Experience

La Sente Divine

Divine pathDivine path
©Divine path
Hiking trails
Accessibility for all
The Divine Valley

Along the Sente Divine

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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Divine landscapes

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.

La Source des Lutineaux

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.

Le Panorama du Donjon

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.

La Pointe de l’Aiguille

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.

Village of Marnes

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.

Les Marais de Saint-Chartres

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!

 

Anciennes carrières de Roches

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.

Les coteaux de Chollay

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.

Tumulus du Puy Taillé

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.

Fontaines de Cerzay

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).

La Dive between Surin and Cerzay

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!

The giant steel sculptures

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.

The gaming table

La Divine

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.

Reception areas

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.

La Sente de la Maresche in Sauzeau

“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.

  • Parking 10 pitches, D162, direction Brie.
  • Trail information signs
  • Picnic area
  • Game table “La Divine”
  • Interpretation area “Les Bois Divins”

Start: From sente de la Maresche (1500m/3500m) or sente Divine towards Moncontour (yellow markings)

La Sente de l’Eau Vive in Moncontour

“Fish and the water of the Dive”

Focus on the principal fish species, the fragility of the marshes and traditional recipes. 4500m. Blue signposting.

  • Parking 20 to 30 cars on the church square
  • Toilet on site. Pharmacy, shops nearby. Garage 3km away.
  • Information boards on trails
  • Picnic area, “La Divine”

Start: From sentier des Lavoirs (1800m) and sente de l’Eau Vive (3500m) or sente Divine towards Sauzeau and towards Marnes (yellow markings).

Le sentier des lavoirs

“Histoire de Moncontour et des lavoirs sur la Dive du Nord”

1800m, brown markers. Same reception area as the Sente de l’Eau Vive.

La Sente des Plantes Sacrées in Saint-Chartres

“Medicinal and culinary plants”

Focus on common plants used in phytotherapy, dye plants and “wild recipes”. 3800m with a 1500m loop. Blue signposting.

  • 20-car parking area between Saint-Chartres and Jay
  • Trail information signs
  • Picnic area
  • “La Divine “game table

Start: from the Sente des Plantes Sacrées (1500m/3800m) or from the Sente Divine towards Marnes and towards La Grimaudière (yellow signposting).

La Sente de la Source Sacrée à la Grimaudière

“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.

  • Parking 20 to 30 cars on the natural camping area
  • Information panels on the trails
  • Permanent treasure hunt for children
  • Picnic area
  • “La Divine”

Starting point: From the Sacred Spring trail (1200m/3200m) or from the Divine Trail towards Saint-Chartres (yellow markings).


According to your wishes

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