The best walks and hikes around Saint-Mars-La-Jaille

The Étang des Troches, the green lung of Pannecé, is the ideal place for an outdoor excursion. The body of water closest to the car park is a leisure and walking area. It features a walking trail, a pond open for fishing, large family picnic tables, a children's playground including a table tennis table, a fitness area, restrooms, and a shelter in case of rainy weather. https://www.intramuros.org/pannece/decouvrir/11178

Dating from the 17th century, the mill operated until 1965. Bought by the municipality and restored identically, it is the last mill in the Pays d'Ancenis still in operation. A slideshow retraces its history. https://www.moulindelagarenne.com/

Beautiful 19th-century washhouse located on the Erdre River. A footbridge provides a beautiful view of the washhouse and the river. Picnic tables are available.

The Provostière pond, with a surface area of 73 ha, is connected to the Vioreau lake by the Rigole des Ajaux. This complex is part of the supply system of the Nantes-Brest canal. Its hydraulic management is ensured by the Loire-Atlantique Department, which has owned it since 2008. A 5.5 km path on which a bird observatory is located allows you to go around the pond in about 1h30.

The ornithological observatory allows you to discover a large number of birds such as the kingfisher, the black-headed gull, the herring gull, the cormorant, the great crested grebe, the grey heron, the egret and the moorhen.

July 25, 1944, shortly after 3 p.m., a Mosquito type plane, a light and fast twin-engine, appeared in the sky of Riaillé, followed a few seconds later by two German fighter planes. Arriving above the hamlet of l'Enclose, one of the fighters gained altitude and dove on the Canadian plane, riddling it with bullets. After starting a curve, the burning Mosquito crashed very close to the Provostière pond. The debris littered the ground for about fifty meters, the fire and the explosion of the ammunition made it impossible to approach. When the fire died down, the inhabitants rushed to the scene and found the charred bodies of the pilot and the navigator. They were identified as Lieutenants Burgess and McPherson. The Germans, who came to the scene, told the mayor that he could bury the bodies but without an official ceremony. However, the occupier's orders were not respected. The bodies were wrapped in sheets and transported to a nearby farm, the village carpentry made the coffins. The next day, a religious ceremony was held in the parish church in the presence of many Riaillé residents and wreaths of flowers covered the coffins. The procession then headed to the cemetery under the supervision of German soldiers who did not intervene. For 80 years, these two Canadian officers have been resting in the Riaillé cemetery. Their tomb is regularly maintained and decorated with flowers by the UNC-Riaillé Mémoire association but also by anonymous people who thus perpetuate the memory of their sacrifice. https://www.echoancenis.fr/actualite-4422-riaille-le-25-juillet-1944-deux-aviateurs-canadiens-etaient-abattus-dans-le-ciel-de-riaille

Guinguette open from June to September. Lots of space and very friendly.

The wash house is located on the banks of the Erdre, at the exit of the town of Riaillé towards Ancenis. This beautiful building was abandoned for a long time before being restored in 1990-1991. This stone building would have been built around 1850, it measures 20 meters long and 6 meters wide. Today, the site of the wash house is a pleasant place, equipped for picnics as well as a footbridge spanning the Erdre to lead to the Riante Vallée room. https://www.riaille.fr/decouvre/sites-remarquables-et-sentiers-de-randonnee/sites-remarquables-de-la-commune