The stone bridges over the Lambon

Park behind the school in Chavagné, taking the Impasse de l'École.
(DA) Go up Impasse des Écoles and, when it turns right, continue straight ahead on the path that runs alongside the buildings. At Rue de la Fontaine, first turn right then left and follow Impasse de la Burgalerie. At the first crossroads, turn right into a winding alley. At the next crossroads, turn left into the street, which is a cul-de-sac extended by a path.

(1) Turn right and leave the Mare à Migault on your right. Then take the narrow path that winds between two low stone walls like a small labyrinth (a beautiful testament to the prodigious work of our ancestors). At the T-junction, turn left and go up the path that continues as a tarmac road at the level of the houses (Chemin Noir).

(2) Cross the Route de la Mothe with caution and continue straight ahead on Chemin du Plumail (slightly to the left). At the fork, turn left. Then ignore all the turnings on the left.

(3) At the crossroads, follow Chemin de l'Homme du Moulin on the left (tarmac road; beautiful old houses). Before reaching Route de la Mothe, turn right and take the D174, known as Route de Vouillé , which slopes slightly downwards (take care). Then pass over the A10 motorway.

(4) Just after the bridge, turn left onto the small path that runs alongside the A10 (you will need to climb over the safety rail). Be careful due to poor visibility and heavy traffic! After about 250 metres, turn right down a small road leading to the motorway maintenance depot. Then first turn right then left to follow Rue de la Rande south-east. Well before the D7, turn right onto a path that runs alongside a stone wall on the left. At the T-junction, turn left.

(5) At the crossroads, turn right onto Route de Vaumoreau (traffic is generally light, but caution is advised). Cross the Lambon (pump and wash house below). Continue along the road uphill. At each intersection, take the right-hand lane and end up on Chemin de la Guiberte (tarmac), which soon descends and runs alongside the Lambon at some distance.

(6) At the end, turn right onto Venelle Jeannot, a small path that crosses the Lambon river via a stone bridge and leads to Pied l'Ouaille. Cross the hamlet and take Venelle du Pied de l'Ouaille (tarmac). Follow the Lambon river to the D174 (pumping station).

(7) Cross the road carefully and take the path opposite that leads off to the left (west). Continue along the Lambon on your left.

(8) The path arrives at a double tunnel under the A10: take the one on the right (be careful, there is no lighting, feel your way along a good path; the second tunnel is for the Lambon in case of excess water). Continue along the path that runs alongside the Lambon. At the T-junction, turn left. At the next junction, turn right onto Rue du Moulin. Take the first path on the left and go downhill. Cross the Lambon via a stone bridge and go back up Rue du Lavoir.

(9) At the crossroads, turn right into Rue de la Garenne. Continue straight ahead towards La Salmandière, ignoring all the side roads. At La Révolinette, first turn right then left and follow Rue de la Gare (take advantage of the facilities on the left and then on the right to walk safely behind the bollards). Cross Le Pré.

(10) Turn right onto Impasse du Pré. Descend towards the Lambon, cross it on a stone bridge and climb slightly. At the T-junction, turn right. Near L'Houmaye, continue along a downhill road.

(11) When the road turns right, take a path on the left that runs along the right side of the Lambon before turning away from it and climbing towards the plateau. Cross Rue de Brimard with caution, then pass under a high-voltage power line. At the T-junction, turn right.

(12) At the crossroads, take the leftmost path. Cross a plateau heading north-northeast, ignoring a path branching off to the left. At the end, turn right onto Chemin de Miséré (tarmac road).

(13) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead onto Chemin de Baigne Cane. At the end, first turn left then right and follow the D5 with caution.

Turn right onto Route de la Mothe and follow it carefully until you reach the crossroads with Chemin Noir on the left and Chemin de Plumail on the right.

(2) Turn left onto Chemin Noir, which is downhill. At the end of the tarmac road, continue along the path. Then turn onto the small path between two low walls and continue to Mare à Migault.

(1) Immediately after the first house, turn right into a small alleyway. At the end of the alleyway, turn right onto the street towards Impasse de la Burgalerie. At the crossroads, turn left and at the next crossroads turn right onto Rue de la Fontaine. Shortly afterwards, take the small path on the left which leads back to the car park (S/E).

This hike covers varied terrain and requires sturdy footwear. The section of the route between low walls can be slippery in wet or rainy weather.

This unmarked route does not present any real difficulties. It follows marked sections. It is therefore advisable to follow the directions in this description and on the map, while also taking note of the landscapes you pass through. Indications of distance from the starting point, or even the GPS coordinates of the waypoints (including the starting point), can also help hikers find their way.

Hike completed by the author on 25 April 2018.

The Lambon
The Lambon rises in Goux, in the commune of La Couarde, at an altitude of 154 metres.
It originates from a multitude of springs, which are located at an altitude of around 155 metres above sea level.
With a length of 37.85 km, it extends over the territory of the following 11 municipalities: La Couarde, Beaussais, Vitré, Thorigné, Prailles, Mougon, Aigonnay, Fressines, La Crèche, Vouillé and Niort, where it flows into the Sèvre Niortaise 12 metres above sea level, near the source of the Vivier, after crossing the Bois de Vachette.

From its source to Thorigné, it crosses the Mellois plateau and already loses 50 metres in elevation.
From Fressines to Niort, the Lambon flows through the cereal-growing plain of the Niort region with a gentler slope.
The geological structure of the plain, consisting of groies soil on limestone rock, gives it a more sinuous character.
It has five tributaries:
on the left bank: the Fombelle
on the right bank: the Lussaudière, the Villebeurre, the Aigonnay and the Mayolle

The ecological and hydrological status of the Lambon
The Lambon's hydrological regime is severely disrupted by low water levels; regular and repeated drying out is observed on a third of its length for up to eight years out of ten.
These dry spells are due to the geological and hydrogeological characteristics of the basin, but are exacerbated by ever-increasing water use:
- catchments,
- drilling,
- creation of ponds parallel to the Lambon riverbed.
This drying phenomenon is accompanied by disruption and degradation of the banks. In addition, the water quality is highly variable.

To ensure the management and protection of 61 km of riverbanks, the Joint Association for the Restoration of the Lambon and its Tributaries (SYRLA) was created in early 2010.
This new public body replaced the Association for the Restoration of the Lambon and its Tributaries (ARLA), which had existed since 1997 but whose articles of association did not allow it to undertake the public works required by the Water Framework Directive.
This joint association will therefore be able to issue a Declaration of Public Interest, which is essential for the implementation of hydromorphological improvements to the watercourse. All of the planned actions are geared, as was the case with ARLA, towards restoring the Lambon and its tributaries to good ecological status.
Furthermore, the Lambon is part of the Sèvre Niortaise catchment area, for which the Water Development and Management Plan (SAGE) was approved in April 2011.
This is a planning tool designed to promote coordinated and balanced management of water resources and associated aquatic environments within a catchment area. Covering an area of 3,650 km², the SAGE "Sèvre Niortaise and Marais Poitevin" covers 217 municipalities.

Riparian vegetation: an element to be maintained and preserved
The good ecological status of a watercourse depends on the maintenance of its banks and riparian vegetation.
Riparian forest refers to the abundant and varied vegetation that borders the river.
There are three distinct layers, which in the case of the Lambon consist of the following plants:
- Trees: alders, ash trees, oaks, etc.
- Shrubs: hazel, spindle, hawthorn, blackthorn, etc.
- Herbaceous plants: grasses, nettles, reeds, etc.
Riparian forests serve many purposes:
- maintaining riverbanks and limiting erosion,
- preventing flooding,
- self-purification and absorption of certain types of pollution,
- providing shade that is favourable to the life cycle of aquatic fauna,
- providing firewood, etc.
It is therefore essential to maintain the vegetation on riverbanks by preserving a diversity of sizes and species and maintaining a balanced structure for all trees and shrubs.
For example, it is important to avoid leaving only the branches above the watercourse or systematically felling leaning trees!
These trees are not necessarily the ones that are in danger of falling. On the contrary, they can play an important role as shelters for fish.
As such, for fishing, the Lambon is classified as a second category fishing river (minnow, gudgeon, carp, tench, eel, trout).

The Lambon and the tragic history of the Protestants
The upper reaches of the Lambon flow through an area where there were many Protestants in the 17th century.
In 1681, this Protestant community suffered the first persecutions known as the "dragonnades".
The dragoons were sent by Louvois, Louis XIV's Minister of War, and were normally used to collect taxes.
Thus, soldiers on horseback were tasked with forcibly converting Protestants to Catholicism...
Jean Migault, in his diary, recounts the passage of the "Cavaliers" in 1681 and the violence they caused.
Protestants who did not renounce their faith were threatened and went into hiding, their furniture destroyed or sold at a pittance to neighbouring "Papists" (Catholics).
Jean Migault was a reader and schoolmaster who taught the precepts of Protestantism to young children.
Jean Migault was born in 1645 and lived near Lambon. His father, Louis, died in Les Touches de Thorigné in 1662.
To escape persecution, Jean Migault went into exile with his large family in Holland.
He left from the port of La Rochelle in April 1688 and ended his life there in exile.
Around 1990, the small Bellevue Bridge was restored by the municipality of Thorigné.
This small bridge was reserved for pedestrians and mules bringing wheat to the mill; carts had to cross the ford to the left of the bridge.
This small bridge spans the Lambon River and was adjacent to the Moulin des Basses Touches, now gone, which is believed to be the birthplace of Jean Migault.

The Pump and Wash House of Vaumoreau
The Pump
This well, which never ran dry, allowed the inhabitants of Vaumoreau, Bougouin and, in summer, other neighbouring villages to come and draw high-quality water for their own consumption and that of their livestock. Next to the pump was a large stone trough (a bassaïe) filled by the pump to allow animals to drink.
The wash house (or fountain)
It was renovated a few years ago by the municipality of La Crèche. Women used to come here to wash their clothes. In winter, they appreciated the temperature of the water (less icy than that of the stream). In summer, they also washed their clothes upstream from the bridge, directly in the stream, hence the presence of flat stones.