Neuillay-Les-Bois offers several options to help you plan a trip: a marked circular trail through wetlands and wooded areas, fishing waters with different features, a cycling route through the Queue de Brenne countryside, and historic buildings. Concrete differences in distance, mode of travel and the fishing ponds described can help you make your choice.
Hiking and fishing around the ponds
The marked Circuit des étangs Neuf No. 44 circular trail is ten kilometres long. It starts in Neuillay-Les-Bois at the village fairground on the restaurant side and passes through wetlands and wooded areas before reaching the Les Etangs Neufs fishing complex. Thus, the route’s explicitly described sections include both waterscapes and woodland. The trail links these landscapes to a specific point along the way. As trail conditions can change, it is worth checking the latest notices before setting out.
Free fishing is permitted at the municipal pond in Neuillay-Les-Bois. The three ponds at the Les Etangs Neufs fishing complex differ in size and purpose. Les Epinettes covers 4.6 hectares and is set up as a carp pond. The 2.5-hectare Les Vinaires pond is a bass pond and is home to a very large black bass population. At 6.2 hectares, Les Fontaines is the largest of the three ponds mentioned here and is intended for all types of fishing. Carp, black bass and the provision for all types of fishing indicate different specialities. Seasonal access and operating details may change, so it is advisable to check the latest information for the relevant water before a fishing trip.
A cycling route as another option
The 28-kilometre Itinéraire vélo No. 12 – Balade champêtre en queue de Brenne passes through the Queue de Brenne countryside and can also be started in Neuillay-Les-Bois. Fields, meadows and woodland characterise the described route. Compared with the ten-kilometre circular hiking trail, the two routes differ both in mode of travel and stated distance. These are useful details when choosing between a hike and a bike ride. The route connects the starting point in Neuillay-Les-Bois with a rural landscape, without requiring another starting location.
Romanesque church and traces of history
The Romanesque parish church of Saint-Hilaire is a place of interest among the regional excursions in Brenne. It was built in 1174; the main portal and Romanesque capitals have survived. The portal and capitals are two specific architectural features that reveal the building’s Romanesque character. A Roman road between Argentomagus near Argenton-sur-Creuse and Orléans, the ancient Genabum, passes through Neuillay-Les-Bois. The village is therefore also connected to a historic link between these two endpoints.
Another historical landmark is the 15th-century manor house of La Ferrandière, on the banks of the Claise in Neuillay-Les-Bois. Towards Luant, Bois-Robert is documented from 1571; in 1898, a château was rebuilt there on the site of the earlier building. These details add further historical and architectural reference points to the medieval church, although not all the historic sites have the same character.
There are picnic tables beside the pond in Neuillay-Les-Bois, on the Route de Buzançais.
Discover more destinations: Concremiers, Martizay, Cluis, Bouges-Le-Château, Pouligny-Notre-Dame, Vigoulant, Dunet, Montipouret
For the wider travel overview: Indre.
