Discover Vasles: Nature, hiking trails and Mouton Village

A trip to Vasles offers a range of themes to consider when planning: signposted hiking trails of varying distances, nature watching, the Parc Botanique at Mouton Village and a historic logis. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you can use these highlights to decide whether hiking, nature or culture should take centre stage.

Nature and Mouton Village

The Parc Botanique at Mouton Village includes an arboretum with 4,000 trees and 120 different plant species. It is designated as an LPO nature reserve. Mouton Village also offers workshops covering various stages of wool processing, from sorting and washing the wool to carding and spinning. The workshop programme is seasonal; dates and availability may change. Check the specific dates before your trip.

Visitors can bottle-feed lambs at Mouton Village; check seasonal availability before your trip. Parc Mouton Village welcomes visitors from Easter to All Saints’ Day. If you are planning a visit, check the exact opening dates. Consider the seasonal activities separately from the hiking trails when planning your trip.

Compare hiking trails by distance and starting point

The four hiking trails described differ in length, markings and starting point. The blue-marked Sentier des moutons is 8.4 km long and starts at the Mouton Village visitor car park. Le bois de Fontenalon is longer at 12.5 km, is marked in yellow and starts at Vasles church square. On this trail, boardwalk crossings take you over the Boivre and Auxance rivers.

L’Auxance et le Magot is an 11.2 km trail marked in yellow, starting in the hamlet of La Coursaudière. La ferme de l’Abbaye also starts there; this yellow-marked hiking trail is 12.5 km long. In terms of distance alone, the Sentier des moutons is the shortest of the four trails. L’Auxance et le Magot falls in between, while Le bois de Fontenalon and La ferme de l’Abbaye are both 12.5 km long. The starting points help distinguish the trails of equal length: Vasles church square for one, and La Coursaudière for the other. Le bois de Fontenalon is also notable for crossings over both rivers via boardwalks.

Historic heritage and waterways

The Logis de Paulier provides a historic point of interest during your stay. In the 15th century, it belonged to the Abbey of Sainte-Croix de Poitiers; from the 16th to the 18th century, it was owned by the Pidoux family. The logis has been listed as a Monument historique since 1984. Despite modern alterations, it retains its medieval character.

At the Magot stream site, the flowing waters are of good quality and have high oxygen levels. The white-clawed crayfish, bullhead and brook lamprey are found there in significant numbers.

Mountain biking and planning your visit

The « Les Vallons de Gâtine » mountain biking centre was inaugurated with four signposted and secured mountain bike circuits. The distances are 15, 25, 40 and 51 km; Vasles served as the starting base. If you would like to include the circuits in your plans, check their current availability in advance. The four distances provide an overview of the route options planned at the time of the inauguration, without making any claims about current conditions or your personal riding time.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Melle, Saint-Aubin-le-Cloud, Clussais-La-Pommeraie, Hanc, L'absie, Villiers-En-Plaine, Niort, Le Retail.

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