in SOULLANS

Sentier de la Mongie

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SOULLANS

Jaune (n°16)

Description

Take a breath of nature in Soullans on an 8km walk. The sound of birdsong and frogs croaking will accompany you on this excursion through the countryside.

Starting from the town centre, the walk gradually takes you away from it, offering superb views of the town, dominated by its church tower. You can then take full advantage of the marshland’s flora and fauna. Herons and little egrets hunt frogs here, sharing their territory with mallards and moorhens, which are likely to slip into the reeds as you pass.

So keep your eyes peeled and be curious… Who knows, you might witness two little goats racing across a field or surprise a heron landing in the middle of the marsh.

Walking

Duration02h00Distance8.1 km

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Sentier de la Mongie

Distance :8.1 km

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Step 1: La place Jean Yole et son église

The Place Jean Yole is the town's commercial heart. In the past, livestock and poultry markets were held here. The weekly Sunday morning market is still held here today.

Opposite the square is the church of Saint Hilaire. It was built in the neo-Gothic style with 3 naves between 1898 and 1900. It is the successor to a church formerly located on the Place Jean Yole, whose 3 bells it will retain. It houses a church treasure trove, including statuettes of Saint Hilaire de Poitiers and Saint Louis, listed as historic monuments. It is the setting for the town’s fireworks displays.

Step 2: Côté nature

In this environment with its particularly rich fauna, be observant! You'll have every chance of spotting a heron landing lightly on the marsh, or a frog croaking…

Step 3: Moulins et minoteries

In the 19th century, cereal production was still relatively important in the marshes. Wheat, barley and broad beans enabled families to meet their needs (bread) and feed their animals. The surplus harvest was sold to grain merchants. The money collected by the family was then used to pay rent or sharecropping.

Each family had its own miller, to whom it supplied wheat for grinding, in exchange for which it received flour. There were many millers in the Pays de Monts, as elsewhere.
In 1889, there were no fewer than 35 mills operating in the area, including four in Soullans. Originally, they were equipped with sails. Then, at the end of the 19th century, some of them were modernised with the installation of a mechanical system using wooden blades.

The first industrial mill to be built in the area was at Soullans. It supplemented the activity of a butter factory already located on the site. Until it ceased trading in 1951, the mill was the largest employer in the commune. In 1964, the Coopérative Agricole Vendéenne d’Approvisionnement en Céréales (CAVAC) set up there as a storage facility, until 1994.

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