The little River Crochet / Circuit 11

No major river runs through this area; however, its streams have contributed to the growth of small-scale businesses in these communes. The “Crochet”, a stream running through the commune of Queaux, powered a number of watermills: at Crochet, Capezioux, Gaudry, Gaschard, Popineau, La Finesse, L’Huilerie, Les Grands Moulins and Les Bis. These were mostly flour mills. The Crochet is a small stream which has its source in the Les Fouillarges woods in the commune of Queaux, and which flows through a varied landscape consisting of meadows, cultivated areas, wetlands and woodlands. It is fed by two tributaries: “Le Ruisseau de la Châtre” and “Le Ruisseau des Renardières”; it then joins the Vienne at a place known as “Peussot”. The high quality of the water in this stream has slowly deteriorated; however, it still contains a small indigenous population of brown trout and the odd white-clawed crayfish, a protected species recognised as being of Community Interest.

This circuit is one of 12 circuits known collectively as "Le P'tit Crochet", located in the Bouresse, Queaux and Usson-du-Poitou area.

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