The Woods of Celles-sur-Belle - 2

Parking is available in the car park next to the abbey. This car park is partially shaded and overlooks the River Belle.

(S/E) Leave the abbey car park and head towards Rue des Halles, turning left onto it. Cross the River Belle and walk across Place du Rochereau. As you pass, there is a lovely view of Celles-sur-Belle Abbey.

(1) After Place du Rochereau, at the first house, take the path on the right which winds along the hillside beneath the Chantemerle district, offering lovely views of the abbey through the gaps in the small woodland you pass through.

Ignore a path on the right. After a sharp left-hand bend, leave a path that links the Chantemerle neighbourhood to the track running alongside the Belle river and continue straight on. Pass between two houses and continue along a road in the “Les Jardins de Chantemerle” housing estate.
At a wide bend in the road, turn right onto the path which leads down to a road serving the sewage treatment plant.

When you reach this road, turn left to join the Route de Melle. Turn left again onto the gently ascending road towards La Briette and go straight on at the crossroads.

(2) At La Briette (a beautiful property), turn left onto a path between two properties and thus two hedges. Join Rue Louis Magneron.
On this street, turn right and then immediately left onto the path that starts at the DDE car park, where there is a recycling point.
This path leads onto Chemin de la Haute Revétizon, which you follow slightly uphill. At the first junction with farm tracks, turn right and continue on level ground towards La Revétizon.

(3) At the junction with Chemin de la Cour, turn left. Upon reaching the hamlet, follow the path continuing from the road. At the T-junction, turn right and head towards La Revétizon. Upon reaching the road, turn left, follow Route de la Talle and turn left.

(4) Shortly afterwards, turn right onto the path that climbs gently towards the fields and woods. At the first junction with the path leading to La Garzelle, continue straight ahead.

Further on, pass a dead-end path on your right. You will then cross a road and continue straight on along the path, which runs alongside the edge of the forest for a while before crossing a small wood.

When you reach a T-junction with a farm track, turn left. Turn left at a 90° angle with the track and come out onto a road right next to the entrance to the Talle farm. Continue along the road to the left and head to the four-way junction.

(5) The “Talle à Teurtous” is situated at the centre of this crossroads (see the “During the hike or nearby” section). Ignore the first road on the left and the one on the right; turn left and then immediately onto the forest track leading off to the right. At the next junction, take the track furthest to the right, which enters the woods.

(6) At the next junction of forest tracks, turn left. The track soon becomes a forest track, then runs alongside a clearing before crossing another small wood. Shortly after leaving the wood, ignore the road on the left and, immediately afterwards, the road on the right, continuing straight ahead on the forest track.

(7) Just past a house, ignore the path on the left that joins a road and take the path on the right instead, which leads to La Jusselandière. When you reach the road, turn left to go round this hamlet, then, at the next junction, take the forest track on the right.
At the end of this track, at a T-junction, turn left to head back towards Celles-sur-Belle, with lovely views of the village church’s bell tower.

At the next crossroads, continue straight on between two houses and you will soon reach Rue de Bellevue, which serves this housing estate.
Follow this street until you reach a small square with a stunning view of Celles-sur-Belle, particularly the abbey. Shortly afterwards, take the small lane on the right leading to three houses.

(8) At the corner of the last house, take the small path downhill which joins Rue des Halles after a few hundred metres. When you reach this street, turn right, cross Place du Rochereau, cross the Belle and return to the car park (S/E).

This walk, which takes place largely in woodland and over varied terrain, requires sturdy footwear.

The Royal Abbey of Celles-sur-Belle

Originally a ‘celle’ (meaning ‘small priory’), dependent on the Abbey of Lesterps (Diocese of Limoges), whose sanctuary, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, saw numerous miracles ‘flourish’ from as early as 1095. It became a popular place of pilgrimage, situated close to a route to Santiago de Compostela.

An independent abbey of the Order of Saint Augustine between 1137 and 1140, but also an ecclesiastical seigneury whose assets grew thanks to offerings and donations.

Now a must-visit cultural destination, the Royal Abbey welcomes family tourists, business travellers and professionals from the arts world alike.

La Talle à Teurtous (chestnut tree for everyone), a remarkable tree.

A ‘talle’ is a chestnut tree grafted for fruit production. This particular tree gave its name to the place where it stands in the hamlet of La Revétizon. The main trunk, whose circumference exceeds 7 metres at a height of 1.80 metres, has been dead for several years; but two suckers surrounding it have given it a new lease of life. The tree has a circumference of 11.65 metres at a height of 1 metre.