Le Poinçonnet: State Forest, Trails and Heritage

Le Poinçonnet offers several distinct highlights for a stay: the state forest and its trails, the “Circuit de l’eau” with its fountains and pond, and its architectural and commemorative history. An annual cultural season and a wide range of experiences round out the selection.

Forest and trails

The Forêt domaniale de Châteauroux covers 5,354 hectares, 2,500 of which lie within the territory of Le Poinçonnet. You can explore the forest on foot, by bicycle or on horseback along its trails and forest roads. A walk in the forest also offers a chance to discover the ruins of the 13th-century abbey of the Order of Grandmont.

The orienteering course “Sur les pas de la biche” was created in the state forest in 2008 and starts at Carrefour Picard. If you’d like to use the course, check the signage on site. The cycling route “Le Poinçonnet, sa forêt domaniale et ses environs” passes through the commune, particularly the state forest and its surroundings. Check the route details locally before setting off.

Water in the town centre

The “Circuit de l’eau” runs through Le Poinçonnet and includes six restored fountains and a pond that is considered a protected biodiversity area in the town centre. Along this route, you’ll encounter both restored fountains and a protected natural area in the centre.

Churches and historic traces

The parish church of Saint-Pierre was built in the 1860s by Alfred Dauvergne to address the great distance to, and poor condition of, the church in Lourouer-les-Bois. Its stained-glass windows were installed in five consecutive campaigns. The bell tower of the former church in Lourouer-les-Bois dates from the 12th century.

Today, only two large ditches remain of the former Château de la Mothe in the state forest. The site represents a different kind of historical trace from the surviving buildings: the ditches are visible, not the former château.

Remembrance and culture

The memorial stele at Riau de la Motte honours resistance fighter Georges Sandrier and gendarme Jean Ségalen. The commemorative ceremony takes place every year on the Sunday closest to 30 August. If you’d like to plan your visit around the ceremony, check the date for the year you plan to visit.

The Centre Culturel Asphodèle offers a cultural season each year, put together by the commune with support from the “Asphodèle” association. The programme includes music, dance, theatre and comedy. Individual events and dates may change; check the programme in advance if you’d like to plan your stay around an event.

Le Manoir de l'Illusion et du Mystérieux offers more than 20 experiences: immersive escape games, optical illusion trails, demonstrations of mentalism and spiritualism, and secret missions. Offerings and booking conditions may change; check them before your visit.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Rosnay, Bouesse, Cluis, Le Magny, Chaillac, Lurais, Sainte-Sévère-Sur-Indre, Orsennes.

For the broader travel guide: Indre.