pedestrian
in VALLANS

Randonnée Vallans – Le Charme d’un village-source

Vallans Hike – The Charm of a Spring Villagemore photos
Department of Deux-Sèvres
Vallans Hike – The Charm of a Spring Village
OTNMP
Vallans Hike – The Charm of a Spring Village
Department of Deux-Sèvres
Discovering the small heritage of the commune of Vallans! A short hike for the whole family.

Route details

VALLANS
pedestrian
Cultural, Nature (fauna, flora)

Description

A spring village established quite high on the limestone plateau, Vallans is no less endearing with its reaches and streams which flow down from the plateau and run from fountains to wash houses.

Happy hiking and remember that you are not alone on the trails you are about to travel. We therefore invite you to respect nature: avoid picking flowers and plants, do not leave any trash behind, respect inhabited places, stay on the trails, keep dogs on a leash.
DifficultyEasyDuration02h00Distance7,0 km
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Vallans Hike – The Charm of a Spring Village

Distance:7,0 km

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Step 1: Vallans

On the edge of the Marais Poitevin, the town is nestled in the Courance valley. The lordship was mentioned for the first time in 1093. During the siege of Frontenay, in 1242, Louis IX slept in the priory of the commune. An altar is dedicated to him in the church where he would have come to pray and the main street of the town is named Rue St-Louis in memory of this royal visit. In 2018, the municipality was labeled Engaged Organic Territory for having reached 29,45% of its useful agricultural area in organic farming. Located on the GR 36, the town offers three hiking trails and is preparing a village discovery tour. Likewise, Departmental 1, which crosses it, is very popular with regional cycle tourists.

Step 2: Notre-Dame Church

In the Middle Ages, the parish depended on the diocese of Saintes and the archpriest of Mauzé. Its 12th century church was damaged by the Huguenots during the Wars of Religion. It was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. From the Romanesque period, only the pillars with their mutilated capitals and the square of the transept with its dome on pendants have been preserved.

Step 3: The Little Village

The Little Village like its fountain whose waters will swell the Garenne stream. The Little Village has retained the charm of its farms and traditional homes.

Step 4: Allerit Castle

Private, it cannot be visited but you can see its magnificent dovecote. The source villages of the marsh, much more than the nearby Sèvre Niortaise valley, have established numerous dwellings, castles and other bourgeois houses. Most, like this one, are surrounded by high walls with small, flat rubble stones, carefully masoned.

Step 5: The washhouse

In this village the flow of the Garenne stream is sometimes so powerful, during periods of heavy rainfall, that its bed had to be “fixed” by a concrete or metal frame. The masonry of the washhouse is then subjected to severe tests.

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