Route details
Description
A forest trail for trailers who want to work on their endurance. This course will allow you to do technical sessions such as felt Fartlecks, threshold blocks and many others!
-> Marked trail Trail Station
Your itinerary
Step 1: Rimbault Mill
Located on the highest point of the commune (90 m high) and on the edge of the Chizé forest, it is the only windmill-tower in operation in Sud-Deux-Sévrien.
This old ordinary mill, whose existence is mentioned as early as 1482, depended on the lordship of Rimbault until the Revolution. The last miller, Louis Royer, died in the 70s. From 1973, Les Amis du Moulin de Rimbault restored the roof, the wings, one of the three millstones and the interior mechanism (Berton system). It was included in the inventory of sites in 1975 and its preservation association received the Masterpiece in Danger prize. Since 1989, he has been turning and making flour. The municipality acquired it in 2004.
The site comes back to life today during events and can also be rented for festivities.
Step 2: Moulin de Rimbault picnic area
Step 3: Chizé State Forest
Covering 3435 hectares, the Chizé national forest is mainly made up of deciduous trees (dominant beech). It hosts a scientific laboratory (Chizé Biological Study Center), an Integral Biological Reserve of 2.600 hectares created by the National Forestry Office to enable the implementation of France's commitments at the Helsinki conference (no human intervention in this enclosed wooded area), as well as Zoodyssée, an animal park for European wildlife.
Step 4: Zoodyssée animal park
At Zoodyssée, 800 animals invite you into their world!
30 minutes from Niort and the Marais Poitevin, in a 30 hectare park and in the heart of preserved nature, discover more than 90 European animal species (wolves, lynx, magots, bison) for a walk that will fascinate young and old.
Note in 2021 the opening of the Odyssey of the Mountains and its Valley of the Scavengers. Do you dare to venture there?
Mini farm, picnic area, shop and catering on site. Commented carriage ride, human-animal encounters every day in July/August, Carer for a day or birthday event at the park (reservation required).
Open from February to November. Free for children under 3 years old.
+ information on 05 49 77 17 17 or on www.zoodyssee.fr
Open on public holidays and during school holidays.
Annual closure from November to early February.