GITES
WITH POOLS
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Towns
and Villages of the Vendee
Coulon Deux Sevre
The large
village just inside the Deux Sevre on the River Sevre-Niortais is listed as one
of the prettiest villages in France and it will not take you long to see why. It
is a village of great character and charm with a busy waterside frontage lined
with restaurants, shops and and quaint fishermen's houses.
From long side the quay you can hire the tradition flat bottomed boats called "plates" either with or without a guide,kyakes are also available for exploring the tree line canals that branch off the main river.
From long side the quay you can hire the tradition flat bottomed boats called "plates" either with or without a guide,kyakes are also available for exploring the tree line canals that branch off the main river.
Coulon is
the capital of the Green Venice (Venice-Vert) which is the north eastern end of
the Marais Mouille (Wet Marshes) which itself is part of the Marais Poitevin,
the second largest marshland in France. In 869 it was known as Colunus and there
was a Gallo-Roman cemetary about 800m north from the village on the edge of the
Roman way to Angers.In 1868 near to the old roman ford were discovered 2 Celtic
dugouts and in 1883 three Gallo-Roman sarcophagi were uncovered plus 4 small
bronzes of Emperor Constantin (306-337)
The Centre
of the village is dominated by the church of St.Trinity. The church which was
founded in 830 by the monks of Charroux took on the name of St Sauvier in the
X11 century. Earlier in the 9th Century it had been called the Holy Trinity, it
was ransacked by the Normans and rebuilt in the X1 century in Romanesque style,
it was further restored in the XV century when the southern nave and side door
were remade in Ogival Style. The protestants set fire to the church in 1569 and
the bell tower was rebuilt in 1671.
Maison des
Marais Mouilles. Here in this museum housed in the old Customs House where taxes
were collected for the transport of goods, you will discover the history of the
wet marshes from pre-historic times, through the periods of drainage of the
marshes by the monks and later the Dutch upto modern times. There is also
sections on local industries like; wood, fishing and farming as well as the
ecology of the marshlands.
Coulon is an
ideal location to start to discover this intriguing area, whether you choose to
explore by boat , on a bike ,walking or for the less mobile by car. Along the
way you will encounter charming cottages by the riverside, a dazzling array of
flora and fauna much of which is rare and native to the marshes, but above all
you will discover the tranquility that makes these lands so
special.
Discover
some more Towns
& Villages in the Vendee