Through the woods and vineyards south of Vertou

A family hike that crosses villages, forests, woods and vineyards south of Vertou. A circular route starting from the École de l'Enclos, which largely follows the Portillon route.

Details

1231908
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.61 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 64 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 56 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 45 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Vertou (44120)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.170484° / W 1.473238°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1223SB, 1224SB
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Starting from the École de l'Enclos, head to Rue du 11 Novembre 1918 via the path below the primary school. Walk up the street to Cour et Jardin, then turn right onto Rue Henri Delahaye. Walk down the street, take the stairs to reach the Sèvre Nantaise and turn right towards the Chaussée des Moines.

(1) Cross Chaussée des Moines and follow the river. After Moulin Gautron, turn right onto Chemin des Îles until you reach Rue du Port aux Meules (D58).

(2) Turn right and follow the street to the pedestrian crossing.

(3) Cross and enter Impasse de la Noé Rocard. Cross the village and go up the small path into the woods. Continue to Route des Sorinières.

(4) Cross Route des Sorinières at the pedestrian crossing and take Chemin des Perdriaux opposite. Continue for 100 metres.

(5) Turn right to continue along Chemin des Perdriaux.
Follow the path, following the yellow and red markings. It turns right, then left to reach Bon-Acquet.

(6) At the road, turn left and follow it to La Pentière.

(7) At the end of the hamlet, continue straight ahead around the bend along a path, which joins a small road. Continue straight ahead on this road, make a 90° turn and then, 200 metres further on, turn right onto a path.

(8) Go around the vineyards, leaving the marked hiking trail on your right, and turn left.

(9) Continue and take the path along the vineyards, taking the path that runs alongside the shed (go around the shed on the right). The path continues through the vineyards.

(10) At the bottom, turn left before the houses. The path passes behind the houses, then enters a small undergrowth passage and crosses the bed of a small stream.

(11) Turn left and head back up towards the Portillon. Cross the Sèvre and go down the steps on the left. Continue along the path beside the Sèvre to the canoe and kayak centre.

(12) Turn right. Continue along the base to the Sèvre and pass under the bridge to reach the Sèvre park (opposite the Chaussée des Moines). Walk up along the Sèvre in the park and reach the École de l'Enclos via Rue Charles Lecour to the town hall. Turn left, then right onto Rue Bertrand and left onto Rue du Beau Verger (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 24 m - École de l'Enclos
  2. 1 : km 1.04 - alt. 4 m - Chaussée des Moines
  3. 2 : km 2.04 - alt. 8 m - Rue du Port aux Meules on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.27 - alt. 11 m - Impasse de la Noé Rocard on the left
  5. 4 : km 2.51 - alt. 18 m - Crossing the Route des Sorinières
  6. 5 : km 2.64 - alt. 23 m - Chemin des Perdriau on the right
  7. 6 : km 4.84 - alt. 35 m - Bon-Acquet
  8. 7 : km 6.47 - alt. 34 m - Le Pentière
  9. 8 : km 7.17 - alt. 42 m - Bypassing the vineyards (end of signposting)
  10. 9 : km 7.43 - alt. 43 m - Go around the hangar on the right
  11. 10 : km 7.61 - alt. 33 m - On the left, behind the houses
  12. 11 : km 7.84 - alt. 11 m - Place known as Le Portillon - Towards - La Sèvre nantaise
  13. 12 : km 9.61 - alt. 5 m - Canoe and kayak centre
  14. S/E : km 11.61 - alt. 24 m - École de l'Enclos

Worth a visit

Ten kilometres south-east of Nantes, Vertou (population 24,000) is one of the greenest towns in the metropolitan area. Lulled by the Sèvre Nantaise, it offers many opportunities for walks. Hiking trails will allow you to discover the tourist, historical, heritage and gastronomic riches of this charming town, a meeting point between "the Stream vineyards and the Stream metropolitan area".
Vertou is 65% natural space, including 600 hectares of vineyards. Discovering Vertou means taking the time to stroll along the banks of the Sèvre, through the vineyards, and discover the landscapes and atmospheres that make this authentic region so charming.

The Sèvre Nantaise is a river in western France, in the four departments of Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres and Vendée, in the two regions of Pays de la Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and is the last major tributary of the Loire before its mouth. Measuring 141.8 km in length, the river meanders calmly through green landscapes, frequented by fishermen, boaters and local wildlife. There are 143 water mills, which have benefited from the flow of the Sèvre Stream for centuries. Some sites are particularly popular with tourists, notably the old "Chaussée des Moines" in Vertou.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Doobleskiv
Doobleskiv

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The start of the hike isn't particularly interesting; I preferred the second half through the woods, vineyards and along the water.
In February 2026, it was impossible to walk on the Chaussée des Moines dyke, which was covered with water and had many very muddy sections, but it was perfectly doable with waterproof shoes! Thank you for the route!

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User 14794167

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A great walk. Some paths have changed, which can be a little disconcerting, particularly on stages 10 and 11, before crossing the Sèvre. Overall, it is enjoyable and invigorating. Thank you to the route designers.

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bernardb18
bernardb18

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

it would be good to improve the signposting
if I understand correctly, at La Pentière we are on private land. I think it's the little shortcut that runs alongside the vineyards?
we probably need to go around it by following the road to the village, right?

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Annie Chahine
Annie Chahine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy route with no difficulties. Pleasant scenery. Small sections of the trail are a bit muddy due to recent weather.

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Sylvieoueb
Sylvieoueb

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, with very few sections on roads.
Wooded trails. Passage through vineyards.

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Hiboude44
Hiboude44
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, we did it going in the other direction. The end of the walk in Vertou with the sea wall is majestic, we recommend doing it this way!

We got lost, using only the map, but that wasn't a problem. We had fun trying to find our way on the map, and it was great to retrace our steps and find the original route via a small side path.

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BRELETCLEZIO@GMAIL.com
BRELETCLEZIO@GMAIL.com
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely riverside walk – near stream – Very pleasant for the most part – the return journey is a little less enjoyable.

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Martine Ortais
Martine Ortais

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant route

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dgiraudeau
dgiraudeau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Pilgrimage route following the chainsaw massacres carried out by Mr Amailland, mayor of Vertou. You can see the stumps of the trees that have disappeared (healthy, growing trees) and those that remain (for how long?).
You can come back in a hundred years, when future plantations will have replaced the victims of the massacre.

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didfly
didfly

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk

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Matt'lo
Matt'lo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very good short hike near Stream, with quite a few small paths (a bit muddy in winter, but passable!)
No difficulties, hike for all levels
Ideal for getting out and getting some fresh air!

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Ella1990
Ella1990

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hiking 🥾 with my family, including my 13- and 10-year-old daughters
A very enjoyable walk.
The banks of the Sèvre, encounters with horses, vineyards, etc. Very beautiful scenery. Definitely worth doing.
Even with a map.
The GPS beacon was a great help.

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Katblarab
Katblarab

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

An easy family hike, alternating between woods and vineyards. Be sure to follow the route map and roadmap, otherwise you may miss some sections.

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danmachetrie44
danmachetrie44

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

some difficulty finding our way between points 6, 7 and 8. The map was very helpful.
A very beautiful walk. Part of the hike was familiar to us (Portillon bord de Sèvre).
Thank you

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

I only had the description with me, without the map.

You do indeed need to use both the description AND the map.

In addition, if you have any difficulty finding your way around, Visorando offers a free virtual guide: a GPS application.

See you soon!

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