Avrillé: Trails, Green Spaces and History

Avrillé offers a variety of ways to explore the area: trails through neighbourhoods and countryside, green spaces, and historic buildings and memorial sites. If you are looking for a hotel in Avrillé, you can consider whether walks or cultural history will be the focus of your stay. Trail lengths also vary considerably.

Trails of Different Lengths and Types

The Sentier Aprilis is a 13-kilometre circular trail through Avrillé’s neighbourhoods and along paths through the countryside. Along the way, short stretches through neighbourhoods alternate with parks, woods and the green belt. Hikers, active visitors and families can walk the trail without difficulty; conditions may vary after wet weather.

The Avrillé loop of the Sentier Le Fléchet offers a shorter route of about 3 kilometres. The Sentier Le Fléchet is a short walking trail on flat terrain, with no difficult sections. Some stretches may be muddy at certain times of year. This makes it possible to compare the Fléchet’s considerably shorter distance with the longer Aprilis loop without treating the two trails as the same route.

The Voie verte follows a former railway line through Avrillé, between Montreuil-Juigné and Angers. It is a 9.2-kilometre circular route, intended in the long term to connect Angers and Montreuil-Juigné. Alongside the two loops of different lengths, this route follows the former railway line through Avrillé.

Green Spaces and Countryside

Avrillé has more than 170 hectares of green spaces that are open to everyone. One specific location is Parc des Poumons Verts, with its pond and large trees. The figure refers to the city’s green spaces as a whole, while the pond and trees are features of this particular park.

The Sentier du Parc de la Haye runs alongside the Brionneau River to Étang Saint-Nicolas, a former slate quarry. The route description links a riverside stretch with a clearly identified destination. The former slate quarry also gives Étang Saint-Nicolas a historical connection to the site’s use.

Architectural and Memorial History

Château de la Perrière is partly listed as a Monument historique and partly classified as a Monument historique. It was built in two phases in the 17th century. The complex includes three buildings arranged in a U shape, as well as a chapel at its southwestern end.

Another historic landmark is a priory founded in 1180 in the Bois de la Haye, which at the time belonged to the Order of Grandmont. The 12th-century church has survived; its wall and vault paintings date from the 14th century. The priory’s founding, its affiliation with the order and the paintings refer to different periods in its history.

A chapel built in 1852 commemorates the Catholics who were shot at this site during the Revolution. Nearly 2,000 people lie in twelve large mass graves. Alongside the architectural history of the Château and the priory, this memorial site offers a distinct focus, separate from the trails and green spaces.

Discover more destinations: Grez-Neuville, Beaufort-En-Vallée, Chenillé-Changé, Auverse, Montrevault, Combrée, Nuaillé, Sainte-Christine.

For the broader travel overview: Maine-Et-Loire.