Clavé live across a total area of 20 km², with a population density of 16 inhabitants per km² and an average altitude of 169 m.

Notre-Dame Church
The church of Clavé is situated at the top of the village, overlooking the valley of the artificial lake of La Touche-Poupard.
Dedicated to Notre-Dame, the church, like Saint-Georges-de-Noisné, was confirmed by Pope Paschal II as belonging to the Abbey of Saint-Maixent in 1110. Subsequently, it came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Poitiers.
Viewed from the outside, the building as a whole presents a contrast between, on the one hand, the elevated section—with cornices supported by modillions—comprising the semi-circular chevet that extends the choir bay, surmounted by the small bell tower, and, on the other hand, the lower nave, which has no cornice. The apse and bell tower were listed as a ‘Historic Monument’ on 9 January 1932.
The Romanesque semi-circular apse is flanked on the outside by column-like buttresses that separate the three windows and the blind arcades. Both the windows and the arcades have semicircular arches supported by small columns. The small Romanesque bell tower, above the chancel, consists of a short hexagonal tower, each face of which is pierced by a narrow window, almost as tall as the tower itself, with a semicircular arch. Its short spire is also hexagonal. The south entrance, sheltered by a porch, is Romanesque. Its arch, formed of voussoirs, rests on two columns topped with capitals featuring plant motifs, and is finished with a concentric moulding, the lower part of which, on the left (restored?), is finely decorated with geometric patterns.
Source and for further information: website

The site of Le Touche Poupard
The Chambon valley, wooded, narrow and winding, cuts through the southern ridge of the Gâtine near the village of Clavé. It forms a hollowed-out landscape with a gradient of up to 70 m in places.
The dam, which began operating in 1995, creates a reservoir of 143 ha – 7.5 km long – with a maximum water level of 130 m at the start of the dry season and its lowest level in autumn. The reservoir supplies drinking water to numerous towns and meets economic and irrigation needs, as well as providing low-water support for the Sèvre Niortaise via the Chambon
''Source: hiking route guide 'Le plan d'eau du Soleil Levant' published by the Deux-Sèvres Departmental Hiking Committee''.