Discover Renazé: slate, church and trails

Renazé brings together slate-mining history, church architecture and outdoor trails. These offer different ways to shape your trip: you can explore the history of mining, plan a circular walk with an approximate walking time, or consider walks, cycling and horse rides. If you are looking for a hotel in Renazé, distinguishing between these options can help you organise the themes of your stay. This is especially useful when planning trails, as a specific circular route with an approximate walking time differs from the Voie verte, which follows former railway lines.

Slate mining and history

The Musée de l'Ardoise et de la Géologie focuses on the history of slate mining in Renazé over five centuries. A precisely dated reference point is 31 December 1975: on that day, the Société ardoisière de l'Anjou closed its last mine shaft in Renazé. This long time span and specific date offer two ways to approach the history of slate mining. You can consider the subject both as a long-term history and through a precisely dated event.

Church architecture in Renazé

Renazé's new church was built in 1982 on the site of a neo-Gothic church. A subtle variation on the tent-church model, it is of architectural interest. Two aspects are relevant to understanding it: its construction on the site of the former neo-Gothic church and its architectural relationship to the tent-church model. This specific church building thus adds a different subject to the history of slate mining. Anyone interested in architectural history can consider the change over time and the architectural context of the new church.

Circular route and Voie verte

The Circuit de Bourg Nonais circular route in Renazé is 8.6 km long and takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. The walking time is an estimate: your walking pace and trail conditions affect how long you will actually be on the route. The Circuit therefore provides both a distance and an approximate duration for planning a walk. Allow for flexibility rather than treating the two hours and 30 minutes as a fixed time.

The Voie verte Laval-Renazé runs for 47 km along former railway lines that have been converted into greenways. You can go walking, horse riding or cycling on the Voie verte. This means that, in addition to walking, horse riding and cycling are also options for activities during your stay.

Different considerations will help you choose between the two routes. If you want to plan a specific walk with an approximate time, the Circuit is a useful reference point. If you are interested in several ways of getting around, the Voie verte offers the choice of walking, horse riding and cycling. The distances also refer to different routes: 8.6 km is the length of the Circuit, while 47 km refers to former railway lines that have been converted into greenways.

Discover more destinations: Bouère, Loigné-Sur-Mayenne, Saint-Germain-le-Guillaume, Ménil, Cossé-Le-Vivien, Coudray, Cossé-en-Champagne, Méral.

For the broader travel overview: Mayenne.