The best traffic-free bike rides around Artenay

I am a regular fisherman of the Rué pond, As a reminder the pond is classified Natura 2000, bicycles are prohibited around the pond and dogs must be kept on a leash. The regulations are available at the town hall of Mardié or from the association of the pike of Donnery which manages this pond.

beautiful castle to discover

Still as majestic, a beautiful castle.

The Moulin de Lignerolles is one of the last pivotal windmills in the Loiret department. Built in 1848, this wooden mill belonged to Louis-Joseph Soulas, famous painter and director of the Orléans School of Fine Arts. You can admire the restored mill and its ingenious mechanism, as well as the panoramic view of the plain. The mill is open to the public on Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and also hosts various events throughout the year, such as a flea market, concerts and exhibitions. Visiting the Moulin de Lignerolles is an excellent way to discover the heritage and charm of the Beauceron countryside.

The Saint André church (13th-15th-16th centuries) In the 7th century, the Benedictine abbey of Bonneval created a priory-curate. Its existence is confirmed by a bull from Pope Gregory second half of the 16th century. In 1793 the church was desecrated and transformed into wine and spirits warehouses. In 1801, the church was returned to worship and changed diocese: from the diocese of Chartres, to which it belonged before the Revolution, it passed to the diocese of Orléans, notably for reasons of distance: Chartres is 48 km from Patay then that Orléans is only 27 km away. The church is 30 m long and 17 m wide. The oldest parts are located near the large porch (13th century). One of the pillars of the nave is decorated with a vestige of Danse Macabre from the mid-15th century. A small masonry door on the right communicated with the old priory, of which ruins remain to the south of the church. The choir dates from the 14th century; the apse wall was decorated with paintings at the end of the 19th century, the chapels were then redeveloped and equipped with new stained glass windows. The keystones of the large nave were made from casts taken from the figurines which adorn the Thesis Room of the University of Orléans, built in 1411. The bell tower, located to the north of the choir, would be an old watchtower. Its pinnacles and eight openings were made after the Wars of Religion. The four bells were melted in 1868. The largest was cracked by a Prussian shell in 1870 and was recast in 1871. Since that year, Ernestine (809 kg, 1 m 12 in diameter at the base, sounding the F), Gabrielle (550 kg, 0.981 m in diameter, sounding the ground), Anne (398 kg, 0.573 m in diameter) and Marie (222 kg, 0.724 m in diameter, sounding the C) give rhythm to the daily life of the small town of Patay, old Beauceron railway junction. On August 15, 1944, an ammunition train was blown up at Patay station. The station was blown up, except for the carriage shed, and all the windows in the town were shattered. Luckily, a providential storm limited the damage. The only two stained glass windows that survived the explosion are those on the right side aisle which date from 1930 and relate the communion of Joan of Arc in the Patay church in 1429. The church was listed as a Historic Monument in 1925 by decree of October 6, 1925.

The Moulin de Lignerolles is one of the last pivotal windmills in the Loiret department. Built in 1848, this wooden mill belonged to Louis-Joseph Soulas, famous painter and director of the Orléans School of Fine Arts. You can admire the restored mill and its ingenious mechanism, as well as the panoramic view of the plain. The mill is open to the public on Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and also hosts various events throughout the year, such as a flea market, concerts and exhibitions. Visiting the Moulin de Lignerolles is an excellent way to discover the heritage and charm of the Beauceron countryside.

If you are looking for a peaceful and picturesque hike, you can visit the Étang du bois de Charbonnière, a pond located in the grounds of the Château de Charbonnière. The pond is fed by the Ruet stream, a tributary of the Bionne river. The territory has been shaped by monks and successive owners who have dug numerous watercourses to drain the land since the Middle Ages. You can enjoy the rich biodiversity of the pond and its surroundings, which includes amphibious plants, such as the Gratiole officinalis (Gratiola officinalis), a protected species.

In the heart of the Orléans forest is the Château de Charbonnière. This castle belongs to the city of Orléans and dates from the 16th century. You can admire its imposing facade and one of its four elegant turrets, as well as a bread oven in front of the building. The castle can be rented for various events, but you can also enjoy its vast 150-hectare park, where you can run, walk, cycle or picnic. The castle is open every day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.