The best walks and hikes around Ingrandes-Le-Fresne-Sur-Loire

The Saint-Charles Chapel, more often called the Cathelineau Chapel, is a small architectural gem that houses the tomb of the Vendée leader Jacques Cathelineau and his son. To explore the interior of the chapel and the tomb of General Cathelineau, the keys can be borrowed from the Saint-Florent-le-Vieil Tourist Office. OPEN ONLY FROM APRIL TO THE END OF SEPTEMBER. During your visit to the Petite Cité de Caractère® of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, you can't miss the Saint-Charles Chapel, also called the Cathelineau Chapel. Listed as a Historic Monument, it is located on the site of the former Cordelières convent. In the context of the Vendée Wars, following the uprising of March 12, 1793, Jacques Cathelineau joined the Vendée Military Movement and participated in the battles where Vendée troops captured, among others, Jallais, Chemillé-en-Anjou, Cholet, Vihiers, Chalonnes-sur-Loire, and Thouars. His dedication was recognized by other Vendée leaders, who then recognized him as generalissimo of the Catholic and royal army. On June 29, 1793, during the attack on Nantes, Jacques Cathelineau was wounded at Place Viarme. He was then transferred and treated at the Sainte-Croix convent in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil (now the chapel). It was here that the Vendée general succumbed to his wounds on July 14, 1793. Erected between 1856 and 1858 by Count Théodore de Quatrebarbes, the chapel now houses the tomb of General Cathelineau and his son in one of its transepts. On his tomb, the general is represented by a cast plaster statue: standing, Cathelineau leans on a cross, which he wraps in his left arm and seems to be defending with a saber held in his other hand. The general's battles are commemorated on three sides of the base, as are the coat of arms and the motto "Dieu et le Roy." It is therefore natural that this chapel is more commonly known as the "Cathelineau Chapel" in homage to the Vendée general. https://www.anjou-tourisme.com/fr/diffusio/visites/chapelle-saint-charles-dite-cathelineau-mauge s-sur-loire_TFOPCUPDL049V5000WF?srsltid=AfmBOoqvIv1nzhZGxmoTCQNU_pqwA8_k8qhD_e2H4UPg1neiN7iQ4xQ-

The Julien Gracq House, the writer's former home, is located in Saint-Florent-le-Vieil on the banks of the Loire River. An association created by the Pays de la Loire Region and the town runs and manages the estate bequeathed by the author to the community to host writers and artists in residence. Visit the remarkable library, the map room, and Julien Gracq's estate. https://www.mauges-sur-loire.fr/se-divertir/culture-et-loisirs/lecture-litterature/maison-julien-gracq/

The walk along the Loire from Ingrandes to Montjean is only possible by crossing the river at Ingrandes, for this you must use the ferry made available to walkers.

Rest stop for drinks and best ever pancakes at Ma Roulette. Comfy sofas and shelters. Friendly hosts.

Beautiful suspension bridge spanning the Loire. From the bridge you have an excellent view of the Loire, its banks, and many boatmen's boats.

Very nice view of the bridge.

The German publisher writes about the posthumously published work "Life Knots": "Julien Gracq was the great loner of French literature, who became famous for his legendary rejection of the prestigious Prix Goncourt. When he died in 2007 at the age of 97, he decreed that his 29 books entitled "Marginal Notes" would not be published before 2027 - certainly out of consideration for contemporaries who appear in them. However, the estate contains another treasure to which no ban prevents us from accessing: The Life Knots, clear-sighted and witty observations on landscapes and mentalities, the fashions of the time, politics and history, literature, writing. They range from the sensual description of the Pays de la Loire to the explanation of the strange authority of farmers' rules to reflections on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. And even in these texts, Gracq occasionally dishes out a lot, for example when he compares the English language to a can opener or the Switzerland is ironically described as "Europe's safe deposit box". Gracq's linguistically stunning knots of life are an attempt to condense the perception of the world and to establish a close, sensual contact with it. They make you smile at the attacks of a pen as sharp as a sabre and marvel at the foresight of a man who foresees the development of the world from his balcony on the Loire."

The Quai de la Loire in Mauges-Sur-Loire is a beautiful place where you can admire the view of the water, bridges and boats. You can also learn more about the history and culture of this region by visiting the nearby town of Saint Florent le Vieil, where you can take a boat ride with a local fisherman or explore heritage sites such as the abbey church and Maison Julien Gracq. Don't forget to bring your camera and a picnic basket!