Mont Juillet combines panoramic views from the highest point in Les Touches with distinctive traces of the past. The La Chauminette circular trail leads there, passing through sunken lanes and wooded avenues, and by a pond. When weighing up nature and cultural attractions for a stay, visitors can get a sense of Les Touches through its specific points of interest: these include the scenic route, historic buildings and a pilgrimage tradition associated with the Church of Saint MĂ©laine.
Mont Juillet and La Chauminette
The circular trail brings together several named landscape features and Mont Juillet: La Chauminette runs through sunken lanes and wooded avenues, passes a pond and leads to the highest point in Les Touches. The route thus combines a variety of landscapes with a clearly identified destination. At Mont Juillet, there is an orientation board, a playground, a picnic area and toilets. Another notable landmark is the Calvary, built in 1926 and renovated in 2004.
Historical traces in Les Touches
Neolithic flint tools were found at Mont Juillet. A mill was built there in the Middle Ages; four more mills were subsequently in operation until the Second World War. The history of this place thus stretches from Neolithic finds through medieval milling to the period of the Second World War. The historic coal mines associated with Les Touches covered a much larger area: they extended across 2,100 to 2,200 hectares and crossed municipal boundaries. Their extent places this subject beyond the bounds of a single locality.
Maison Rouge is also associated with the history of the Maquis. On 16 October 1943, Maison Rouge was the site of the first Maquis recognized by London. On 16 June 1944, the Maison Rouge Maquis was moved to the Saffré forest. These two dates describe a sequence of events, from what took place at Maison Rouge to the later move to Saffré.
Church, buildings and traditions
The Church of Saint MĂ©laine combines architectural features with links to the history of pilgrimage. Its Gothic-inspired architecture includes a low-vaulted choir, slender columns and ribbed windows. The church also houses an 18th-century polychrome statue of Saint James of Compostela. It recalls the fact that Les Touches was a stopping point for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
La Vieille Cure is considered the oldest building in Les Touches; its foundations date from the 14th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it served as a hunting lodge for the Condé family. The Manoir du Bois-Souchard is also among the oldest buildings in Les Touches, but only its cylindrical tower remains from the original structure. At La Vieille Cure, early foundations and its former role as a hunting lodge shape the building’s history; at the manor, the surviving tower is the part identified as belonging to the original structure.
The historic festival tradition includes the Saint-Jacques fair: it was authorized for Les Touches in 1668 and took place on 1 May. The historic Saint-Mélayne fair was also held. Winegrowing is another part of the town’s history. At the end of the 19th century, Les Touches still had around 500 hectares of vineyards, where Muscadet and Gros Plant were grown.
Discover more destinations: Campbon, Chéméré, Châteaubriant, Saffré, Saint-Molf, Pont-Saint-Martin, Préfailles, Indre.
For the overview of the wider region: Loire-Atlantique.
