Chemin de la Charente – Royal Ropewalk loop from Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée - Fouras

France

New Aquitaine

Rochefort

Saint-Laurent-De-La-Prée

Chemin de la Charente – Royal Ropewalk loop from Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée - Fouras

Hard

4.3

(3)

riders

Chemin de la Charente – Royal Ropewalk loop from Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée - Fouras

06:51

126km

330m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Tips

Includes a movable bridge

Check opening times.

After 17.5 km for 25 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

11.8 km

View of the Martrou viaduct

Highlight • Other

The Martrou viaduct is a road viaduct built between 1989 and 1991.

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15.7 km

Chemin de la Charente

Highlight (Segment) • Cycleway

The cycle path opened a rear view of the historic industrial river

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16.9 km

The Corderie Royale was created in 1666 by Louis XIV, in order to manufacture the ropes needed for military sailing boats.

A huge building, it is the largest historical site in Rochefort which can be visited all year round.

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17.7 km

Bassin de Plaisance Lapérousse

Lake

23.8 km

View of the old suspension bridge over the Charente River

Highlight • Viewpoint

From here you can enjoy a superb view of the suspension bridge over the Charente, on the Quai Auriol Roy Bry.

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29.5 km

Old railway bridge over the Charente

Highlight • Bridge

old railway bridge with a view of the Charente see the impressive current during the rising tides

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44.8 km

Marais de Brouage

Highlight (Segment) • Natural

The Poitou-Charentes marshes are home to exceptional biodiversity and allow you to observe many animals.

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58.1 km

Marennes Beach

Highlight (Segment) • Beach

Pleasant wide promenade along the large sandy beach with a long lagoon

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111 km

Tonnay-Charente Suspension Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

The 1st bridge dates back to the Middle Ages (1242) and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
Pierre Debans replaced the obligation to use the ferry to cross the Charente by building a bridge according to Louis Dor's plans between 1841 and 1842 against a concession of 77 years. Its length is 623 meters including 90 meters for the longest span with a central deck measuring 204 meters. 3 piers support the bridge, two of which are on the right bank, and one on the left bank. It is connected to a masonry abutment with a total length of 416 meters and the access viaduct is entirely built on the left bank. The viaduct is supported by 51 ogival style arches. Its height is 23 meters with an air draft of 22 m above the water allowing ships to pass by chocking their parrot if necessary
In 1883, signs of weakness in the bridge prompted testing of load control. The wooden apron collapsed during these. It was not until March 1884 that the bridge was consolidated by the installation of a metal frame intended to support the floor which, itself, remained in wood. Between 1934 and 1935, the deck was replaced and reinforced by the construction of pylons and metal cables. Despite this consolidation work, the Tonnay-Charente bridge has never succeeded in meeting the needs of modern road traffic. Car traffic was definitively banned after the construction of another bridge in the town of St Hippolyte in 1964. It was partially reopened to pedestrian, cyclist and motorcyclist traffic from 1975 to 2004, when all traffic was was again banned in order to allow the repair of the deck, cables and masonry. It was not until 2009 that pedestrian and cyclist traffic was able to resume on the central part of the apron. Unfortunately 2 years later, a new repair by replacing the chipboard with a planking in locust wood means that traffic has to stop again. These renovations, whose lifespan was estimated at around forty years, began to show their limits in 2015 (424 pieces were damaged according to the city's technical services). In 2021, the municipality is launching a new project aimed at taking over the deck, the metal parts and all of the masonry, for a budget estimated at the start of the project at 10 million euros.

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