This Park is a somewhat secret, sincere and endearing territory with its cows, apple trees, pear trees, forests and castles. Welcome at the farm, small charming addresses, thematic paths and hikes, cycle paths and bridle paths, will punctuate your stay. We have divided the Park's territory into 5 main regions. Welcome to an exciting territory to explore walk after walk, at your own pace!
To the east, meadows and forest
Here unfolds the eastern part of the Normandy-Maine Park, overflowing into the Paris Basin adjacent to the Parc du Perche, with an intrusion into the Sarthe and the Saosnois Valley. For those who come from Paris, the discovery begins with this area where humid plains suitable for cultivation, limestone meadows where orchids flourish, game forests, winding valleys and historic sites. You travel along romantic roads under their green vault, where the houses are made of limestone. You will come across stud farms and castles, farms and dovecotes, Romanesque churches and medieval chapels.
In the Perseigne forest you can walk along the hiking trails crossing mushroom or blueberry pickers depending on the season, and sometimes even hunting crews, you can also follow the green route from Mamers to Alençon, horseback riding, stopover with your horse in a stud farm, practice high level riding, cycling with a stop at the Fresnaye-sur-Chédouet bicycle museum. You will be amazed by the episcopal city of Sées, one of the jewels of the Park. You will also appreciate some rural nuggets including a museum of the Sabot and another around the hemp, a turkey fair and another dedicated to Percheron foals. In summer, it's a guinguette atmosphere on the banks of the Orne and water sports in the leisure centres. Meanwhile, the gourmet brotherhoods are working to defend the Sarthoise rillettes of Mamers and the white blood sausage of Essay
From the Perseigne lookout, the highest point of the Sarthe, you will see in the distance the ridge lines of the Écouves forest with the nipple of the Butte Chaumont, in the heart of zone 2 where your journey will continue through the Normandy-Maine Regional Natural Park, towards the west and Alençon.
On the heights of the west
It is a country marked by lace. Dentelles d'Argentan and Alençon, the cousins, one in the north, the other in the south. Stone lace from religious buildings. Green lace on the ridge lines that structure the landscape from east to west, carrying watercourses to the plain. Sandstone lace, finally, when the rock outcrops, rises or scatters in scree. With the presence of the two most populated gateway cities to the Park, with a total population of 42,000 inhabitants. An exceptional territory appreciated by naturalists, foresters, hunters, mushroom or wild berry pickers, hikers, riders, families who came for a picnic, pilgrims. Alternating ascents and descents, rectilinear roads split the Écouves forest, mushrooms up to the side road and sometimes a deer or fox. If the forest is omnipresent up to the edge of towns and villages, there are also heather moorland areas, romantic wetlands with their soft rocks and lichen trees that give them a jungle look. There are moments of grace when the deer shouts. Suspended moments, when a hunt passes by.
In Carrouges, you will find the Maison du Parc just next to the Château de Carrouges, one of the most beautiful castles in Normandy. Located in a complex of historical monuments, the Maison du Parc offers a very pleasant stopover. In the city, this area has a few renowned food artisans and producers where you can buy goat's or sheep's cheese, or candied wild plants. Not to mention truffles with calvados, poularde rillettes or pies with camembert.
In the south, the alpine adventure
This is the Park on the Pays de la Loire side, in the area that includes the majority of the communes of Mayenne and Sarthe. Here unfold the Mancelles Alps rich in a variety of environments designed by the Sarthe valley and the sandstone outcrops. Hills and rockfalls, white water and majestic woods make up enchanting landscapes and a terrain of exploration that delights sportsmen and women. The sumptuous Sillé national forest offers many hiking trails in addition to the GR36 which crosses the whole of our zone 3, from north to south and vice versa. A paradise for outdoor and natural activities, this territory is both a land of history and heritage, rich in treasures including the villages of Saint-Céneri-le-Gerei and Saint-Léonard-des-Bois and the medieval town Porte du Parc, Fresnay-sur-Sarthe. The meanders of the Sarthe invite you to canoe and fish, the lakes offer multi-activity bases, the forest has its acrobatic park, etc. Bivouac in the forest, sleep in a cabin or a caravan in the middle of nature, go on a small cruise on Lake Sillé, enjoy the seaside pleasures at Sillé plage? It is also possible! The castle of Sillé-le-Guillaume (15th century), built on the ruins of an ancient 11th century fortress, is a testimony to a thousand-year history.
Andaines, thermal baths and romanticism
To the west, this area of the Park is particularly romantic with ponds and lakes in the greenery, ferruginous waters gushing through rocks, mosses and lichens, a sumptuous forest, heather or ferns... It is a preserved environment, ideal for meditation and hiking. And suddenly a fortified castle rises up in the landscape that defies time (Lassay-les-Châteaux) and evokes Lancelot du Lac. Further on, there are fairy tales, a reconstruction of the cave of Lourdes and chapels that attract pilgrims in search of healing. Romantic also the retro atmosphere and Belle Époque architecture of Bagnoles-de-l'Orne-Normandie, a charming spa town. Or this medieval garden, this rose garden and the Sensitive Natural Space of the Gorges de Villiers, a jewel of nature that immerses you in an environment of breathtaking greenery and rock. Finally, a romantic site if there is one, Bonvouloir with its tower, its giant trees, its conservatory orchard and its gentle hills.
This territory is also a history linked to the metallurgy industry. Geological richness, the iron veins were exploited near Dompierre and at the Ferrière-aux-Étangs. These two municipalities invite us today to discover their ferruginous past. Do you want unusual experiences? Learn to make bobbin lace or board a hot air balloon to enjoy the Andean forest from the sky... The gourmands are not to be outdone, with good restaurants, great chocolate makers, farm producers who welcome you, and... the famous tripe of Ferté-Macé. Filled, you can go to the Andean forest. Looking for the deer's bellow during the breeding season or coming to the mushrooms are among the most popular local customs!
To the west, bocage and orchards
Here, gently rolling landscapes unfold. Pear trees stand tall in a mustard sky while cows graze under the trees on a soft green greasy grass. Image of Épinal perhaps but which keeps all its power of charm! We are in deep Normandy in a rural sense. No city, no highway. The Park contributes to the building with its museum of the Poiré in Barenton and many circuits arranged around the Monts & Marches sites. We will not miss the natural site and legends of the Fosse-Arthour.
Some prestigious medieval cities add to the charm of the west of the Park: Domfront-en-Poiraie, Mortain-Bocage or Lonlay-l'Abbaye. And of course, its flagship production, Poiré Domfront, is produced in a limited area. Today, hikers on foot, on horseback or by bicycle enjoy crossing this territory by a beautiful green route. Water bodies welcome water sports and outdoor enthusiasts. And to put down suitcases, they have the choice: an old station, a yurt under the pear trees, a castle..
Smart info
When? When? You can go there all year round, even if the arrival of the sunny days is more pleasant
Getting there. The Park is easily accessible by car or train. If you come by train or plane, you can rent a car.
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