Hi!
I%26#39;m taking a trip with my wife to Europe next summer which is all very exciting!
I%26#39;ve been reading and planning for the last few months but I%26#39;m great having trouble deciding on a location to visit other than Paris on our way through France.
We%26#39;d like somewhere peaceful after the hustle and bustle of Paris, and I%26#39;d like somewhere with forests to hike through and the odd mountain would be nice! But more than that I%26#39;d like somewhere with a lot of wildlife (I%26#39;m particularly looking forward to fireflies, squirrels and badgers whilst I%26#39;m in Europe). Depending on which way our trip flows our next destination would be either Madrid or Rome (possibly Zermatt).
Any ideas on a suitable location would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
|||
Considering the population density of Western Europe, you will never see as much %26quot;wildlife%26quot; as at home, but it%26#39;s true that you will have a much better chance in regions of mountains and forests. One of the best places in France is the Parc National du Mercantour on the Italian border, which is still really wild, unlike most of the Alpine region in France.
But even just the forest of Fontainebleau would give you plenty of chances to see rabbits, deer and boars if you stray from the main promenades.
There are also some lovely places in the Vosges mountains just before Alsace, like Gérardmer.
|||
Another suggestion would be to go to Chambord Castle and Royal reserve (Chambord the biggest forested enclosed park in Europe). It is 4500 hectare, ie above 11000 acres. More info on chateauxtourisme.com/isla/…
If you did that you would have the opportunity to visit one or several castle of the Loire Valley. You would have to rent a car. If not, you might not get the flexibility you are looking for.
Another suggestion - completely different - would be the Baie de Somme and the Parc du Marquenterre, one of the biggest birds reserve, dur to its natural stopping point for migratiry birds. To go there, you could take the train from Gare du Nord to Abbeville. From there there are different travel options.
|||
I think I would try to go to Camargue.
|||
We%26#39;ve done a bit of walking in various parts of Europe and have been lucky to see some wildlife. However, it was often luck - or being with a guide who knew where to look! I can see grey squirrels in my garden here but I%26#39;ve never seen a badger alive in the wild, though there are setts near me (in the UK), and the only time I%26#39;ve seen red squirrels was at a feeding point.
So, if seeing the animals is important, I%26#39;d suggest you consider finding animal parks with guaranteed local wildlife in %26#39;native%26#39; surroundings, then go off and enjoy your walking and if you see wildlife, it%26#39;s a bonus!
Last year, we went to the Parc Animalier des Angles which is close to the Spanish border (it was OK, but we couldn%26#39;t spot any wild boars, which was a priority for us). I%26#39;d have liked to visit http://www.parc-animalier-pyrenees.com/ in Argeles-Gazost, which looks good - it%26#39;s also close to the Donjon des Aigles www.donjon-des-aigles.com/anglais/index.html which we have been to and it%26#39;s the best bird of prey display I%26#39;ve ever seen.
I don%26#39;t know about animal parks towards Italy and Switzerland - we saw a few marmottes and chamois walking near Chamonix last year, though some were obviously quite tame!
|||
If you want to go to the Mercantour combined with paris then its probably easiest to fly or take the train to Nice. The edges of the parc are then easily accessed by local train or bus or car.
Its an amazing area for walks and nature observation and the mediaeval villages surrounding the parc are beautiful and interesting to visit.
|||
wild red squirrels are even pretty easy to see near Nice in Parc vaugrenier [edge of Villeneuve Loubet] near Biot gare/Antibes
Badgers i%26#39;ve only seen on film or dead by the side of the road or old abandoned setts.
Fireflies -are amazing but they don%26#39;t seem to fly all summer long - they can be seen in a lot of places even in some towns/cities eg edges of Antibes, Nice as well as the countryside proper.
A trip we will be hopefully be doing again this week is taking the bus from Nice to St martin vesubie on the edge of the mercantour parc [about an hour and a half on the bus and costs one euro per person ] then taking the shuttle bus to Le Boreon hamlet to see the wolves at Parc Alpha [ semi wild wolf packs in a mountain park]
We will then be walking through the trees and trying to spot other wildlife esp raptors , then catching and eating local Boreon brown trout and having it cooked at one of the restaurants- called L%26#39;Ô à la bouche [they have a stocked pond and give out fishing poles.]
realite-virtuelle.net/restaurant/…index.php
mercantour parc info
http://www.mercantour.eu/
|||
Thankyou all very much for your suggestions! You%26#39;ve given me some great locations to research further.
selkieNice - that sounds like a fantastic day out! Is that part of a tour? or is it a DIY trek?
|||
Its DIY trip using a local buses into the mountains.
Buses in Nice and surroundings have a flat fare of one euro to encourage people to use public tranpsort rather than cars.
No comments:
Post a Comment