The banks of the Sèvre Niortaise at the start of Ricou

Park in the small car park located at the edge of the Ricou roundabout.

(S/E) Take the path with your back to the roundabout and head for the Ricou quarry geosite (see "Things to see"). You will then come out onto the road leading from Ricou to Jaunay, with a small vineyard on your right.

(1) Turn left onto the road towards Jaunay, continue to the wash house and take the road on the right for about 100 metres.

(2) Leave the road and turn right onto the Fief Lizon service road, passing the access to the hamlet on your right and turning left. Join the small road called Chemin de Ricou, facing the river.

(3) Turn left and follow it towards Saint-Maixent-l'École for about 600 metres.

(4) Head towards the Veillon mill on the right, cross the wooden bridge over the Sèvre Niortaise river, and turn right again between the left bank and the railway line. Follow the railway line, cross the bridge over it, then pass the antenna before reaching a crossroads.

(5) Turn right onto the farm track and follow it to Route de Ricou, near the Triangle 16 memorial, dedicated to the secret army based in Saint-Maixentais (southern Deux-Sèvres). On 18 August 1944, in Ricou, Paul Drevin and Paul Veillon were killed by their own explosive device.

(6) Take the road on the right, cross the SNCF bridge, pass the GSM antenna on the right and continue towards Ricou.

(7) Before the Sèvre Niortaise bridge, turn left onto Chemin du Pont Mulet. Walk alongside the drinking water plant.

(8) Cross the Ruisseau de l'Hermitain ford, then follow the railway line to the Sainte-Néomaye stop.

(9) Turn right onto Rue de la Gare and cross the bridge over the Sèvre Niortaise.

(10) At the exit, head right towards Saint-Maixent. Pass La Corbelière, then the water treatment plant, and you will arrive at the Ricou roundabout with the starting car park nearby (S/E).

The route is fairly easy. However, you may want to bring walking sticks and waterproof shoes, preferably with stiff soles. And for the return trip on Rue de la Gare and Chemin de Ricou, wear reflective clothing for safety.

The Ricou quarry is a major geological site of interest, where no fewer than 39 species of birds have been recorded. It consists of an open-air quarry formerly exploited for its limestone of varying types, and information panels illustrate some of the geological terms used in the area. At the end of the trail, the old transformer room has been converted into nesting boxes and shelters for bats, hedgehogs and other pollinating insects.