St-Hilaire-la-Palud - Discovering the Marais Sauvage
OTNMP
Landscapes to tame with your eyes!
SAINT-HILAIRE-LA-PALUD
Pédestre
Jaune
Nature (faune, flore)
St-Hilaire-la-Palud is regarded as the capital of the Marais Sauvage. However, this landscape is marked by the presence of man, as evidenced by the bri holes in the marsh, which were once used to make tiles.
Have a good walk and remember that you are not alone on the paths you are going to take. We invite you to respect nature: avoid picking flowers and plants, do not leave any rubbish behind, respect inhabited areas, stay on the paths, keep dogs on a leash.
It can be done on foot or by bike.
St-Hilaire-la-Palud - Discovering the Marais Sauvage
The commune of Saint Hilaire is
half of which is marshland
"less wild since the
19th-century renovation work
century. At that time, Saint Hilaire
had a very successful tile industry
which exploited the clay in the marshes
(the bri). In the Place de la Mairie, a hundred-year-old "Acacia" locust and a very young one planted in 2006 for the first "Saint Hilaire" gathering in France.
Step 2: La gare
Continue along the chemin de la gare and then the chemin blanc, which runs alongside it. This is the old railway line and station. The station linked Ferrières to the Pont d'Epannes. It was used to transport goods and people. It was abandoned in the 1960s due to the difference in track gauge compared with the main line and its lack of profitability.
Step 3: L'ancienne tuilerie
Tiles were made from clay extracted in the autumn and transported by boat. The clay was then stored throughout the winter to be drained. In the spring, after a long kneading process, the clay was completely shaped by hand into tiles. These were then dried on racks for several weeks before finally being fired. The modernisation of the tile works in the marshes was not enough to stand up to the big industrial groups. The last workshops closed in the eighties.
Step 4: Village-rue La Rivière
The village-street of La Rivière, here the houses are open both onto the mainland and onto the waterways by means of ports, shared by several dwellings.
Step 5: Les trous de bris
One of the special features of this area is the "trous de bris", or "breaking holes". These were once extraction points for clay used to make tiles and bricks. Today, these remains have been transformed into permanent lakes for leisure activities.
Step 6: Les jardins potager
Note the kitchen gardens where the market gardeners grow their vegetables.
Step 7: L'église de Saint-Hilaire
You can extend your walk and visit the church of Saint-Hilaire-la-Palud. This church was built between 1878 and 1883. It replaced the old church, which was considered too dilapidated.
