The best MTB trails around Saint-Hilaire-De-Loulay

A beautifully restored old watermill, in the heart of a beautiful natural site.

Clisson Castle has quite a story to tell: first an impregnable fortress overlooking the Sèvre, then a ducal residence, and finally a romantic ruin. In the 12th century, the powerful lordship of Clisson built this stone castle with highly elaborate defensive architectural systems: arrow slits, gun ports, and slits. A strategic point protecting the border of the Duchy of Brittany in the 15th century, it was abandoned by its owners from the second half of the 17th century onward before being burned down by Republican troops in 1793. But, beyond its grand history, this castle also has a more historic significance! In 1807, François-Frédéric Lemot, creator of the Garenne Lemot estate (a picturesque landscape located on the other side of the river), was captivated by these ruins and purchased it to turn it into an ornamental factory. The château was declared a historic monument in 1924, before being acquired by the Loire-Atlantique department in 1962. Today, visitors can visit it, take a guided tour, or simply experience its history. A stop on the Journey through the Vineyard, it's a stopover during the wine tourism tour of Nantes' wine country, featuring natural sites, heritage features, characterful villages, and unique cellars.

The River House is a preserved natural setting spanning over 10 hectares where art and nature blend together. Imagine a river and its watermill, surrounded by 10 hectares of nature... Boat trips on the Grande Maine, family treasure hunts, twilight strolls, onboard drinks, and an art exhibition with free access on the shaded banks and in the old mill.

Bultière Lake is an artificial reservoir. The Bultière Dam was built in 1994. It is located in the commune of Chavagne en paillers. It supplies the drinking water network. Its surface area is 72 hectares and contains 5.2 million cubic meters of water. It is possible to walk around the lake via a 15-km trail. This lake, with its exceptionally rich fish population, awaits you with almost every type of fish (perch, pike, zander, catfish, carp, roach, bream, tench, etc.). You can go predator fishing from the shore or from a boat to catch zander, pike, and catfish. It is, of course, possible to still fish for roach, bleak, or bream. Carp are also present in this lake. A night carp fishing route located on the right bank in the Maurosière sector will delight those who love a good catch.

. Originally, there was an ovoid-shaped enclosure flanked by about ten towers and a gatehouse, located to the northeast. The fortified town was located to the north of the fortress and extended a little to the east. A dry moat separated the fortified town from the fortress. A barbican protected the gatehouse. A Romanesque keep of the Niort type, with its courtyard and small enclosure, was located in the castle courtyard, roughly in the middle in the north-south direction and located to the west. The fortified city extended from the rue de Gaulle, a gate was located at the level of the Carré de l'Europe (the porte de Nantes), then the ramparts continued along the rue de la Place du Champ de Foire, then went back down the Esplanade des Olivettes, where a gate was located towards the roundabout of the rue des Jardins (porte de Tiffauges) then the ramparts ran along the Asson to go up the rue du Pont Jarlet and around the barbican not far from the Presbytery The dry moats surrounding the city were 16 meters deep in the 15th century, today they are flowered and are the subject of different colored squares decorating this part of the ramparts.

In the 9th century, a castrum, a wooden castle built on a mound of earth, was built to counter the Viking raids that had previously sacked the city of Durivum (Saint-Georges-de-Montaigu). For strategic reasons, this fortress was built on a rocky spur at the junction between the Maine and Asson rivers. Maurice I of Montaigu, the first known lord, witnessed the consecration of the church of Saint-Nicolas de la Chaize-le-Vicomte in 1099. His successor until 1174 was Brient I of Commequiers, married to his daughter, Agathe de Montaigu. Later, his grandchildren, Brient II, Maurice II "the Younger," and Marguerite, succeeded him. It was perhaps this Brient II who had the Romanesque keep built in 1218, a large square tower with flat corner towers. He also removed the wooden palisade, replacing it with a wide moat extending to the Saint-Georges Gate. The Montagues (also known as Belleville by marriage around 1180) pledged allegiance to the Plantagenets, Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, and John Lackland. Margaret of Belleville-Montaigu, daughter of Brient de Montaigu and Agnes de Belleville, granddaughter of Maurice I de Montaigu, sister of Maurice II de Belleville-Montaigu, married Hugh of Thouars in 1203. In 1227, the couple submitted to Philip Augustus through the ceremony of homage. Hugh of Thouars died in 1229, and Margaret remarried in 1235 to the Duke of Brittany, Mauclerc, whose real name was Pierre de Dreux. Marguerite de Montaigu died in 1241, childless. The lordship of Montaigu fell to her nephew, Maurice III de Belleville-Montaigu (d. c. 1297; son of Maurice II). He became lord of Montaigu upon the death of Mauclerc in 1250[2], and his son Maurice IV (d. c. 1292) ensured the succession through his children Jeanne (d. 1284 Geoffroy II David de La Flocellière) and Maurice V de Belleville-Montaigu (he married 1° Sibylle, daughter of Geoffroy VI de Châteaubriant, then 2° Isabelle/Létice de Parthenay, daughter of Guillaume V Larchevêque de Parthenay). Jeanne de Belleville (c. 1300-c. 1359), daughter of Maurice V of Montaigu and Létice of Parthenay, married Olivier IV of Clisson for the second time in 1328. Olivier IV was executed by beheading after being suspected of "felony" against the English, during the Hundred Years' War. Jeanne became a privateer with her children Olivier V and Jeanne de Clisson, in revenge, and was banished from the kingdom of France. While she attacked French ships, the fortress of Montaigu was held by the English, according to the Treaty of Brétigny-Calais, a garrison of which engaged in pillaging the surrounding area. Jeanne lost her ship and withdrew with her children to England. Olivier V, having grown up, rallied to the king of France, recovered his property in 1362 and fought the English with Bertrand du Guesclin. In 1373, Olivier and Bertrand succeeded in driving the English out of Montaigu, and Olivier ceded the lordship to his sister Jeanne, who had married an English captain, Jean Harpedenne. The latter sided with the King of France in 1373 and became Jean de Belleville. His grandson, Jean III, married Charles VII's half-sister, Marguerite de Valois, in 1433. Louis I de Belleville succeeded Jean III. King Louis XI advised him to fortify the town between 1464 and 1468 to protect it from the Bretons.

Absolutely magnificent site, both for the landscapes and for the diversity of the fauna and flora! I highly recommend it, I really enjoyed it!

superb place, to see and see again while hiking or mountain biking