A temporal parenthesis, in which you can even go back in time, thanks to varied atmospheres and decors. The first bends in the path unroll their route towards the top of a hillside, where a green and beneficial panorama opens up. In the distance, the undulations of the hinterland reveal perspectives full of charm and invite you to escape. Not a sound disturbs the walker, except the faint song of a few birds hidden in the trees.

Then walk on these still deserted shores and discover a world that is awakening, where the song of the birds celebrates the first rays of the sun, darting through the dense foliage of the hedges. Throughout the day, the circuit around the Beusse pond reveals a multitude of other charms and perspectives.  

Once the center of the village behind you, quiet and flowery streets will lead you to the banks of the Acheneau where, hidden in a grove, sits a historical vestige dating from Neanderthal Man: La Pierre Tremblante. This megalith is one of the major attractions of this walk, ideally located at the gates of the Nantes conurbation and only a few tens of kilometers from the coast. This lying stone, impregnated with legendary tales, some of which date back to the 6th century, is supposed to tremble for whoever knows how to stand on it, in a very precise place. Will you try your luck jumping on this block?  

The start of this loop is at the "little station", slightly out of the way of the town. After only a few hundred meters and having crossed the district of La Charrie, you will take a quiet and little frequented road. This path has hedgerows teeming with small foragers and other pollinators. There is life in the blooms: butterflies, bees, hoverflies, bumblebees and ladybirds intersect in an incessant and harmonious ballet. Take a moment, watch their dances, admire the colors and smell the scent of these wildflowers. A real natural picture emerges for those who take the time to look at it. A little further on the landscape changes.  

This route allows you to start the loop from two different places: on the banks of the Acheneau but also at the foot of the church of Rouans, opposite the café “La bonne vigne”. You will thus be able to discover all the cinematographic history of this small picturesque village of just over two thousand eight hundred inhabitants. Indeed, Rouans had its hour of glory on the big screen in 1986 with the filming of the film which gave its name to the circuit you may be about to follow: “Le grand chemin”. The director Jean-Loup Hubert, who had lived in the village for a few years, then returned there to shoot one of his best films, which he would present the following year to the general public. He will also be nominated for the Césars, in the categories “Best Film”, “Best Dir...

This both pedestrian and cycle route begins at the foot of a Calvary with a chapel and surrounded by a surprising cemetery in the shape of a horseshoe and a monumental Calvary. It was erected in the 19th century by the sole will of Curé Viollet. Having participated in 1793 alongside the Vendeans and General de Charette in the fight against the Republicans, he decided to honor the memory of the victims of the Vendée wars by building a Calvary, on the same model as that of Pontchâteau.

The circuit begins in the picturesque and charming village of La Sicaudais. You can visit the Sainte Victoire church and enjoy the modern and fun playground for your children, located near the lake. You will quickly leave the main road to venture on bucolic paths: they will lead you to green meadows bordered by thick hedges, paths winding through undergrowth with a thousand scents and perfumes. You will pass through farms and hamlets and discover small villages with typical architecture of the Pays de Retz: low houses with "bootstem" tiled roofs sometimes embellished with sponge cake and openings made of local briquettes. The circuit then offers an immersion in the forest, in which you can stop for a moment to enjoy the freshness and the song of the birds.  

The soft lights of the end of the day offer this bucolic circuit the ideal atmosphere to discover the hinterland of Pornic. As the sun's rays are less powerful, the meadows and marshes of this walking and cycling loop will reveal all their colors and their soothing contrasts... ... thus inviting you to daydream, to escape. The wind fades and gives way to the tenuous but still very present song of the birds and the sound of the breeze in the treetops. In the background, the heavy tread of cows in the meadows and the clanking of their bells announcing their proximity.