Bressuire / Nueil-les-Aubiers

An exceptionally easy cycling stage, going from Bressuire to Nueil-Les-Aubiers, using the former railway line linking the two towns. You wend your way through the Bocage Bressuirais, the hedge-divided patchwork of fields in these parts, sometimes riding above it, enjoying 360° views. From this greenway, you’ll spot the former railway station at Voultegon. Just a little detour by bike and you can make the most of a restful pause at the Voulmentin picnic area (Quartier de Voultegon). After enjoying a break, continue along the greenway to Nueil-Les-Aubiers.

The route

Leave Bressuire with the square in front of the railway station behind you. Ride along Rue du Général André towards Notre-Dame Church, then turn back via Rue des Hardilliers to pass over the railway line and to join the start of the greenway. Once you’ve left Bressuire, you stick to this greenway closed to motorized vehicles up to Nueil-Les-Aubiers. Do take care though at the points where the greenway crosses either parish or county roads. 

Note how places where you have to cross a busy road are indicated by two staggered red barriers, while crossings of quieter roads are signalled by a simple ¾ size barrier.
This part is shaded and flat, and so highly suitable for families to tackle.

Links with other cycle routes

Once you’ve passed Voultegon’s former railway station, you can ride off along the Véloroute La Vallée de l'Argenton, a cycle route leading to Argentonnay (a Natura 2000 site). Continuing along, you can join the Vélo Francette (V43) cycle route, which then connects up with the Loire à Vélo (EuroVelo 6) cycle route.

Practical information

Office de Tourisme du Bocage Bressuirais
6 place de l'hôtel de ville 79300 BRESSUIRE - 05 49 65 10
https://www.tourisme-bocage.com/

SNCF

Gare de Bressuire, on the line linking Les Sables-d'Olonne, on the Atlantic, to the Loire city of Tours

Don't miss

• Bressuire : Notre-Dame Church, with a belfry 56m in height. Inside, admire the ceiling, with its graceful vaulting in the Angevin Plantagenet style and the 16th-century choir lit by stained glass and embellished by 19th-century wall paintings. On the central square, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, the Musée de Bressuire is a museum focusing on art and history, occupying the town’s former grain lofts. Further attractions include: Bressuire Castle; la Coulée Verte, a greenway; the Verger des Sculpteurs, with sculptures displayed in an orchard; the Chapelle Saint Cyprien; and the freight station with its train set on display.
• Nueil-Les-Aubiers: crossed by two rivers, the Scie (in the centre) and the Argent (to the south), the south of the parish is marked by the presence of this river, while the north is marked by a number of major lakes and ponds. As to the Parc du Val de Scie, along the central part, there’s a fun disc-golf course to try out. There’s also a Terra Aventura treasure-hunt trail here.