Distance 800m plus optional 1800m
Time 30mins to 1hr depending on your speed
Sometimes little gems are sitting just under our noses. The Tourbiere de la Lande mouton is one of these places. Just a few Kms from our village of St Clement Rancoudray 50140.
If you are in the area and you fancy a relaxing stroll then don't hesitate to visit. It is a short 800m boardwalk around a peatbog nature reserve, full of native plants and animals and a few not so native.
Plus an extra 1800m loop section that you may need wellies for.
The carpark is deserted, the picnic bench waiting for lunches to be strewn across it's mossy wood (from your Le Roche Sauvage garden holdall maybe), the shelter stands empty and weathered.
Despite it not being well used the boardwalk is in good condition, there is wire mesh for grip and the main walk is accessible to wheelchairs. It takes you on a winding route through the bog, with plenty of information boards to show you what to look for. There are three geocaches hidden here, cleverly hidden and not very easy to find.
Halfway round you will get to the bell tree, with it's board that explains the legend of the Lande Pourrie, a haunting tale from when the area was part of the huge royal forest. Using one of the many benches for a restful stop, maybe taking a flask and a bar of chocolate from your waxed canvas backpack would be ideal around now. There's barely a sound here apart from the bees and the birds and occasionally a rustle from the undergrowth.
Not far from this, the path gives you the option to do the second section,
an 1800m loop that takes you through some more muddy areas, pretty paths that lead you to tiny streams, wild areas and scrubland that is grazed by the not so local highland cattle. This loop is not accessible to wheelchairs but kids with wellies would be fine.
We enjoy the quiet wildness of the area, and each season changes the whole feeling of the place. It's not a long walk, it's a very easy one for people of all ages. The nature surrounds you and pulls you in, encouraging you to slow down for a moment and appreciate the millions of years that have gone into creating such a wonderful habitat for some many plants and animals the common and the rare.
Let me know if you have visited and what you think, and let me know if you find the geocaches!
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