The best road cycling routes in Le Bois Vernoux

The "Filles de Bressuire," monumental sculptural works by Franck Ayroles, adorn the Bressuire train station square. Installed in 2021, they welcome travelers as an artistic nod to the city.

It is from Place de la Solidarité, near the village hall, and in the light of a sunny afternoon, that visitors can best admire Courlay's church, firmly anchored on a hilltop, built in the middle of the village. It is squat and austere, like a fortress, a half-Gothic, half-Romanesque building whose square bell tower dominates the surrounding houses. Crossing the square, created on the site of the former cemetery relocated in 1900 and now adorned with a beautiful fountain where water cascades over granite chirons, note: the square bell tower with two small bays on each side (11th and 12th centuries); to the east, the large wall of the church's apse; on the north facade, a small rectangular tower resting on the bell tower and housing the stone staircase providing access to the bells; on the south facade, the turret topped with a slate pinnacle, the modillions of the cornice, a small door at the top of a few steps, and the Romanesque portal or main gate.

The church was built in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It was embellished in the 19th century in a flamboyant Gothic style and equipped with rich furnishings and stained glass windows.

Bressuire Castle is a medieval ruin dating from the 10th century and having belonged to the Beaumont family. You can discover the 700 meter long enclosure and its 38 towers, admire the romantic remains of the 15th century dwelling and enjoy the view of the chapel and the old slaughterhouse from the esplanade. The castle also hosts temporary exhibitions, sculpture symposia and treasure hunts in summer.

Here, the remains of the ramparts of the Lusignan castle, a medieval fortress, built at the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century. All that remains is the ramparts on the hillsides which offer a magnificent panorama of the meanders of the Mother. To fully enjoy it you have to enter the park and go behind the town hall. A perfect place for a break, the park is generally quite quiet.

The Jardin des Abiès, which is a kind of conifer, is home to more than 70 varieties of this family of trees. Very nice walk, on well-maintained grounds.

Charming little village with a pond to the south, accessible on foot, by a short hiking path, "le chemin des randonneurs".

I don't know if we really have 21% but it's a good alternative to the classic climb of Mervent from the Mangoustan restaurant. An unmissable climb 👍