Arsenal entrance – Rochefort Transporter Bridge loop from Champservé le Haut

Mountain biking trails

Arsenal entrance – Rochefort Transporter Bridge loop from Champservé le Haut

Moderate

5.0

(1)

riders

Arsenal entrance – Rochefort Transporter Bridge loop from Champservé le Haut

02:09

37.8km

120m

Mountain biking

Moderate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. The route includes a crossing by ferry. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 23, 2026

This route includes a ferry crossing

Tips

Temporary access restrictions

Includes segments with temporary access restrictions.

After 15.7 km for 327 m

Open: • Monday: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM • Tuesday-Sunday: 10:00 AM-12:30 PM & 2:00 PM-6:00 PM (otherwise closed)

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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8.66 km

Bord de charente de Rochefort à l'île madame

Highlight (Segment) • Other

11.2 km

Arsenal entrance

Highlight • Historical Site

A very beautiful archway!

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15.9 km

Transporter Bridge, Échillais Side

Highlight • Bridge

16.1 km

In the 19th century, the only way to cross the Charente was by ferry. But this one was disturbed by the tides. It would have been necessary to build a bridge, but it would have blocked the maritime traffic, then very important on the Charente. It was therefore decided to build this transporter bridge, which was inaugurated in 1900.

The pylons and bridge deck are fixed. A mobile nacelle is suspended from the deck and circulates between the two banks of the Charente thanks to a trolley.

The transporter bridge operated from 1900 to 1967, then was replaced by a lift bridge, itself destroyed in 1991. The transporter bridge has resumed service and now allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross for €2 or €3 each way -feedback.

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18.2 km

Martrou Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

Good view from the new bridge :) by the way with a very good bike path

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23.1 km

Forest Path

Highlight • Forest

34.3 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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