Hikes galore
Poitou is dotted with footpaths, within which you can explore natural and architectural gems, and why not join up with other French regions. It is crossed by several national routes, starting with the via Turonensis, voie de Tours or GR 655, one of the four French Compostelle routes, linking Paris and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port via Poitiers, Ligugé and Melle (famous for its triad of Romanesque churches). In the south of Vienne, you'll find the Charroux route, a variant of the Vézelay route (GR 48). Other routes with a spiritual vocation exist, taking you to some of France's oldest (and most beautiful) abbeys. These include the Chemin de Saint-Martin: l'itinéraire de l'Evêque de Tours (Poitiers-Ligugé-Tours, 236 km); the Chemin de Ligugé (to the collegiate church of Candes-Saint-Martin, Indre-et-Loire, via Fontevraud, 170 km). The region is also served by several long-distance hiking trails: the GR 364 links Poitou to the ocean (La Roche Posay-Jard-sur-Mer); the GR 36 runs from Normandy to the Pyrenees (via some of Deux-Sévriennes' nuggets: Thouars, Parthenay, Niort, Chizé national forest). Poitou also boasts eight great country hikes - four for each département. The longest of these is the GRP Vouillé-la-Bataille circuit (named after Clovis I 's victory over Alaric II, king of the Visigoths, in 507), which is 129 km long but of moderate difficulty. We're also trying out a whole host of short walks, several hundred kilometers in length, which are also accessible on horseback. To discover them, visit the two very well-documented departmental hiking websites: www.randonnees-vienne.com; www.randoendeuxsevres.fr.
On a bicycle
Many touring cyclists stop off here, where there's no shortage of facilities dedicated to soft mobility. In fact, many of Poitou's accommodation providers have been awarded the Accueil Vélo label, and there are numerous rental outlets (mountain bikes, VAEs, classics). Poitou is criss-crossed by major national and European cycle routes, such as the Vélo Francette (Caen - La Rochelle). The route winds quietly through Deux-Sèvres, from the enchanting Thouet valley to the Marais Poitevin - promising dazzling rides (velo-francette.fr), to connect with the Vélodyssée, a cycle route along the Atlantic coast to the Basque country (EV1, www.lavelodyssee.com). The northern part of the Vienne is home to an important section of the Scandiberique (Trondheim - Santiago de Compostela), taking you from the industrial wastelands of Châtellerault to the rural valleys of Availles-Limouzine, via the wild surroundings of the Pinail moor and the medieval town of Chauvigny (EV3, www.scandiberique.fr). Since 2021, the Anjou - Touraine - Poitou loop, 345 km long, links Futuroscope and the Loire castles. Last but not least, we'd like to mention a little-used tourist route, which was put on hold for many years (and is not very well referenced): les chemins du Poitou secret linking Poitiers to the Marais Poitevin via the Gâtine (110 km). Other options include véloroute 41 (Compostelle pilgrimage by bike, departing from Châtellerault), véloroute 94, currently being developed and well advanced in Deux-Sèvres, and Vélidéale (Niort-Chef Boutonne). Rural paths, old railroad tracks and low-traffic roads, often linked to each other and used by horse riders, abound. For more information, visit the two websites mentioned above: www.randonnees-vienne.com ; www.randoendeuxsevres.fr.
At the water's edge
Its rich, wild and contrasting alluvial valleys, natural and man-made lakes and small streams will give you plenty of opportunity to frolic in the water, and there's no shortage of spots! From the wild to the well-developed, including Lac de Saint-Cyr, which has been awarded the "Station sports de nature" label and offers a wide range of activities: swimming, sailing, paddling, no-kill fishing, electric scooters and birdwatching. Golfers will notice that the Haut-Poitou 18-hole course is located on the site (www.lacdesaintcyr.fr; www.golfduhautpoitou.fr). Kayakers, from beginners to experts, can enjoy whitewater rafting all over the department, notably at the Saint-Benoît base (descents, lessons and rentals, www.ckcp86.fr), at the Lathus-Saint-Rémy leisure center (other nature activities for the whole family, such as tree climbing, caving, rock climbing; www.cpa-lathus.asso.fr) and in L'Isle-Jourdain, at Lac de Chardes (including water-skiing; www.watersports-ijd86.com) or on the Vienne (bungee jumping and zip-line along the 47-meter viaduct; www.oxygene40.com). In the Deux-Sèvres region, the picture is much the same, with the exception of one Grand Site de France: the labyrinthine Marais Poitevin, which can be explored by rowing (various craft, in addition to the traditional yole), or from the air, aboard the Terres d'Envol hot-air balloon (www.terres-denvol.fr). There's plenty of water-based fun to be had at the Etang du Lambon, the Cherveux Saint-Christophe lake (wakeboarding and water ski cableway) or the much wilder Lac du Cébron, a drinking water reservoir and sensitive natural area (ecotourism activities and bivouac; www.lacducebron.fr). Wherever you are in the Deux-Sèvres region, if there's a river nearby, you're bound to be able to pitch a tent by the water, take a dip or tease a gudgeon. Travelers with a passion for freshwater fishing, bring your own equipment (although accommodation providers and receptive operators will lend you theirs on occasion), and head for the superb Bois-Pouvreau pond in Ménigoute, one of the most beautiful fish-filled sites in the Gâtine region (walking trails but swimming prohibited), and of course Pescalis, the nature and fishing center in Moncoutant: the season kicks off on March1 with carnivore fishing (www.pescalis.com).
Geocaching and other outdoor activities
You and your family can enjoy geocaching, a new way of discovering exceptional sites. Tèrra Aventura, New Aquitaine's leading geocaching specialist, has put together 32 unusual treasure hunts in Vienne and 40 in Deux-Sèvres. You choose your route according to your location or theme (tales and legends, Resistance, medieval, etc.), for example at the fortified castle of Coudray-Salbart or in the troglodytes of Saint-Remy-sur-Creuse. You can even take advantage of these tours without a smartphone, by visiting the tourist offices with your GPS (www.terra-aventura.fr). A land of nature, the Poitou region has other resources to offer: tree climbing parks and adventure parks (via ferrata, climbing for all levels) are legion. You'll also have no trouble observing the wildlife, which you'll often come across along the small and large roads (watch out for the herds of wild boar and roe deer around the Moulière forest, in the Vienne department): stag bellowing, birdwatching. An outing to the wonderful and vulnerable Pinail national reserve may be just the thing to combine the two, offering at the very least a lovely walk (for those who love wet, wild moorland; pets forbidden; www.reserve-pinail.org). And for runners, since the end of 2021, the Marais Poitevin has had its own trail station (14 trails and 2 trail workshops; www.stationdetrail.com).
Sports events
Did you know that Poitiers has been home to some of the world's greatest athletes? These include 2007 world figure skating champion Brian Joubert, Iranian-born boxer Mayhar Monshipour, crowned world super-cooster champion at Futuroscope in 2003, and basketball player Evan Fournier, drafted by the NBA in 2012 and now a fullback with the Detroit Pistons. If you're a sports fan visiting the former capital of the Dukes of Aquitaine, be sure to catch a game at Stade Poitevin, a national multi-sports club (particularly its volleyball and beach volleyball teams), or support Poitiers Basket 86 (PB, for those in the know), formerly known as Pro A. Poitiers, which lives to the rhythm of basketball, organizes the Festival du 3x3 et de la culture urbaine (3x3 and urban culture festival) every year at the end of June (high-level competitions, including a stage in the FFBB Super League, amateur and wheelchair basketball matches, urban culture; www.3x3poitiers.com). Also in the Vienne, in Neuville, you can learn about moto-ball, a variant of soccer played on a motorcycle (matches, courses from age 6 upwards; www.motoballneuvillois86.fr). If you want to cheer on the pros, head for Niort and the René-Gaillard stadium, home of the Chamois (Ligue 2). A host of urban sporting events also await you in Deux-Sèvres, including: the Coulée Verte half-marathon and Ekiden 79 relay race in Niort (late October); the Rallye du Marais in Coulon, France's leading canoeing event (a night-time orienteering race at the end of June, which you can take part in if you register and dress up). Last but not least, fans of motor sports will be thrilled by the Poitou region's glorious past. In La Mothe-Saint-Héray, you can attend the legendary hill-climb race, created in 1925 and organized today by the Chambrille stable as the Montées historiques de La Mothe-Saint-Héray, among other events: Slaloms des écuries d'Augias, Dame de Chambrille rally, Ronde de Chambrille navigation race, spare parts market and Rétrolocomotion show (www.ecuriechambrille.com). Aspiring pilots and adrenaline junkies can enjoy a sporty lap of the Val de Vienne speed circuit, located in the village of Le Vigeant (track baptism and single-seater Formula Renault 2.0, 190 HP; www.circuitvaldevienne.com). Every year in early June, the Sport & Collection charity organizes the extraordinary 500 Ferrari meeting against cancer (demonstrations, races, classic cars, tourist rally, aerobatics followed by the grand show of the Patrouille de France; www.sportetcollection.info).
