First pick
Bois de Saint-Génard
Wood or forest · 140 m outside the commune
57 ha0.2 km of path
3.7 km southfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: LucasD · CC BY-SA 4.06.1%of the land protected
Outdoors in Melle · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Melle is within 800 m of a park or wood
53 km of footpaths cross Melle (0.8 km per km²). 8.9% of Melle is mapped woodland. Melle has 16 km of waymarked hiking routes. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
6.1%
of the commune’s land
Compared town: 0.1%
Woodland
8.9%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
53 km
0.8 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
16 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
9
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Bois de Saint-Génard
Throughout this page, the Deux-Sèvres median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Melle compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas6.1%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
67out of 100
Woodland8.9%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
37out of 100
Footpaths0.8 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
25out of 100
Hiking routes0.2 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
41out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Melle has the 15th fewest footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (5,705 to 5,798 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Canéjan (5.5 km per km²) to Missillac (0 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canéjan Gironde | 5.5 | 50% | 0% | 28 km |
| 2 | Roquefort-la-Bédoule Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.4 | 50% | 40% | 5.6 km |
| 3 | Revin Ardennes | 3.3 | 88% | 100% | 188 km |
| 4 | Le Palais-sur-Vienne Haute-Vienne | 3.2 | 27% | 0% | 169 km |
| 5 | Simiane-Collongue Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.2 | 60% | 44% | 12 km |
| 6 | Fenouillet Haute-Garonne | 3.1 | 6.2% | 8.1% | 154 km |
| 7 | Ensuès-la-Redonne Bouches-du-Rhône | 3.1 | 15% | 76% | On it |
| 8 | Peypin Bouches-du-Rhône | 2.9 | 34% | 8.5% | 18 km |
| 9 | Vergèze Gard | 2.9 | 17% | 19% | 23 km |
| 10 | Beaucouzé Maine-et-Loire | 2.7 | 15% | 0% | 113 km |
| 11 | Épernon Eure-et-Loir | 2.4 | 16% | 0% | 133 km |
| 12 | Calvi Haute-Corse | 2.2 | 5.6% | 11% | On it |
| 13 | Fegersheim Bas-Rhin | 2 | 8.4% | 0% | 455 km |
| 14 | Orgères Ille-et-Vilaine | 2 | 13% | 0% | 60 km |
| 15 | Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Haute-Savoie | 1.9 | 34% | 0.1% | 242 km |
| 16 | Oye-Plage Pas-de-Calais | 1.5 | 3% | 5% | On it |
| 17 | Piolenc Vaucluse | 1.4 | 20% | 1.9% | 81 km |
| 18 | Plouay Morbihan | 1.3 | 31% | 4% | 10 km |
| 19 | Magny-en-Vexin Val-d'Oise | 1.3 | 13% | 100% | 100 km |
| 20 | Lannilis Finistère | 1.2 | 5.5% | 14% | On it |
| 21 | Marolles-en-Hurepoix Essonne | 1.2 | 14% | 0% | 172 km |
| 22 | Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef Loire-Atlantique | 1.1 | 5.6% | 0.1% | On it |
| 23 | Cugand-la-Bernardière Vendée | 1 | 7.5% | 0% | 55 km |
| 24 | Wasselonne Bas-Rhin | 1 | 18% | 0% | 431 km |
| 25 | Bannalec Finistère | 0.9 | 9.6% | 0% | 9.7 km |
| 26 | Gournay-en-Bray Seine-Maritime | 0.8 | 2.6% | 4.7% | 66 km |
| 27 | Melle Deux-Sèvres | 0.8 | 8.9% | 6.1% | 71 km |
| 28 | Lacanau Gironde | 0.8 | 79% | 100% | On it |
| 29 | La Cadière-d'Azur Var | 0.7 | 19% | 68% | 4.5 km |
| 30 | Flines-lez-Raches Nord | 0.6 | 21% | 100% | 87 km |
| 31 | Thizy-les-Bourgs Rhône | 0.6 | 22% | 0% | 276 km |
| 32 | Erdre-en-Anjou Maine-et-Loire | 0.5 | 8.3% | 0% | 107 km |
| 33 | Saint-Laurent-de-Mure Rhône | 0.4 | 3.2% | 0% | 248 km |
| 34 | Doullens Somme | 0.4 | 5.5% | 0% | 47 km |
| 35 | Sarrians Vaucluse | 0.4 | 5.2% | 2.5% | 71 km |
| 36 | Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët Manche | 0.4 | 5.5% | 0% | 19 km |
| 37 | Valdahon Doubs | 0.3 | 28% | 0% | 385 km |
| 38 | Coursan Aude | 0.2 | 0% | 12% | 12 km |
| 39 | Saint-Martin-la-Pallu Vienne | 0.2 | 8.6% | 11% | 117 km |
| 40 | Mazé-Milon Maine-et-Loire | 0.1 | 11% | 100% | 138 km |
| 41 | Missillac Loire-Atlantique | 0 | 19% | 100% | 16 km |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Melle
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Bois de Saint-Génard leads, at 57 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
La Maladrie
Park or garden
2.2 ha0.5 km of path
Centralin the middle of Melle
Arboretum Le Chemin de la Découverte
Directionsto a point inside
La Garenne
Park or garden
1.1 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Melle
Directionsto a point inside
Bois Morat
Wood or forest
2.1 ha0.2 km of path
1.1 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Jardins de l'Hôpital
Park or garden
0.3 ha0.3 km of path
Centralin the middle of Melle
Directionsto a point inside
All 9 named parks, gardens and woods
Bois de Saint-GénardWood or forest · 57 ha · 0.2 km of path · just outside
DirectionsLa MaladriePark or garden · 2.2 ha · 0.5 km of path
DirectionsBois de BramefontWood or forest · 7.7 ha
DirectionsBois du Château de ChailléWood or forest · 7.1 ha
DirectionsLa GarennePark or garden · 1.1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsBois MoratWood or forest · 2.1 ha · 0.2 km of path
DirectionsJardins de l'HôpitalPark or garden · 0.3 ha · 0.3 km of path
DirectionsBois HautWood or forest · 2.5 ha
DirectionsPlace du TemplePark or garden · 0.7 ha · just outside
DirectionsSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
6.1% of Melle lies in protected areas
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Natura 2000 site
Vallée de la Boutonne
5.7% of the commune1.3 km from the center
Natura 2000 site
Carrières de Loubeau
0.3 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area6.1%
Natura 2000 site6.1%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
6.1% of Melle’s land is protected, more than in 67% of compared French towns; the median compared town in Deux-Sèvres has 0.4%.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
53 km of footpaths and 16 km of hiking routes cross Melle
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
53 km
0.8 km per km²
Hiking routes
16 km
waymarked: 0.2 km per km²
Woodland
8.9%
about 5.8 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
MelleDeux-Sèvres medianFrance median
Footpaths0.8
Hiking routes0.2
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
MelleDeux-Sèvres medianFrance median
Woodland8.9%
0%50%100%
That is less than in 75% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland less than in 63% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Melle is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
2 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Coulombiers - Villedieu31 km
Le chemin des lavoirs4.5 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Melle: April to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Melle, 1.6 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.8 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.6 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 87 | 69 | 71 | 73 | 70 | 67 | 54 | 55 | 66 | 87 | 99 | 106 |
July is the driest month (54 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 26 °C). 106 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 32 nights a year. The climate in Melle →
Neighbors
Next to Melle
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Celles-sur-BelleAigondignéVouilléLa CrècheSaint-Maixent-l'ÉcoleAiffresMelle
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melle | 6.1% | 8.9% | 0.8 |
| Celles-sur-Belle 3,829 · 6.7 km | 20% | 7.6% | 0.5 |
| Aigondigné 4,710 · 12 km | 61% | 1.6% | 0.4 |
| Vouillé 3,566 · 20 km | 32% | 3.8% | 0.6 |
| La Crèche 5,662 · 20 km | 0% | 3.7% | 0.6 |
| Saint-Maixent-l'École 7,595 · 22 km | 0% | 2.5% | 1.7 |
| Aiffres 5,419 · 23 km | 14% | 3.4% | 1 |
Celles-sur-Belle, Aigondigné and Vouillé have at least twice as much protected land.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Melle
Is Melle in a national or regional nature park?
No, but 6.1% of its land is in a nature reserve or a Natura 2000 site.
Are there good walks in Melle?
OpenStreetMap maps 53 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 0.8 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 16 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Melle is woodland?
8.9% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Melle near the sea?
No: the coast is 71 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Melle?
April to September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.