The hiking trails in La Rouxière offer a variety of routes and landscape features. They are complemented by distinctive traces of the area’s history. The Circuit du moulin de Peltré runs along sunken lanes and bocage hedgerows, reaching as far as Étang Corbin. Mining history, a medieval motte and a neo-Gothic church add to the picture. If you would like to combine hiking and heritage, the area offers several specific themes to help you plan your trip.
Hiking trails and rural landscapes
The trails vary in length and character. The municipal plan of February 2020 lists the Circuit de la Cour as one of the two main hiking trails in La Rouxière: it is 3.5 kilometres long, included in the departmental walking and hiking trail plan, and connected to other footpaths. The Circuit du moulin de Peltré is 8.6 kilometres long and runs along sunken lanes and bocage hedgerows as far as Étang Corbin, where hikers can take a break by the water. The Circuit de Châteaufromont is a rural, family-friendly hiking trail through La Rouxière.
For a choice based on distance, compare the 3.5-kilometre Circuit de la Cour with the 8.6-kilometre Circuit du moulin de Peltré. They also differ in character: the Circuit de la Cour connects with other footpaths, while the Peltré trail runs along sunken lanes and hedgerows to Étang Corbin. The comparison highlights both the different route lengths and the variety of landscape features.
The bocage hedgerow network is moderately dense to dense, and La Rouxière has a total of 124 kilometres of hedgerows. The landscape is predominantly agricultural, with meadows and arable land. The Ruisseau de la Saugère shapes the natural landscape and serves as a visual reference point for the town centre. The Vallon de la Saugère is a small wooded valley crossed by the Ruisseau. The hedgerows, farmland and wooded valley show different aspects of the rural landscape; the stream also connects the area to the town centre.
Mining, the Middle Ages and church architecture
The Gautellerie coal mine operated from 1896 to 1911; 200 people worked there in 1900. Its operating period and workforce give an idea of the duration and scale of mining at the time. The surviving features at the site include a chimney and its base, the shaft entrance, workers’ housing, administrative buildings, an infirmary and a stable. The mining site is part of the Route du Charbon.
At La Cour, the only visible remnant of the former Châtellenie Château Fromont, a major fortress in the former Duchy of Brittany, is the medieval motte.
La Rouxière’s neo-Gothic church was built between 1896 and 1898 using stone from a quarry in the commune, which was later turned into a water reservoir. The church therefore combines the neo-Gothic style with the origins of the stone used in its construction.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Léger-Les-Vignes, Besné, Le Cellier, Nantes, La Chapelle-Basse-Mer, Blain, Saint-Père-En-Retz, Fresnay-En-Retz
For an overview of the wider area: Loire-Atlantique.
