La Châtaigneraie is a village of Vendée department, in Pays de la Loire region. La Chataigneraie area groups 20 villages together, but the town itself is one of the smallest of the region. It is located in the hedged farmland of Vendee, halfway between the medieval attraction park of Puy du Fou and the marshland of Poitou.
Access
The closest airport is Nantes-Atlantique (60km).
By car, from Paris, La Chataigneraie can be reached via A10, A11 and A87, exit Fontenay le Comte (22km).
As for railway services, Niort is the closest train station (40km).
It is said that La Chataigneraie was, at the very beginning, a place where people came to worship Hercules, the Roman demigod. The area became a parish called Saint Christophe du Bois, and then the des Chasteigner family had the castle built and named the area “Castaneria”. Therefore, the name La Chataigneraie would come from this lineage.Activities
La Chataigneraie owns a few monuments that are worth seeing such as l’église St Jean Baptiste, a neo-gothic style church built from 1869 to 1874. Le Chateau de Chatenay is a castle made of stone and brick and dates from 1873. Le Chateau des Cedres towers over the city and was built in 1871. There are also numerous wells, washhouses and fountains. Near La Chataigneraie, the visitor can discover Bazoges en Pareds with its 14th century dungeon, medieval gardens, and museum which recounts the everyday life at the beginning of the 20th century. Also the Dolmen des Landes dates back to 5000 years ago and la Ciste des Cous is the oldest megalithic monument in Vendee (created 6000 years ago).
The traveller can also follow the Religous Heritage route and visit the numerous churches, Calvaries and chapels of the area.
As for sports, hiking, cycle touring, horse riding, fishing, swimming and air activities are available.
Food and Drink
In Vendee there are a few specialities such as Bonnotte de Noirmoutier, which is a peculiar type of potatoes grown on the island of Noirmoutier, the Brioche vendéenne or La Fionnaie custard tart.
In the past, bakers would have a bite of the pastry they were making to check the temperature of the oven. This little loaf of bread, hardly cooked and eaten with a butter and garlic sauce, became a speciality of Vendee.
Noirmoutier salt is a local product and its harvesting is a traditional activity dating from the 8th century.
- AUBERGE DE LA TERRASSE. 7 rue de Beauregard, 85120, La Chataigneraie. Tel : 02.51.69.68.68
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Vendee. We have a large network of agents in Pays de la Loire. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in La Chataigneraie matching your requirements. Do not hesitate to contact us to find out more about our selection of properties for sale in La Chataigneraie.