Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée: Landscapes, Trails and Heritage

Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée brings together aquatic habitats and a landscape shaped by bocage. The landscape combines the Charente, wooded areas and marshes. This offers several themes for a stay: nature and water, trails along the Canal de Charras, cultural history, and leisure and sports activities.

Waterscapes and trails

The Canal de Charras is a clear focal point for getting active. Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée invites you to walk along the canal. At the lock, where the canal joins the Charente near the town, you can enjoy activities on foot, by bicycle or by kayak. The Flow Vélo also passes through Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée and continues to Fouras, offering a named destination in addition to activities along the canal. Night carp fishing is also possible on the Canal de Charras. When planning your stay, you can therefore choose between walking, cycling or kayaking, a route along the Flow Vélo, and a fishing activity.

Church and dolmen

The church has been fully restored and combines pre-Romanesque elements in the nave, portal and small south chapel with a Gothic choir. The bell tower dates from the 17th century. Graffiti estimated to be around 1,000 years old can also be seen at the church. This brings together different architectural classifications and a much older trace in a single building. For culturally minded travellers, the architectural features and the graffiti offer two distinct points of interest: the choir and bell tower can be identified by style and period, while the graffiti, with its approximate age, add another point of interest.

At L’Houmée, the Pierres closes comprise two dolmens; one is intact and classified as a Historic Monument. Particularly striking is the rare construction made from two stones: a large block hollowed out inside and a capstone. The site’s distinctive feature lies not only in the number of dolmens, but also in their construction. Unlike the church, with its varied stylistic features, the Pierres closes stand out for this unusual construction and the protected status of one of the two dolmens.

Leisure and sports

There are specific leisure and sports options for visitors with other interests. Yaka jouer is a shaded outdoor leisure park with inflatable play structures, open to children aged 2 to 12. This age range is useful to know if you are planning a visit with children of that age. The Espace sport et loisirs has multisport, beach volleyball and pétanque facilities, as well as two tennis courts with a fronton. Another sporting option is Golf du Pays Rochefortais on Route Impériale. It has an approved 9- and 18-hole course, as well as a golf school offering individual and group lessons. The options vary by activity—from play structures to a range of ball sports and golf lessons—and give you specific themes to guide your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Montlieu-La-Garde, Annepont, La Vergne, Chérac, St-Pierre De Pérignac, Mornac-Sur-Seudre, Breuil-La-Réorte, Courçon

For the full travel overview: Charente-Maritime.