Les Cabournes takes you through Jallais on a ten-kilometre route, showcasing the Bocage’s varied landscapes: shady woodland, open views across fields, and sunken lanes lined with oak trees. Alongside hiking, the area’s distinctive features include a tower almost ten centuries old, church ornaments, a private vehicle collection, and local products. You can choose to focus your stay on the landscape, cultural history, or shopping.
Hiking Trails and Landscapes
The Les Cabournes hiking trail is marked in white; bicycles are allowed on it. Its landscape ranges from rolling Bocage countryside to shady woodland. There are also open views across fields and sunken lanes lined with oak trees. This means the trail can be described not only by its length, but also by its landscape features.
Jallais also has the “Jallais à pied” walking trail, which was marked in 2023. Another named route is “Sur les traces de Cathelineau”; bicycles are allowed on this trail too. It is an easy 11-kilometre hike, marked in purple. Check trail conditions before your trip.
Les Cabournes and “Sur les traces de Cathelineau” differ in length by one kilometre. The Cathelineau trail is explicitly described as an easy hike; Les Cabournes is distinguished by its white markings and the landscapes described above. The markings and lengths give you concrete points of comparison without requiring you to treat the two routes as the same.
Tower, Church Ornaments and Vehicles
The Tour de la Bouëre in Jallais is a tower almost ten centuries old. It is 15 metres high and has thick walls. If you are interested in historic buildings, you can consider the tower’s age, height, and masonry as three specific features.
Another cultural history highlight is the ornamentation in Jallais church. The parish has published an easy-to-understand leaflet about the ornaments and their history. It draws attention to details of the church and their historical context. The tower and the leaflet thus offer different perspectives: the tower’s age and structure, and the church’s decorative details and their history.
Prestige et Collection adds another point of interest. In Jallais, you can visit a private collection of 100 rare, unusual, and sports vehicles and motorcycles. You may also have the chance to get behind the wheel and drive selected vehicles. Check the visiting arrangements in advance; booking ahead may be required.
Local Products and Shopping
Distillerie du Pré Sec produces traditionally made apple juice. Private individuals can have their apples pressed there or buy juice directly from the shop. Check the options before your visit if you are planning to shop or have apples pressed.
Graines des Mauges sells vegetables and eggs every week at its farm shop at Étable des Mauges, as well as at the Jallais market on Fridays. This gives you two ways to shop: the farm shop and the weekly market. As sales arrangements may change, check the options before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Briollay, Saint-Michel-Et-Chanveaux, Chênehutte-Trèves-Cunault, Neuvy-en-Mauges, Les Rosiers-Sur-Loire, Le Bourg-d'Iré, Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, Chavagnes.
For the broader travel overview: Maine-Et-Loire.
