The Morvan, Burgundy, May 2008 (2): Regional Nature Park

Classic scenery of The Morvan Regional Nature Park

(photo by mcbardin via Creative Commons)

The superb Morvan Regional Nature Park (RNP) is a large area: 173,000 hectares (427,000 acres), equivalent to the size of the Yorkshire Dales or more than three times the size of the New Forest. Leaving behind the plains of the Champagne region and driving south into this granite massif, comprising half dense woodland and half pasture, makes it clear just what a special place this is: the heavy rainfall feeds lush vegetation, five huge lakes and the rivers and tributaries of the Yonne and Cure rivers all set in an intimate, rolling landscape that is home to bountiful wildlife and fantastic areas to walk, ride and relax.

Our visit started at the Maison du Parc in Saint-Brisson, on the D6 road just north of Taureau lake. The centre has a number of different areas looking at different themes: the Ecomusée has interactive displays taking you through the development of the landscape with its people and wildlife; a Tourism Centre has the usual information on walks and attractions; and there is an attractive arboretum and garden area.

Meadows of orchids near Saint-Brisson, The Morvan RNP

The area that kept most of our attention, however, was the Museum of the Resistance. From 1940, the Maquis - the predominantly rural guerilla bands of the French Resistance - made extensive use of the Morvan in the Second World War, using its difficult terrain and isolation as a refuge from and to counter attack the occupying German army. Aided only by Allied parachute drops of food and equipment, the Maquis liberated most of the region in 1944. Nonetheless, many villages were destroyed and arrests, deportations and executions were common occurrences. This museum remembers this painful period with photographs, film, uniforms, weaponry, propaganda and even poetry, with audioguides in English, French and Dutch.

With the weather reasonable, we chose one a 90 minute walk starting from the Maison du Parc to stretch our legs. This took us west of the village along green lanes through woodland, wet grassland and meadows. The scenery is beautiful: creamy-coated Charolais cattle graze the pastures and wild flowers coat every field and verge. The birdlife was lively, with Red-backed Shrike seen and a Garden Warbler entertaining us with its varied song. As we returned past lake Taureau, a Black Kite glided over the water and above us.
Saint-Brisson, Morvan RNP, Burgundy

Keen to get further into the park, we moved from our hotel in Vézelay to camp at Lac des Settons, 50km further south. Arriving at the pleasant Camping Plage du Midi in time for dinner, awaiting us was horribly wet weather and one of those evenings when you really don't want to be in a tent!
Lac des Settons, by Akial via Creative Commons


The rain eased off the following lunchtime long enough for us to explore tracks east along the shore and into the nearby country through meadows and wet woodland. A Hoopoe kept our spirits up, its song reaching us nearby before we were able to watch it fly over us and away across the fields.


Unfortunately the rain returned later in the afternoon and we took advantage of the campsite's covered outdoor area for drinks and cooking. An inquisitive Common Redstart was a constant companion. However, with more wet weather forecast, we decided to move on again to the Loire Valley.

The Morvan, Burgundy, May 2008 (1): Culture in Vézelay & Saint-Père

The view south from the top of the "eternal hill" at Vézelay

Heading south-west from Forêt d'Orient, the wet weather stayed with us all the way to Burgundy. A couple of hours drive across country took us through lovely scenery, Chaource village (don't forget to stop for the fantastic local cheese) then across the border into the Yonne department and the town of Chablis. Here we saw some sun and stopped for a glass of the local produce, followed by a wander round some of the many cellars for tasting. A stop at the Domiane Vocoret cellar on the D235 on the way west out of town saw us pick up a case of their Forêt Premier Cru.

After an enjoyable but showery exploration of Auxerre's cathedral and riverside, we headed for the ancient town of Vézelay on the edge of the Morvan Regional Nature Park. Founded in the ninth century with a monastery atop a prominent hill with inspiring views, the town lies on a major pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.
Looking up to the monastery & basilica at Vézelay
(photo by Heather)

In the tenth century, the town's monks brought relics of Mary Magdalene to the town from southern France, leading to a further influx of pilgrims that continues to this day despite the fact that later discoveries in southern France undermined Vézelay's position as Europe's main Magdalen shrine. In the magnificent Basilica of St Magdalene, built in the 11th century, you can visit the crypt where the Vézelay relics still reside. The town and the basilica are today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Basilica of St Magdalene (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madelaine), formerly Vézelay Abbey: on the left the exterior facing the town, on the right the beautiful Romanesque nave.

The town itself sits around the foot of the hill and winds its way to the top along narrow streets often thronged with visitors during the day. If you are just visiting, it is definitely best to park at the bottom! My Alfa 156 scraped its way up to the top and our hotel, the charming Les Glycines.

Downhill along Rue des Écoles, Vézelay

As the afternoon draws on and the buses depart, the town quietens considerably, leaving just those staying overnight to enjoy the evening views and some good restaurants. From our two nights here, we can recommend the food and service at the Hôtel de la Poste et du Lion d'Or - especially the local cheese board! They have a well-priced set menu.


Vézelay made a great base to explore the north of the Regional Nature Park - more on that in the next post. But, continuing the theme of history and culture, the nearby village of Saint-Père (sometimes written as Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay) and a local archaeological site are well worth a visit.

In 1934, whilst searching for the potential site of King Arthur's battle at Valbeton along the River Cure, Professor René Louis discovered a ruined Celtic temple and Gallo-Roman baths on the same site, both linked to the heavily salted mineral springs found here and known today as Les Fontaines Salées. The use of the site goes back to Neolithic times as a place of worship and one of the most important healing sanctuaries in Gaul.

The Roman baths at Les Fontaines Salées, with the water channels (above)

and remnant suspended floor (below right) still clearly visible

The oak 'pipes' used to create the wells were hollowed out by fire and date to around 3000BC. As well enjoying the soothing properties of the water, the site users collected the high salt content through evaporation for food preservation and tanning. But whilst the slow bubbles clearly visible in at least one well were presumed by the Celts to be the spirit of the Gods, today we know it is in fact natural helium gas. A handpump is located on one well so you can taste the water - I can't recommend it (left)!

This is a peaceful and well-cared for site, with good interpretation and maps (albeit in French). We were the only visitors on a Thursday afternoon. The River Cure flows lazily nearby, bordered by an avenue of tall poplars. The site is also a haven for wildlife: in addition to the numerous Marsh Frogs that were sunbathing in the springs (below, photo by Heather) and Common Lizards bathing on the stonework, a Golden Oriole was singing from the adjacent wood and a Black Woodpecker swooped between mature trees.

The nearby village of Saint-Père has a small museum that houses all the finds from the site - mainly ceramics, coins, jewelry, statuettes and religious offerings - since excavation began in 1935 and is worth a quick stop after your visit to the site. The village's gothic church dates from the thirteenth century, has a 50m high bell tower and also merits a look.

Forêt d'Orient, Champagne-Ardennes, May 2008

Forest track through Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park

Late May and early June of 2008 saw Heather and I camping around various regions in northern and central France in the vain search of anything but rain... Whilst we didn't find much sun, we did discover some fantastic new areas to explore - the first of which we have returned to in both 2009 and 2010.

Initially heading for Burgundy on our first day, on impulse we stopped late afternoon in the Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park to make the most of what turned out to be the best weather of the holiday! The reserve - covering 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) and consisting of three reservoirs nestling in dense oak forest -  is a great destination for the walker or cyclist seeking a quieter area and wildlife.

Lac d'Orient (photo by Gerald Laik via Creative Commons)

With the summer season just starting, the area was certainly quiet and we joined just a handful of other tents on the well equipped L'Epine Aux Moines campsite at Géraudot. Just a two minute walk from the shore of Lac d'Orient, a pizzeria and cycle hire, the site also lovely views north along the boundary of the forest. On a lovely sun-drenched evening, we sat and watched Turtle Dove and Red-backed Shrike amongst commoner species and a Golden Oriole regaled us with its beautiful, flute-like song early the next morning.

Whilst the weather started to deteriorate from the start of day two, we were determined to make the most of a hard-earned break. The cycle hire was very reasonably priced and the bikes of good quality. France is renowned as a cycle-friendly country, and the Tour des Lacs cycle path was smooth and scenic, taking us along the shores of Lac d'Orient, Lac du Temple and Lac Amance to the town of Dienville before returning through the forest, most of the entire route off-road. A shorter forest-only route is also possible for kids.

The author pauses for breath on the cycle path along the shore of Lac du Temple

The tour is a fantastic way to see the park and even the short sections along the D43 and D50 roads were reasonably quiet. The reservoirs are all man-made (Lac du Temple and Lac Amance were constructed as recently as 1990), created to regulate waterflow and flooding on the Seine river and to supply drinking water to Paris, but they are naturalising nicely with nice emergent vegetation and lots of scrub. Waterbird populations are tremendous in winter - in fact, along with Lac du Der-Chantecoq to the north, the area forms probably the best winter location for birdwatching in northern France; read more here - the lakes were still busy with Coot, Great-Crested Grebe, Mallard and Common Tern whilst the shoreline rang with birdsong, with the magnificent Great Reed Warbler seen a couple of times atop the reeds. At Lac Amance, from the hide at the north end of the western shore, we were lucky enough to see a Little Bittern and Temminck's Stint. Otter and feral Coypu (an introduction from South Amercica) can also be seen here, the latter often at very close quarters.

Perhaps even better than the lakes is the deep oak forest. France's woodlands are normally well-managed for timber and this area is no different, but the size of the forest means that the operations do not have a major impact and wildlife simply moves around as necessary. The woodland harbours six species of woodpecker: the British three - Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Green - plus the noisy Middle Spotted, shy Grey-headed and leviathan Black, the largest woodpecker in Europe and Asia at 18 inches high and approaching three feet in wingspan. Deer are common sights and - if you're quiet when you hear a rustling in the undergrowth - a Wild Boar might make a guest appearance.

Black Woodpecker and chicks at the nest,

by Alistair Rae under Creative Commons licence

Pedalling through the forests, it's easy to get caught up in their primaeval atmosphere: a Red Deer stag crossed the track at a run in front of us, woodpeckers drum and call and, in every direction, never-ending woodland rides stretch away from you. We followed the main surfaced tour route along the Route du Temple but there are hundreds of miles of forest paths to take advantage of - maps and walk leaflets are available from the Maison du Parc (visitor centre) at the junction of the D43 and D79 on the eastern edge of Lac d'Orient.