The best MTB trails around Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire

This vast 40-hectare forest area is a true paradise for nature lovers. In this forest you will discover old white clay quarries: mysterious lakes with turquoise and crystal-clear water offering breathtaking panoramas!

You have to be very careful with the roots of the acacias which lift the bitumen in places as well as the thorns of these trees. Otherwise very pleasant.

Consider deviating from the cycle path for a few minutes. Church your real the detour

We have a superb view of one of the blue lakes of Touvérac. These are actually old white clay quarries. Land exploitation had left large holes that rainwater has filled over the years. The site has been managed since 1996 by the Regional Conservatory of Natural Spaces of Poitou-Charente. The flora developed to create heaths with their characteristic plants. You can also observe many animal species throughout the seasons.

This Renaissance style building looks great with its white stones and slate roof. The castle is believed to have been built in the 16th century, but its exact origin is debated. It belongs to private people.

Some sections of the track are damaged by tree roots and dangerous on a road bike. I often prefer to go by road.

The church is in the form of a rectangle thirty meters long and ten meters wide, flanked by 4 buttresses, one of which is located on the north wing and the 3 others on the south wing, a bell tower and a small extension on the south west part housing a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Massive building, reinforced by buttresses, low and poorly lit, it has a facade with a Romanesque portal surmounted by a large rose window. This gate is made up of 2 straight legs, and a projecting coving made up of 3 semicircular rollers with a keystone. The oculus rose is surrounded by a frieze with a sawtooth motif. The porch opens onto a single nave 22 m long by 9 wide without side aisles. It is made up of 4 bays with semi-circular vaults. The south wall is pierced under the 1st bay with a large semi-circular arch giving access to the chapel. The north wall has a pulpit which bears a monogram which would be that of Louis XIV. The choir of the church, raised from the nave by 3 steps, consists of a flat chevet and a span of semi-circular vaults. The bedside wall is pierced at each end with a rectangular door allowing access to the sacristy. The old sacristy has just been refurbished and has a very modern look with paneling on the floor and ceiling. The chapel of the Virgin is located on the southern extension of the church. It measures 13.50 m long by 7 wide, and consists of a small single nave 10 m long by 7 wide and a choir with a flat apse. The floor of this chapel is 1.25 m lower than the floor of the church corresponding to the initial floor of the old abbey. Access to the bell tower is through a door located on the east wall of the nave of the chapel. It consists of 4 floors and a vaulted ground floor. The facing is made up of medium-sized cut stone for the ground floor and the 1st floor and rubble stone coated with brown lime for the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Remains of old white clay quarries, these blue lakes constitute a locally protected habitat with its flaura and forna. You have to go slowly and leave no traces. Swimming is prohibited in these lakes.