Niort walks

Taking the cycle paths and theGR®36via Belle Île, you will follow the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise and the Noron lake. Numerous vegetable gardens and beautiful residences line part of this route.

This route follows the cycle path along the Sèvre Niortaise, from La Roussille to Magné, then returns via the Marais de Peigland and Marais de Saint-Rémy to the village of La Tiffardière, near the starting point.

You can admire the Romanesque church of Sciecq before crossing the Sèvre Niortaise on a chain boat. You will then see the Château de Mursay, where Françoise d'Aubigné was raised, before walking along a shaded path overlooking the river. In the village of Surimeau, you will cross the Sèvre again at the Moulin d'Âne and take the Chemin des Pêcheurs between the Sèvre and the Bois des Touches to reach the Moulin de Compéré before heading back up towards Chantemerle and returning to the starting point. Please note: the chain boat will be removed on Friday 8 September 2023 for maintenance. It will probably not be put back until the end of March next year, except perhaps for Heritage Days. (information from town staff) There is no alternative crossing available...

This route allows you to discover: the church of the former parish of Mairé, the porch of an old farm in Haut-Mairé, the old wash house in Bas-Mairé, the Motte Saint-Denis, the Saint-Pierre church and the 12th-century Hosannière Cross. All this while travelling through the countryside on pleasant flat paths that cross the Guirande (a tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise).

A pleasant hike in the Sèvre Niortaise Valley, on the outskirts of Niort. Despite the city being quite close, this route allows you to discover a preserved natural area with good paths. The alternating passage between small hills and valley bottoms offers beautiful landscapes. Along the way, you will get a beautiful view of the Château de Vandelaigne and a few other architectural gems.

Mélusine accompanies you near her castle in Coudray-Salbart, along the peaceful banks of the Sèvre Niortaise, towards old hamlets and ancient dwellings with imposing dovecotes.

Starting from Coulon, you will walk along the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise for more than 5 km to reach the village of Magné, which you will cross to reach the Epineaux marsh and return to your starting point.

Circuit in the middle of the Poitevin marshes, following the Sèvre Niortaise between Magné and Coulon on the way back.

In the heart of the Green Venice, you will reach its capital, Coulon, after leaving the village of La Garette. La Garette is one of the most typical villages in the Green Venice. Its 800-metre-long pedestrian street is lined with old fishermen's and farmers' houses. Coulon is a major tourist attraction in the Marais Poitevin, the capital of the "Venise Verte", i.e. its eastern part also known as the "wet marsh", as opposed to the "dry marsh".

Starting from the Garette Leisure Park, you will walk through the heart of the Marais Poitevin, mostly on dirt tracks, to Le Vanneau. After the port of this village, you will cross magnificent vegetable gardens and return to your starting point along creeks, canals and ditches crossed by beautiful, sturdy footbridges. There's no reason why you can't do this route by bike.

A pleasant walk north-east of Fors in countryside alternating between hedgerows and open fields. The very natural route also allows you to explore the built heritage, ancient witnesses to the past.

A pleasant hike around the Lambon, which is crossed several times via magnificent stone bridges. It begins with a bucolic route between old stone walls, traces of the laborious work of our ancestors.

This hike takes place in the commune of La Crèche, along dirt tracks and tarmac sections. The trail runs alongside and crosses the Sèvre Niortaise river several times. It passes through several villages in La Crèche. You will come across several family cemeteries, some of which are buried under brambles. Along the route, there are four wash houses: Pairé near the football stadium, Ruffigny, Saint-Martin and at the Barilleau mill. In Breloux, there is an old temple and a deconsecrated church.

A pleasant hike on either side of the Lambon at the gateway to Niort in a little-known, peaceful countryside with varied landscapes. This route also allows you to discover a high-quality ancient built heritage with beautiful properties, a dovecote, etc.

A beautiful hike to discover Cherveux with its temple, castle, well and Ripe-Cul staircase, the Plan pump (1880) and a sundial (1836). Along the route, you will find several family cemeteries, the Trousse Chemise wash house, the Mousson valley, the old Truite windmill, the Cherveux - Saint-Christophe lake, hundred-year-old chestnut trees and the Logis de Seneuil.

A short walk along dirt tracks through the marshes and their nutria.

Walking along the Rigole d'Aziré to the Courdault canal, then returning via the Marais des Nattes, you may spot some nutria, purple herons or lapwings, and perhaps even a deer or two.

This is an easy, short walk that allows you to discover the wild side of the Green Venice. In the heart of nature, you will always be close to the water, in the shade of pollarded ash trees and poplars. And you may even be lucky enough to spot some nutria or deer.

A bucolic route with some elevation, partly following the paths marked out by the municipality around the Brangeard, Marcusson and Musson rivers. Some sections are steep and others may be flooded depending on the season.

A very natural route crossing the northern tip of the Chizé Forest in the first part and the countryside west of Marigny in the second part. This route with its varied and relaxing landscapes offers a peaceful moment. You may see deer and birds in this area. Marigny was the home of a great Poitevin bard: Yves Rabaut.

A pleasant hike in hilly terrain around the Egray River and its tributaries. It offers beautiful landscapes and allows you to discover a rich heritage of ancient buildings (Château de la Pimpelière, houses, farm buildings, etc.). The natural heritage is not to be outdone, with the Planche de Rochard and the Rochers de la Chaise, for example.

This unmarked hike will first take you through the village of Augé and its narrow streets, then along paths that will lead you to the Montbrune stream via several footbridges and through a few pretty villages with their wash houses. The end of the route is on the old Deux-Sèvres tramway line (TDS).