Hiking trails
Accessibility for all
The Divine Valley
La Sente Divine is an exceptional network of 50 kilometers of hiking, horse-riding and cycling trails in the Moncontou area. Signposted with solid Robinia wood supports, it offers a multitude of discovery loops along the valley of the Dive, a superb river with crystal-clear waters. Departing from beautiful ancestral Poitevin villages, you can access not only the Sente Divine, but also discovery trails specially designed for families, with short circuits and original highlights based around the local heritage.
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To follow the Sente Divine is to enter the heart of the Dive region. Along the way, fabulous sites are revealed, as if by enchantment. From the limestone lawns of Chollay to the limpid springs of Les Roches, from the aire des Epiasses to the Ayron quarries, there are dozens of nuggets to discover. Here’s a taste of what’s in store.
On the Sente Divine between Sauzeau and Moncontour
A mythical and enchanting place. Cradle of Celtic mythology, in the heart of the ancient Dive marshes. A superb, natural site where, in season, you’re sure to observe the intoxicating ballet of dragonflies and birds linked to the marshes.
Sur le Sentier des Lavoirs à Moncontour
Superb view revealed over the Dive Valley and the abbatuale of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes. Beautiful panorama over Moncontour.
On the Sente Divine between Moncontour and Marnes on the Sente de l’Eau Vive
A thousand-year-old stone distributes the waters of the divine river. Beautiful river setting. View of the Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes abbey church. A stone’s throw away, upstream, the beautiful Palluau stone bridge and downstream, the Dive / Perpson confluence.
On the Sente Divine between Moncontour and Saint-Chartres
From the esplanade of the beautiful Romanesque church of Marnes, panoramic view of the Dive countries, between the abbey church of Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes and the keep of Moncontour.
On the Sente Divine between Marnes and Saint-Chartre and on the Sente des Plantes Sacrées
Between December and May, the wet marshes sparkle. Come and soak up the soul of the Dive, when the water stretches out in the ditches and willow woods; change of scenery guaranteed!
Sur la Sente Divine between Saint-Chartres and La Grimaudière
A great discovery awaits you in this unexpected lair where stone and vegetation blend wonderfully. Wonderful cliffs and enchanting springs complete this idyllic symphony of nature. Don’t miss the dry Fond Rivaud valley.
On the Sente Divine between La Grimaudière and Saint-Chartres
On one side, the cool valley overlooked from a panoramic view, on the other, and the Chollay dry grasslands, where myriads of foraging insects create a marvellous tableau. One of the region’s most beautiful discoveries.
On the Sente Divine between Saint-Chartres and la Grimaudière
Between plain and valley, the tumulus, conquered by flowers as beautiful as they are fragile, offers you an incredible view of the Dive countries. At the foot of the tumulus lies the great plain of Maisoncelle, scene in 1569 of one of the bloodiest battles of the Wars of Religion.
On the Sente Divine between Saint-Chartres and la Grimaudière
At the foot of the steep slopes of the Dive, mutes of limpid water animate with their tiny bubbling the landscaped basins of the former l’avoir d’Assais-les-Jumeaux. A superb green setting. You can reach Anvaux by following the banks of the ruisseau des Fontaines (maintained section).
On the Sente Divine between Cerzay and la Grimaudière
La Dive, in this section, is almost sublime. The bluish backdrops of the limpid river inevitably catch the eye. On the banks, butterflies and dragonflies offer their most beautiful ballet. Around the river, you can see the old hemp retting ditches, flooded for part of the year. A real favorite!
Created by Claude Baury, a local artist based in Saint-Clair, these magnificent monumental steel works, installed in the heart of nature, offer a poetic dimension to the Sente Divine. New encounters and emotions guaranteed!
The mosquito is installed on the Sente de la Maresche, in Sauzeau.
L’éphémère takes as its setting the banks of the Dive in Saint-Chartres, on the Sente des Plantes Sacrées.
La perche enlivens the waters of the Petit Moulin channel, on the Sente de l’Eau Vive, in Moncontour.
The dragonfly is enthroned over the Grimaudière spring, on the Sente de la Source Sacrée.
The water goddess, a monumental sculpture, created in a grey poplar trunk by Nelo and installed on this same Sente de la Source, completes the novel collection offered on the banks of the Dive.
At each Sente Divine reception area (Sauzeau, Moncontour, Saint-Chartres, La Grimaudière)
A game table specially designed for the Dive is available for families. Based on the game of goose, it’s a great interpretive game revealing the natural and heritage riches of the Dive Valley.
With their short loops specially designed for family walks, their interpretation areas, their original games and their discovery tables evoking the various heritages, five themed trails allow you to penetrate the soul of the Pays de la Dive.
“Man in the heart of the Dive marshes over the centuries”
Focus on the poplar and the Dive pollen. 3500m with a 1500m loop. Blue signposting.
Start: From sente de la Maresche (1500m/3500m) or sente Divine towards Moncontour (yellow markings)
“Fish and the water of the Dive”
Focus on the principal fish species, the fragility of the marshes and traditional recipes. 4500m. Blue signposting.
Start: From sentier des Lavoirs (1800m) and sente de l’Eau Vive (3500m) or sente Divine towards Sauzeau and towards Marnes (yellow markings).
“Histoire de Moncontour et des lavoirs sur la Dive du Nord”
1800m, brown markers. Same reception area as the Sente de l’Eau Vive.
“Medicinal and culinary plants”
Focus on common plants used in phytotherapy, dye plants and “wild recipes”. 3800m with a 1500m loop. Blue signposting.
Start: from the Sente des Plantes Sacrées (1500m/3800m) or from the Sente Divine towards Marnes and towards La Grimaudière (yellow signposting).
“The river Dive, the mythical source of the Celts, legends, treasures…”
Focus on the age-old treasures of the Vallée Divine. 3200m with a 1200m loop. Blue signposting.
Starting point: From the Sacred Spring trail (1200m/3200m) or from the Divine Trail towards Saint-Chartres (yellow markings).