LE CALCAIRE ET LE VÉGÉTAL

Start your walk from the hamlet of Chateaupanne, a stone's throw from the priory and its chapel. A path allows you to enjoy the atmosphere of the valley, in which the Loire overflows in times of flooding, and to go around the famous limestone mound. Then follow the stream of the mills where the beavers erect small dams. The little known Smooth Elm is very present on its banks. After 500 m, on your left, don't miss the steep path that goes over the hill. You will then enjoy a breathtaking view of the quarry, which looks like a volcano crater. This is where you will encounter the oldest wood in the world "Armoricaphyton chateaupannense", more than 400 million years old. At your feet, botanical treasures take advantage of the limestone outcrops to bloom: orchids in spring, helianthemums in summer.. On the way back down to the Maison Blanche, you embrace the more serene landscape of the Loire Valley, characterised by meadows tended by sheep, terraced hamlets and the imposing ruins of the lime kilns. Green lizards and blue-winged crickets (oedipods) have taken over the old Loire quays, stony and sunny environments once devoted to the lime industry. Finally, you will find the wild and fresh atmosphere of the path of the brook des Moulins, rich in mosses and ferns, which you will walk up until you reach the crossing with the steep path.