The best walks and hikes around Chaillevette

The SAINT-PIERRE church dominates the village from its fortified bell tower. Original in many ways, the Romanesque building houses a holy water font made of a real shell. From the side, you reach the small garden of the chevet, well hidden. Stone sarcophagi (Merovingian or Carolingian depending on the source) bear witness to the archaeological excavations that the church has undergone. There are many stories in Mornac but that of the fire of August 2, 1943 marked the identity of the village. Indeed, the bell tower has not always had this appearance. It had the more traditional shape of a spire until lightning struck it. Many young students come to Mornac-sur-Seudre to participate in the clearing and the excavations that follow. Seduced by the local atmosphere, many of them stayed and opened the first craft workshops in the village, some of which are still present, such as pottery and leather.

The line was opened to traffic in 1876 by the Compagnie du chemin de fer de la Seudre, and then extended to the channel of La Grève at La Tremblade. In 1880, the line was bought by the State Railways Administration, which absorbed the bankrupt Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest in 1908. The State Network, after its merger with the other national railway companies in 1938, became the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF). In 1939, the line was closed to passenger traffic, but continued its activity for the transport of goods until 1980. Tourist service In 1984, the association of the Seudre Tourist Railway (CFTS) started running a tourist train again but stopped tourist operation in 2002. The infrastructure (track, stations and Chaillevette depot) was then bought by the department of Charente-Maritime. Between 2004 and 2006, the operation of the line was entrusted to CFTA, a subsidiary of Véolia Transport, but ceased in 2007. In 2008, the association Trains & Traction was entrusted with the operation of the line, and has continued the activity since then. Tourist operation takes place from the beginning of May to the end of September with daily traffic in July and August. Some special trains are organized in season or out of season like the "Train des Loupiottes1" or the "Train Éclade de moules". Most recently, the Train des Mouettes has opened up to gastronomy with refined meals with its restaurant train the "Seudre Océan Express", reviving the myth of rail travel for the time of a refined meal (reservation required by telephone). The office is at the Saujon Chemin Vert station, and the workshop is in Chaillevette, in the middle of the line. The following equipment is currently operated by volunteers Steam locomotives • Schneider (no. 2503), 1891 - Arrived at Chaillevette in 1984. In service since 2004. • Henschel, 1912 - Arrived at Chaillevette in 1984. Inaugurated (being heated) on 20 June 2015. • Fives-Lille (no. 3716), 1910 - Out of service (undergoing complete restoration). • Borsig (type T 3 Prussian (de)), 1906 - Out of service (undergoing complete restoration). Diesel locomotives • Decauville, 1960 - Operational • Blanc-Misseron, 1958 - Out of service (undergoing complete restoration). • SACM (no. 10019), 1956 - Operational • Moyse, 1968 – Operational • Brissonneau and Lotz, 1971 - Operational • CFD, 1965 - Operational • CFD, 1965 - Out of service (undergoing complete restoration). • SACM/Alstom/CAFL, 1956 Decauville, 1967 – Out of service (undergoing complete restoration).Baudet, Donon and Roussel – Shunter rebuilt to SACM plans in 1961 with a Baudouin engine. - Operational • Decauville, 1967 – Shunter Operational Accumulator locomotive • Orenstein & Koppel no. 320 13-ton accumulator locomotive, from a foundry in Niederbronn-les-Bains. Railcars • X 5822 - Out of service (undergoing complete restoration). • Billard railcar no. 902, type A 75 D built in 1947, ex-CFD of Indre-et-Loire, entrusted by the FACS; • X 2208 ex-Limoges depot, entrusted under agreement with the SNCF, on loan to the Central Brittany railways; • X 2251 ex-Limoges depot, entrusted under agreement with the SNCF, on loan to the Central Brittany railways.

The port of Mornac has long been the subject of challenges. Since the Middle Ages, it has served as a relay between the Seudre and the Gironde via the Chemin des Mornaçons, the shortest land passage allowing people to avoid the dangerous Maumusson sluice, in particular for exchanges between La Rochelle and Bordeaux. The foodstuffs are loaded on ox carts in Mornac, transported on other boats to finish their journey in Bordeaux!”. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, this port will also be a place of export of salt supervised by the gabelous ( customs officers). We feel that we are at the heart of a rich maritime heritage. High tide, low tide, the views and impressions are totally different. There is no reason to favor one situation over the other. Both are worth seeing. If it is high tide for your first visit, plan to return at low tide and vice versa. But the best is to stay and walk while waiting for the rising or falling tide, and for this you have the choice between getting lost in the maze of streets of this typical village or taking the tarmac path (in the extension of the port) which will take you extends his arms. Indeed, the port of Mornac-sur-Seudre is established on a channel, "achenau", which leads to the Seudre, approximately 1km away. You will be able to admire fishermen's huts highlighted with warm and attractive colors and discover on very educational panels the fauna and flora of the region as well as the sea trades of yesteryear, and all this in a natural setting with the sea and iodized air of the ocean.

Succeeding a Merovingian church whose remains were discovered in 1951 (as well as a cemetery dating from the 6th century), the foundation of the current church could date back to the 10th or 11th century. with a modernization in the 12th century, where it takes more or less its current appearance. The bell tower was destroyed during the Hundred Years' War and then rebuilt with the facade in the 15th century. A fire due to a violent storm affected the bell tower in 1943. The upper part was reinterpreted by the addition of square bays giving it a defensive character. The slate spire has not gone up. The Saint-Pierre church is a Romanesque building with certain archaic features. The facade, of great severity, dates from the 15th century. Almost devoid of ornamentation, it consists of a broken arched portal with prismatic moldings, confined by a Gothic niche (on the right) and surmounted by a narrow bay. The nave, formerly divided into 5 bays, now has only 4, separated by columns backed by pilasters. The whole was originally covered with ribbed vaults, destroyed in 1837, replaced by an arched vault and subsequently dismantled in turn. The nave is covered with an exposed framework. Large transept arches delimit the square of the transept, covered with a barlong dome on squinches. The crosspieces are covered with a pointed barrel vault, and are extended by apsidioles. Semi-circular arcades, supported by fine columns with capitals decorated with plant or geometric motifs, punctuate the walls of the apse, covered with an oven bottom where traces of frescoes dating from the 12th century are visible, although degraded. century. The walls of the nave, the transept and part of the choir retain traces (from the 17th century) of the funeral liter of a lord of Mornac. The exterior offers, on the north wall, the remains of a Romanesque portal (11th century). The bedside, typical of the Saintongeais Romanesque, is made up of 3 horizontal registers, delimited by cords. The last level is made up of an arcade formed of arched arcades carried by columns with capitals decorated with plant, animal or geometric motifs. The whole is surmounted by a cornice with modillions where animals and human or demonic faces are represented. Buttress columns topped with capitals decorated with interlacing and stylized plants punctuate the walls

Nestled in the heart of the marshes of the Presqu’Île d’Arvert, Mornac-sur-Seudre is a small village with a dual face: oyster farming by tradition and artisanal by passion. It is a “Village of Stones & Water” (as the Charente-Maritime label promises) and is one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France®”, and it also has the “Ville et Métiers d’” label. Art",. Mornac is a village where you have to take your time to soak up its atmosphere and charm. So you park your car in the large car park and visit it on foot to savor every detail and exchange with locals generous with anecdotes and craftsmen eager to share their know-how. Here, everything is on a human scale. We discover the village through the Place des Halles. The shelter, made of wood and supported by stone pillars, is ideal for meeting and resting. The terraced houses replace the old fortifications which protected the town in the Middle Ages. From Les Halles the main street takes you to the port. However, you should not hesitate to stroll through the small streets and alleys of the old town where you can literally get lost! This spiral part of Mornac is called the “Arab quarter”. The church dominates the village from its fortified bell tower. Original in many ways, the Romanesque building houses a font made of real shell. On August 2, 1943, lightning caused a fire which changed the appearance of the bell tower. The port is bordered by traditional and typical cabins. Each one has different colors. There is something for every taste. The small Seudre road allows you to follow them to the foot of the estuary. We arrive, at the very end, at the “goule de l’ach’neau”. We feel alone in the world. Everything is flat, horizontal. It’s time to tell you: the name Mornac means “calm waters”. From the port, possibility of a sea trip..... depending on the tide!!! For those on land, from Chemin de la Corderie, you can take the marked Détours® loops, between April and October, on the embankments of the pedestrian cutoffs. Possibility of taking advantage of guided tours of the village during the season. Mornac and its marshes can also be visited by bike using the shared Chemins de la Seudre routes. If the walk seems too long to you, you can combine the bike ride with the Train des Mouettes (Mornac-sur-Seudre is a stopover station for the tourist train)

The market hall on the Place des Halles, which was probably built in the 16th century, consists of three naves that are divided by pillars made of quarry stone masonry. The open hall is closed by an octagonal tiled roof, which was renewed in the 20th century.

The Porte-Feu Médiéval lighthouse was erected in 2006 as part of a local community initiative. This medieval lighthouse features the signaling system used in the 16th century to guide sailors into the city's port. Although it is not lit at night or produces smoke during the day, it offers a fascinating insight into historic maritime navigation.

There you can discover a unique blend of Romanesque architecture and medieval history. The church, which dates from the 11th or 12th century, has a characteristic tower and a severe 15th century facade. Don't miss the intriguing barlong dome of the transept and the remains of Merovingian sarcophagi near the choir.