Rocher Branlant de Largeasse (Jardin des Chirons)

Largeasse

In the bocage of the Gâtine, the Sèvre Nantaise flows between granite boulders that the locals call chirons, rounded masses of rock brought to the surface as the surrounding gravel weathers away. The most famous is the Rocher Branlant, a monolith of around 30 tonnes, two metres high and ten metres round, so finely balanced that human strength alone is enough to set it rocking: it is all a matter of angle and rhythm, not of power. Local tradition makes it a stone of justice, or judgement stone: women accused of adultery could reportedly clear themselves by managing to shift the block. The tourist bodies that pass on this story are careful to leave it open, somewhere between ancient custom and reconstructed legend. The site, long in private hands and under threat, owes its preservation to Marie and Gérard Abélard, the latter mayor from 1989 to 1995, and it has been open to the public since 1991. The commune still owns and maintains it, today with a summer programme (concerts, open-air cinema, markets). The spot is also popular for bouldering and for the remarkable tree that grows between the rocks.

Le site naturel du Rocher Branlant — Bocage Pays Branché ↗

Getting there : Lieu-dit la Morelière, 79240 Largeasse, around 18 km south of Bressuire and 19 km west of Parthenay. Free access all year round; car park, toilets, interpretation panels and picnic area provided by the commune. A path of around 1 km runs through the chaos along the Sèvre Nantaise; the site is also a stop on the Tèrra Aventura treasure hunt.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound