Lac du Jaunay gives a stay in La Chapelle-Hermier a clear focus: the protected natural area covers 114 hectares and combines hiking trails, wildlife watching and lakeside leisure activities in your travel plans. Depending on your interests, you can focus your time on nature watching, paths through varied landscapes or activities on the water.
Nature watching at Lac du Jaunay
Local wildlife can be observed from the Passerelle Observatoire. Information boards introduce species including grey herons, cormorants, great crested grebes and kingfishers. The footbridge is in the hamlet of Le Moulin des Rochelles in La Chapelle-Hermier, where the Jaunay River forms the reservoir.
Some Jaunay'Scapades outings start at the Passerelle Observatoire du Lac du Jaunay in summer. As the specific dates vary from year to year, check the dates if you are planning one of these nature outings.
Hiking trails with varied routes
Six hiking trails offer different landscape experiences: they run along the water, through the bocage countryside and along paths above the lake. One of the trails loops around Lac du Jaunay. The GR® 364 “Du Poitou à l’Océan” passes through La Chapelle-Hermier and follows the lake’s right bank. The Sentier entre Rives et Hauteurs crosses the dam and then follows the shores. It also leads to the Passerelle Observatoire, where information boards introduce the local flora and fauna.
The trails therefore offer different route profiles: a loop around the lake, a route along the right bank and a route across the dam to the observation point. This information helps you distinguish the trails by their routes without combining them into a single itinerary.
Activities on the water and on land
The leisure facilities on the shores of Lac du Jaunay offer canoeing, pedal boating and sailing. Les Canoës du Jaunay operates a base at Base du Pré in La Chapelle-Hermier, offering canoe and pedal-boat trips lasting 30 minutes, one hour or two hours. These three time options provide a concrete guide when planning a trip on the water.
From the base, visitors have access to eight mountain biking trails, several hiking trails and geocaching. Alongside activities on the lake, the leisure offering therefore includes opportunities for two-wheeled outings and further exploration. Fishing is permitted year-round on the shores of Lac du Jaunay.
Mill, church and pilgrimage
The Moulin du Chiron is the only surviving mill of the ten that once stood in La Chapelle-Hermier. Its stone tower forms the body of a former windmill that produced flour. Comparing it with the ten former mills puts the surviving building in the context of the local history of milling.
At Église Saint Pierre et Saint Paul, different parts of the building can be distinguished by their construction dates and roofing materials: the oldest part dates from the 12th century and has a slate roof; a Gothic section is roofed with red tiles.
A pilgrimage takes place at Chapelle de Garreau on the first Sunday in September. The number of participants has declined.
Discover more destinations: Sainte-Florence, Saint-Avaugourd-des-Landes, Falleron, Grand'landes, Saint-Hilaire-Le-Vouhis, Saint-Christophe-Du-Ligneron, Saint-Vincent-Sterlanges, Curzon.
See the broader travel guide: Vendée.
