Jupilles sits at the edge of the Bercé forest in southern Sarthe, a landscape where farmland meets long oak avenues and wooded valleys. INSEE counted 566 municipal residents in 2023; the figure is for the whole commune, rather than the village centre alone. The forest is a defining presence: the 5,400-hectare state-owned massif spreads across eleven communes, and the Office national des forêts (ONF) describes its sessile-oak timber as prized for cooperage. Jupilles is a quiet starting point for this managed working forest, with small shops and farms sharing the village with visitors heading for trails and the forest museum.
That relationship between wood and daily life has a documented local chapter. The municipal history traces a major clog-making trade from about 1870 to 1940. At the beginning of the 20th century, workshops in Jupilles were producing more than 400,000 pairs a year; the finished sabots travelled well beyond France. Men cut, shaped and hollowed the wood, while women sculpted, coloured, varnished and fitted decorative straps. The town records a mutual-aid society founded by local artisans, merchants and workers in 1898, and a hydraulic ram that brought running water to the village in 1887. War, mechanisation and the spread of rubber boots changed the trade; clog production ceased after a final wartime revival in 1939–45. These dated local accounts make the craft a traceable part of the village’s history, not just a nostalgic motif.
Carnuta, the Maison de l’Homme et de la forêt, now interprets the forest and the people who have worked in it. Its timber-clad building uses interactive displays, films, models and sound, and the centre schedules workshops and guided outings with forest professionals. In the Futaie des Clos, oak stands established in 1647 include trees around three centuries old. The earlier Chêne Boppe was struck by lightning in 1934; its stump remains a landmark, while a later tree received the same name. A separate, accessible 500-metre loop allows a short visit among these exceptional oaks.
For a longer day, the marked “Escapade en forêt de Bercé” starts in Jupilles and covers 17.8 kilometres in about four hours at medium difficulty, passing Carnuta, the forest, Fontaine de la Coudre and the Hermitière springs. The official route page offers GPX and PDF files. In the village, the mairie lists a Sunday producers’ market, bakery, grocery, café and farm sales, as well as the communal Logis de Bercé; check current opening times, booking and availability. Carnuta’s published hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 14:00–18:00, but its live agenda may vary. Before walking, consult ONF access notices and the seasonal hunting calendar.
