Four walking trails ranging from 5 to 21 kilometres offer ways to explore the area around Oizé. The landscape also includes wetlands and meadows, along with a built heritage that ranges from a Romanesque-Gothic church to mills. If you are looking for accommodation in Oizé, you can make nature or cultural heritage a focus of your stay.

Meadows, bocage and wetlands

The Fessard runs through Oizé. Meadows and bocage hedgerows shape the landscape, alongside woodland and wetlands. The Tourbière du Poumon vert is a wetland designated as a biodiversity corridor and reservoir. It is home to kingfishers, Mercurial bluets, black woodpeckers and little owls; their presence may vary by season.

Designated nature areas are also part of the commune’s landscape. The Tourbière de la Fontaine du Bouchet is one of the ZNIEFF areas designated in Oizé. Lande des Soucis is a continental ZNIEFF type 1 area that extends, among other places, into Oizé. Its habitats include wet heathland, coniferous woodland, ponds, meadows, low heathland and paths. It is also home to a very large population of the regionally protected reflexed rush.

There are four walking trails to choose from, ranging in length from 5 to 21 kilometres. This range gives you a practical guide when deciding how far you want to explore. The trails take you through the area around the commune; the nature areas and their habitats offer a separate focus.

Churches, mills and historic sites

The Église Saint-Hilaire combines a Romanesque nave with a Gothic choir in the Plantagenet style. It has been classified as a Monument historique since 29 April 1994. Inside, a 13th-century fresco depicts the burial of Saint Hilary. It is one of only two known depictions of this subject.

Another historic site is the former Benedictine priory of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, which has been listed as a Monument historique since 24 July 1989. The Manoir de Montaupin lies south of the town centre; around 1342, Montaupin was a seigneurial estate. Today, only one of the fir trees planted there remains. At the Château du Boschet, fragments of the walls and the main entrance have survived. Oizé’s village washhouse was restored in the 2000s.

The Moulin de Boisard stands on the Fessard. A millrace supplies the mill, diverting part of the stream from the Poumon Vert area. Restoration work dates back to 1995, and the waterwheel was replaced in 2014. Here, the mill’s water supply meets the story of its preservation.

Animal activities at the Moulin du Rouveau

At the Moulin du Rouveau, an educational activity combines a visit to the animal enclosures with puzzles to solve along the way. A two-hour animal-care activity is also available: it includes discovering different species, as well as feeding and brushing the animals in the enclosures, and takes place by reservation. The two formats offer different experiences—one focuses on puzzles, the other on caring for and getting to know the animals.

Choose your destination according to the experiences that matter most to you.

Discover more destinations: Fontenay-Sur-Vègre, Souvigné-Sur-Même, Auvers-le-Hamon, Mézières-Sous-Lavardin, Rouez, Montreuil-le-Chétif, Conflans-Sur-Anille, Rouperroux-le-Coquet.

For an overview of the wider region: Sarthe.