Saint-Coutant: Nature, heritage and circular walks

Saint-Coutant can be considered from several specific perspectives when planning a trip: the wetlands of the Dive Valley sit alongside traces of ecclesiastical and architectural history, while two easy circular walks add clearly quantified routes to the picture. This lets you decide in advance whether nature, historical details or a particular walking time should be the focus of your stay.

Nature and habitats of the Dive Valley

The 551-hectare Type 1 ZNIEFF “Boucle de la Dive du Sud” includes wetlands in the upper reaches of the Dive Valley in Saint-Coutant. Three of the rarest spreadwing species in the Deux-Sèvres département live there: the emerald damselfly (Lestes virens), the scarce emerald damselfly (Lestes dryas) and the common spreadwing (Lestes sponsa). The wetlands and bocage landscapes of the Boucle de la Dive du Sud also provide habitats for several notable bird species: the black-tailed godwit, northern lapwing, reed warbler, grey heron, water rail and red-backed shrike. The wetlands are home to the spreadwings; both the wetlands and the bocage landscapes provide habitats for the bird species.

Ecclesiastical and architectural history

The tabernacle from the Augustinian priory of Saint-Gilles was donated to the parish of Saint-Coutant shortly after 1906. Its design is modelled on the Porte Saint-Jacques in Parthenay. Saint-Gilles also features in connection with the church where contemporary stained-glass windows were installed in 2024. The donation shortly after 1906 and the window installation in 2024 mark different points in time in these ecclesiastical connections. The two ecclesiastical features differ in design: the tabernacle takes an architectural landmark in Parthenay, the Porte Saint-Jacques, as its model, while contemporary stained-glass windows were installed in Saint-Gilles church in 2024.

At the Château de Germain, a square keep and a round tower stand out as architectural features; both may date from the 14th or 15th century. The combination of the square keep and round tower makes the contrast between their shapes immediately apparent.

Comparing two circular walks

Both circular walks are easy. The Saint-Coutant-nord route is 4.6 kilometres long and takes 1 hour and 30 minutes; the Saint-Coutant-sud route covers 5.7 kilometres and takes 2 hours. The southern route is therefore 1.1 kilometres longer and takes 30 minutes longer than the northern route.

The northern route starts on Rue de la Girardière near a washhouse; the car park is also located there. The southern route is marked in blue, and “Balades et Découvertes” logos guide you along the walk. Since both routes have the same difficulty rating and are circular, their duration and length make for a direct comparison; the wayfinding details differ: for the northern route, they are the starting street, washhouse and car park; for the southern route, the blue markings and logos.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Martin-de-Saint-Maixent, Sauzé-Vaussais, Mauléon, Chenay, Combrand, Le Bourdet, Oiron, Saint-Vincent-La-Châtre.

For the wider travel overview: Deux-Sèvres.