Arthon-en-Retz: Nature, Culture and Trails in the Pays de Retz

Arthon-en-Retz is located in the Pays de Retz among marshlands, agricultural areas and bocage landscapes. These three types of landscape shape the geographical setting of the town and provide different thematic perspectives: open cultivated areas, wetlands and the bocage structure defined by hedgerows stand side by side.

Trails and Landscapes

The Circuit d’Arthon-en-Retz à la Sicaudais is a circular route for hiking or cycling. The starting point is the picnic area by the La Sicaudais lake. The route thus combines a named trail, two possible means of getting around and a specific starting point by a body of water. Hiking and cycling each place a different emphasis on the route, without changing its described form.

Nature

The natural area includes Bois des Iles Enchantées et pelouses calcaires résiduelles d’Arthon-Chéméré. It comprises calcareous sandy grasslands and fallow land, residual areas on decalcified sandy soils, wooded areas, various meadows and former quarries. Open areas, vegetated sections and former extraction sites lie side by side within the area.

The area is home to rare plants, particularly orchids, as well as butterflies and grasshoppers associated with calcareous or coastal habitats. It is a type I ZNIEFF in the municipality of Chaumes-en-Retz and covers 105.54 hectares. Thus, plants, butterflies and grasshoppers are just as central as the official classification and the precise area size.

Culture and History

The present-day Église Saint-Martin in Arthon-en-Retz was built between 1862 and 1865. The tower of the Église Saint-Martin has a roof covered with copper diamond tiles, completed in 1892. The construction period and the later completion date of the tower roof belong to two different stages in the church’s history.

In Haute Perche, Arthon-en-Retz, Savons de Retz offers direct sales at its soap manufactory. The Croix Saint-Vital is located near a well and dates from the 15th century. Alongside the church’s construction history, the townscape therefore also features local craftsmanship and a historic monument associated with a well.

The Abbaye de Buzay ruins are located in the vicinity of Arthon-en-Retz. In the wider regional area, there are also the Basse Lande transmitter ruins and the historic site of Abbaye Notre-Dame. The sites therefore differ in whether they are designated as ruins or a historic site, as well as in their geographical classification as being in the vicinity or the wider regional area.

Geographical Setting

Around Arthon-en-Retz are the Château de Pornic, Plage de la Boutinardière, Plage de la Birochère, Plage de la Source and the island of Île Cheviré. The list combines a château, beaches and an island as different named destinations in the town’s immediate surroundings.

Other places: Saint-Lyphard, Couffé, Touvois, Ruffigné, Bourgneuf-En-Retz, La Chapelle-Des-Marais, Couëron, Malville

For the higher-level travel overview: Loire-Atlantique.