Between the Loire and Indre rivers
Bréhémont

Between the Loire and Indre rivers

Heritage and history
River and stream
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Bréhémont has a prime spot in the heart of the Loire-Anjou-Touraine regional nature park and within the boundaries of the UNESCO World Heritage Loire area.

Attachment

  • Balade en Touraine_Entre Indre et Loire_Bréhémont

    Credit: Balade en Touraine : Entre Indre et Loire - Bréhémont - Département Indre-et-Loire

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Description

  1. Saint-Madeleine church
    The 12-km starts on Place du 8 Mai, at the sign you'll find at the end of the little tarmac road behind the school. Take a moment to admire the Saint-Marie-Madeleine Church, its choir and stained-glass windows. It was built in 1843 and is one of the few churches with a "disoriented" layout in France. The choir tends to be east-facing but this one faces west. Turn left and follow the yellow markers. Go past the cemetery. Turn right at the stop and then left along the signposted trail.
  2. Dyke
    Go right again onto the little tarmac road then left on the first path you see until you reach the dyke and turn right. Cross a tarmac road an go straight on. Cross a path then carry on between two rows of poplar trees.
  3. Milly
    You can now see Milly, a fortified farm. Go straight on and you'll pass a bridge stone on your left. Turn left at the crossroads then go over the stone bridge. Turn left at the top of the tarmac road and then left again before the bridge.
  4. Les Bardeaux de l'Indre
    Go along the Indre and you'll see a small island in the middle. Follow the Loire à Vélo path. You're entering a Sensitive Nature Area, Les Bardeaux de l'Indre. Along the way, you'll see the Routoir de Butte aux Oies and Routoir de Belette (ditches that were used to soak hemp boots)./ Go straight on. At the end of this path, take the little road on the right.
  5. The old Cher river
    Leave the stone bridge on your right and carry on along the grassy path ahead (along the old Cher river), the Cher's former riverbed that was diverted in the late 18th century. Turn right at the end onto the D119 road and cross the little bridge as per the signage.
  6. The ancient vineyards
    Turn left onto the sandy path just before the 2nd bridge and carry on ahead. Turn right at the crossroads, cross the 2nd bridge then take a sharp left after the bridge. Go straight on until the end of the path.
  7. Bridges
    Turn left after the iron bridge an cross the stone bridge. Follow signs for "circuit n°2" at the crossroads and go straight on along the dyke. Cross a path with a stone bridgeon either side and continue straight on. You'll get a lovely glimpse of the hilltop village of Saint-Michel-sur-Loire to the right. Cross the D119 road then turn right (after the sewage treatment plant).
  8. Bréhémont village
    Go straight on when you reach Bréhémont on Rue des Foucaults then turn right and head down Rue du Croissant on the left. At the end of the street, turn left or go up the narrow staircase. Cross the wide street and go down the Bréhémont port, which is also famous for its recently restored public urinal.
  9. Port
    The heyday of the oldest cobbled port in Touraine was the 19th century because of the increase in trade from hemp growing and fhising. Rich traders at the time built countless houses by the port that bear witness to the great lifestyle of the region.
  • Departure : Place du 8 Mai
  • Arrival : Place du 8 Mai
  • Towns crossed : Bréhémont

Forecast


Altimetric profile


Sensitive areas

Along your trek, you will go through sensitive areas related to the presence of a specific species or environment. In these areas, an appropriate behaviour allows to contribute to their preservation. For detailed information, specific forms are accessible for each area.
The site was designated in 2005 under the Birds Directive. The Park has been coordinating the site since 2010 (initially for the period 2010-2016, then renewed for 2016-2019 and 2019-2022), in conjunction with the CPIE Touraine-Val de Loire and the Indre-et-Loire Chamber of Agriculture.

The low valleys are largely covered by natural flood meadows, which are mown and/or grazed. These meadows form large complexes that are home to rare and endangered birds: corncrake, red-backed shrike, meadowlark, spotted crake, etc.

Certain sectors are characterized by a dense bocage network, with pollarded trees surrounding the meadows (Véron bocage): this is the home of the Common Fritillary, Natterjack Toad, Great Capricorn... 

Finally, the banks of the Vienne and Indre rivers are occupied by alluvial woodlands and poplar plantations.
Impacted practices:
Aquatic, Land
Sensitivity periods:
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Contact:

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