Braye is a small village of 340 inhabitants in the Centre region of France, in the département d'Indre-et-Loire, in l'arrondissement de Chinon and the canton of Richelieu and that's just for starters!
The area is made up of arable farmland, growing everything from sunflowers to maize, and acres of woodland, in which the local hunt are active at this time of year. Fortunately for us their presence is well marked with "Chasse en cours" signs so when we're out walking we know where not to go.
Another rather more unusual sign we've come across is this:
I don't think you'd want to mess with that one!
Despite these warnings there is plenty of scope for walking in the area. On our doorstep we have le Bois de Gigny, Le Bois du Fougeray, le Bois Robin and le Bois de Beauregard, all with numbered paths, or sentiers pedestres. In addition we are not far from the Parc de Richelieu . The Parc is approximately 475 hectares and its perimeter wall extends7 kilometres, at times coming within 400m of the house
To give a hint of the terrain, here are a few photos taken during the last month on walks out from home.
Going from the village in the direction of Braslou, the lane takes you past hedgerows of spindle -berry.
These attractive berries look even more so when in a large cluster..
Or when touched by the frost:
Turning off to the left the path leads through the Bois de Gigny. I disturbed a roe deer (thanks to Susan for helping with that one!) which took off into the depth of the wood leaving little chance for me to get a photo of it.
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| With 20/20 vision, a good magnifying glass and a vivid imagination you should just be able to make it out! |
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Further on the path opens out to reveal the magical views of the Bois du Fougeray. Here the trees are planted in a strict grid pattern which catches the eye from every angle and plays tricks with perspective and distance. It comes as such a surprise after the more dense woodland of the Bois de Gigny.
Then the lane runs alongside farmland and woodland rich in flora and fauna
Many of the trees are prey to the parasite, mistletoe, which doesn't appear to be as sought after here in France as it is in England
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The route home takes us past the chateau at Poulesse, which was where we saw the warning about vipers displayed.
Looking over the field our house can now be seen! Quite a difference from the tree enclosed place we show at the top of the blog page!
And so it's back home again to Braye-sous-Faye and to the house that has already given us so much joy, fun and laughter, La Croix Blanche!
1 comment:
Roe deer I think, not red.
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