Découverte du Marais sauvage à vélo

Built in the south of the current commune, in the place called Butte de la Vieille Eglise, the first sanctuary, isolated (no trace of nearby dwellings), named the Grande Eglise, was probably destroyed during the Wars of Religion. From 1855 to 1862, the parish church was rebuilt in the other direction (reversal) in the neo-Gothic style. Unusual are the hooks on the north exterior facing of Saint-Cyr, located high up and used to dry the leather hoses of the firemen, without twisting them.

The pollard ash has been present en masse in the Marais Poitevin since the 19th century. At that time, great works of draining the wet marsh were undertaken. The ash tree was preferred to many other tree species because it has the advantage of being very tolerant to water, it allows to consolidate the banks, to heat the habitats, and to serve as a refuge for many animal species. Keep your eyes open during your walks, you will find them lined up along the conches, offering magnificent photographic shots.

This small town with its many footbridges crossing the narrow conches of the Marais Poitevin, is a former fishing village, now a charming town, alive all year round. It is the ideal place for nature activities, and is the starting point for many hiking trails and boat trips. It is also possible to go for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or on horseback. The flat terrain is ideal for bike rides and you will enjoy riding along the typical houses of the Marais Poitevin along the Sèvre river. It is also the only place in the Marais that offers cruises on a restaurant boat. While passing through Damvix, don't forget to stroll on its port and to make a detour by its church Saint-Guy.

These locks constitute a remarkable hydraulic junction. It is the point of convergence of the main rivers of the Marais Poitevin where Deux-Sèvres, Charente-Maritime and Vendée meet. Several locks form this exceptional and ingenious hydraulic junction allowing the management of water in the Marais. You will find in Bazoin the only pier allowing to make the junction between the Charente-Maritime and the wet marsh (Venise Verte).

It is a natural space of 8 ha, in the heart of the wild marsh, in which are presented more than 70 species of birds of the Marais Poitevin and the domestic animals created in the Poitou. In order to recognize them, information panels and initiation modules to ornithology are at your disposal along the discovery path. You can also learn to recognize the trees and wild plants of the wet marsh. At the end of the visit, a film will make you fly over the landscapes of the Marais Poitevin and you will discover in their intimacy the birds of this region. A labyrinth awaits you, punctuated with educational panels on migration.

Monfaucon, an island inhabited since Celtic times (bronze axes have been found), was in the Middle Ages the seat of the lordship of the canons of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand de Poitiers. Its main street is the rue de la Venise Verte and the pier of Montfaucon corresponds to the old communal harbor partly developed during the Great Works of the Marais Poitevin. The village still has a small rural heritage (bread oven, ponne, boulite, ferry tail...).

Located in the heart of the Marais sauvage, emblematic landscape of the Venise Verte, St-Hilaire-La-Palud gives you access to more than 100 km of waterways and white paths. From the Latin palus meaning marsh, the Paludens maintain the know-how and traditions through the numerous summer animations provided by volunteers. The villages of La Rivière and Montfaucon bear witness to the flourishing river trade of the early 18th century. The hamlets of Névoire keep the memory of the brick and tile making activity, once very present. The bird park of the Marais Poitevin is now the spearhead of a tourism respectful of nature and men.

Its Grand Port, totally restored, was one of the main places of exchange between the plain and the valley of the Sèvre Niortaise. Two wooden cranes remind us that in the past, poplar trunks, transported by water, were hoisted onto the bank. On the edge of the river port stands a 19th century dwelling (private property visible from the street). (private property visible from the street). The 11 warehouses on the ground floor were used to store goods in transit to Niort and Marans. In its extension, old farms lined up along the chemin de la Garenne overlooking both the street and the Minet reach. Arçais is a typical market gardening village and an ideal starting point for discovering the wetlands on foot, by boat or by bicycle.

This Grand Logis was enlarged in the 19th century (private residence visible from the street). Its first owner is at the origin of the implantation of the first poplar tree in the Marais Poitevin. The eleven stores on the first floor were used for the storage of goods (wine, wood, fish) in transit to Niort and Marans, then rented until 1960 to farmers who stored their equipment necessary for the exploitation of the marsh.