La Chapelle-Moulière: Forest, Paths and History

Forest, country walks and local history shape La Chapelle-Moulière. The Forêt de Moulière covers more than 60 percent of the municipality. There are also paths connecting typical hamlets, a recreation area on the Vienne with a fishing spot, and historic details at the Prieuré Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. If you are looking for a hotel for your stay, you can start by deciding whether walks, nature or the municipality’s history should be your main focus.

Forêt de Moulière: paths, habitats and species

The Forêt de Moulière covers more than 60 percent of the municipality of La Chapelle-Moulière and has walking and riding trails. This means there are two different ways to get around the forest locally: on foot and on horseback. This can be useful when planning your stay if you want to focus on walks or consider the riding trails as a distinct aspect of the landscape.

The forest area's protected status is also part of the picture. The Forêt domaniale de Moulière, including La Chapelle-Moulière, is classified as a Natura 2000 site. Its habitats include old oak and hornbeam stands, heathland and thousands of ponds. These habitats are home to a large proportion of the 109 remarkable animal and plant species recorded to date. The focus on the forest therefore also offers a nature perspective that encompasses habitats and biodiversity as well as paths.

Country walks and the Vienne

In La Chapelle-Moulière, discovery walks are offered along country paths connecting typical hamlets. The hamlets give these walks a distinctive character: they are not just routes through a rural landscape, but also connect the area's characteristic settlements. If you enjoy walking, this is a clear point to consider when planning your trip.

The Vienne is a recreation area in La Chapelle-Moulière, with a fishing spot. Country walks and fishing on the Vienne are therefore two different leisure activities you can consider separately. One focuses on walking between the hamlets, while the other centres on the fishing spot by the river. Together, they show different sides of the local leisure opportunities, without requiring you to choose a single main theme for your stay.

Details at the Prieuré Sainte-Marie-Madeleine

The Prieuré Sainte-Marie-Madeleine is part of the local cultural heritage. Its twelve corbels depict grimacing human and animal heads. The motif features two distinct groups of figures and gives the corbels a specific, clearly defined subject. A Stations of the Cross is also installed on the walls of the priory church nave. It dates from around the turn of the 20th century.

These two details offer different ways to explore the history of the priory: the corbels stand out for their human and animal motifs, while the Stations of the Cross are notable for their location in the nave and their date. Thus, figurative motifs and a feature with its own date sit side by side, without needing to be assigned to the same period.

Saint-Claud and the history of the municipality

Saint-Claud is the oldest inhabited hamlet in the municipality of La Chapelle-Moulière. Its origins date back to the end of the 10th century. The hamlet’s long history is complemented by another historical feature: the Foire de Saint-Claud. It was founded in 1490, took place on September 7 and 21, and disappeared over the course of the 1930s. The fair is part of the area's history; its former dates do not indicate that it is a present-day event.

For your stay, this gives you a choice of different focuses: forest and paths, country walks, the fishing spot on the Vienne, or the history of Saint-Claud and the priory.

Discover more destinations: Neuville-De-Poitou, Senillé, Buxeuil, Saix, Montmorillon, La Bussière, Gouex, Persac.

For the regional travel overview: Vienne.