©Coteau des Vignes vineyards|OTAM

The Coteau des Vignes

A sensitive natural area

This site offers a fantastic view over the Sarthe Valley and the town of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, Petite Cité de Caractère. This Mediterranean-style spot, managed by the commune of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe, is home to rare and uncommon plant species specific to limestone lawns and meadows. You can discover it by following the educational trail starting from the town hall or from the parking lot at the top of the hill.

Getting there

Here, you can find

something for everyone

For children

Discover the animals that live on this hill, in the middle of the vineyards.

For nature lovers

Rest in the peace and quiet of unspoilt nature and admire the diversity of the landscape

For lovers of beautiful stones

Discover a magnificent view of the town of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe

For athletes

Climb up the hill on a steep path, just like in the mountains

Discovering

the Coteau des Vignes

Just a stone’s throw from the old town center of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe’s Petite Cité de Caractère, there’s a bucolic spot waiting to be discovered: the Coteau des Vignes. To get there, you have to take either a steep path or a narrow road that leads you to the heights of the town. Your efforts will be rewarded by a magnificent panorama.

A Sensitive Natural Area

to discover

From the Coteau des Vignes, you can not only contemplate the town of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe and the Sarthe river but also be in a natural setting of rocky escarpments and meadowland.

As you stroll along the Coteau des Vignes, you’ll observe the natural heritage of this Sensitive Natural Area. Indeed, the limestone soil supports the growth of rare plant species usually found in Mediterranean regions. To help you get to know these plants, interpretation panels are set up along the trail.

Download the Coteau des Vignes brochure (french)5MB

Canoes Rue du Bourgneuf, Fresnay-sur-Sarthe

A place to

go for a family stroll

This is also a very pleasant place for a family stroll, as there’s an animal park on site. The park’s animals help to ecologically manage the vegetation. So children can get to know the donkey or stroke the Ouessant goats and sheep.

And, in fine weather, you can watch the bees collecting pollen from the surrounding flowers or the butterflies fluttering around you. All year round, listen out for the birds nesting in the hedges surrounding the site.

Download the Coteau des Vignes comic booklet (french)6MB

The Coteau des Vignes

association

In 2013, 850 vines were replanted on the Coteau des Vignes.

Created in 2014, the Coteau des Vignes association works to preserve the vines by perpetuating the gestures of yesteryear.

Volunteers from this association take care of everything: treatment “with Bordeaux mixture only”, harvesting and then pressing in the winery so that the wine can age and take on all its flavors before being bottled.

Bottles produced are distributed at major events in the commune of Fresnay-sur-Sarthe.