Bazaiges: Pottery Tradition and Landscape

When choosing a destination, Bazaiges offers several distinct points of interest: a pottery tradition without a potter’s wheel, a trail through meadows and forests, and activities involving donkeys and other animals. There is also the Bazaiges pond and a motorhome stopover area by a body of water. If you are looking for a hotel, you can decide whether the town’s crafts, nature or specific activities best suit your travel plans.

Pottery tradition without a potter’s wheel

A jug in the square of Bazaiges recalls the village’s reputation for working with clay. Bazaiges is also known for a pottery tradition without a potter’s wheel, particularly terracotta vats. These are two different references: the jug is a memorial in the square, while the vats represent a distinctive product. A potter’s wheel shapes clay by turning it, so the term “without a potter’s wheel” highlights the production method. Terracotta is fired clay, and a vat is a large vessel. The material and the vessel shape offer concrete clues to the craft in Bazaiges. If you enjoy getting to know places through their crafts, here you can encounter both a memorial and a named product of the tradition.

Trail and pond

The Le Chemin de la terre aux pots trail crosses open countryside between meadows and forests. Here, the focus is on a route and its surroundings, offering a different connection to the place than the single jug in the square. The Bazaiges pond adds another aspect of nature: it is a reservoir of biodiversity and worthy of protection. It is also near the motorhome and picnic area. Along the trail, the landscape shapes the experience; at the pond, biodiversity and conservation are the focus.

Activities with donkeys and other animals

L’âne Archie du Berry offers hikes with pack donkeys on the trails of Bazaiges; participation is by reservation. Bear the reservation requirement in mind when planning this activity. The Le Breuil site has a mini-farm with the local “cou clair du Berry” goat breed, as well as a covered arena with fun activities for children involving donkeys. The activities take place in different settings: pack-donkey hikes are on the trails, while the mini-farm and arena are at the Le Breuil site. The arena activities are for children and involve donkeys; the mini-farm is distinguished by its local goat breed.

Other local points of interest

Aire de Bazaiges is a landscaped, shaded motorhome stopover area beside a body of water. For motorhome travellers, greenery and shade are the explicitly stated features of the site. Another specific local reference is the Le Carroir des Landes racetrack in Bazaiges: it is 800 m long and 12 m wide. These measurements distinguish the track’s length from its width and add a clearly defined, measured site to the other points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Benoît-du-Sault, Lignac, Sainte-Sévère-Sur-Indre, Chalais, Saint-Hilaire-sur-Benaize, Douadic, Gargilesse-Dampierre, Chassignolles.

Go to the regional travel overview: Indre.