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.
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,
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.
