In Tercé, very different timeframes can shape your plans: an easy circular trail with a stated walking time of 3 hours 30 minutes, and a 500-kilometre Saint-Martin Loop, for which you can allow a weekend, a week or up to 15 days. There is also a viewpoint overlooking the Carrières de Normandoux, a manor house open to visitors and a museum with seasonal opening hours. You can weigh up hiking, heritage and visiting times as separate parts of your stay.
Hiking for different lengths of time
The Chemin de Saint Martin de Tours crosses the commune of Tercé. On a larger scale, four routes in central France form the 500-kilometre, cross-departmental Saint-Martin Loop. It can be walked in either direction over a weekend, a week or up to 15 days. This gives you a choice of timeframes: a single hike or a longer route.
The 41A “La ligne de démarcation” circular trail is an easy 14.70-kilometre route; the stated walking time is 3 hours 30 minutes. It starts at the car park at 4 Route de Chauvigny. The distance, walking time and starting point give you practical details when planning a hike in Tercé. Its stated timeframe is easy to distinguish from the multi-day plan for the Saint-Martin Loop.
Panoramic views and the history of building stone
At the roundabout on the outskirts of Tercé, on the road to Saint-Julien-l’Ars, a viewpoint offers panoramic views of the Carrières de Normandoux. Seven information panels provide additional details. The quarries tell the story of building-stone extraction for structures throughout France since 1854.
Several timescales come together in the story of the local stone: the history of extraction presented here dates back to 1854, while the limestone quarried in Tercé formed in the Middle Jurassic, around 165 million years ago. The view of the quarries and the information panels make building stone a theme of your stay, both as a geological material and for its use in construction.
Manoir de la Thibaudière
The Manoir de la Thibaudière in Tercé is a manor house dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. The estate includes a 17th-century dovecote and a portal dating from 1702. In 1996, the manor was added to the supplementary inventory of historic monuments. The different dates help you distinguish the manor’s individual historic features.
On a self-guided visit, you can see the gardens, the dovecote and the ground floor. Check the access conditions before your visit. This will help you focus your visit on the areas open to independent visitors.
Visit the Musée de la Vienne dans la Seconde Guerre Mondiale
The Musée de la Vienne dans la Seconde Guerre Mondiale is open from 1 April until the weekend after 11 November, Tuesday to Sunday, from 3 pm to 6 pm. Admission for a self-guided visit is free. Groups can visit the museum year-round by appointment. Check the opening hours before visiting individually, and arrange group visits in advance.
The work of VAPRVM, the association responsible for the museum, includes regularly producing exhibitions about the Second World War. The association lends these free of charge to local authorities and other associations, provided they have suitable projects. This adds a perspective on the museum’s exhibition work beyond a visit to the site.
Discover more destinations: Romagne, Angles-Sur-L'anglin, Haims, Mondion, Montamisé, Sommières-du-Clain, Saint-Savin, Chapelle-Viviers
For the regional travel overview: Vienne.
