Holidays for nature lovers in a self-catering Gite at
Pierre Levée, Lower Normandy, France:
barn owls, bats, wild mushroom hunting, "big game", many rare
species...
Ecotourism, weekends and short breaks, 1hr south of Caen
The "Gîte Panda" label is awarded by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and France's network of Parcs Naturels et Régionels. The criteria are as follows:
 | The gîte is located in a high-quality natural setting |
| It provides binoculars and nature guides |
| It is run by owners (or managers) with a solid commitment to protecting the environment. |
There are currently around 280 Panda Gite properties in the whole of France, of which around ten across the Lower Normandy region. (And no, we don't have any actual pandas, they need far too much bamboo - in fact the panda is an endangered species, used as the symbol of the WWF.) La Pierre Levée was awarded Gite Panda status in 2004. We were recently featured on France 3 evening news, on the occasion of a visit by a Korean delegation - who were interested in launching a similar project in their own country.
The Gite lies at the heart of the France's largest designated regional park (234,000 hectares), a protected area larger than England's New Forest, that encompasses a variety of natural habitats: forest, ancient "bocage" hedgerows and orchards, various kinds of meadow and farm lands. There is a visitor's centre at nearby Carrouges. The local forests offer all kinds of natural history activities including some of France's (Europe's, even) best wild mushroom hunting grounds.
Large stag, viewed from the gite kitchen window, June 2004
| We can lend you a selection of guidebooks covering the local flora and
fauna, plus binoculars |
| A choice of nature discovery trails on the property (over 6km in all),
plus annotated directions and map. You can ramble in our private woods and around our two lakes. |
| Children's "Safari Activities" Sheet |
| Advice for those with specialist interests e.g. mycology, ornithology |
| Recipe of the Month using wild/natural foodstuffs that you can find locally |
| Our gardens include an organic vegetable garden, where we grow the majority of our own vegetables. We will be happy to explain the crops we grow, and the methods we use. |
| The property features numerous organic fruit trees |
| The public Forêt des Andaines lies adjacent to the property and offers
even greater possibilities for rambling, wildlife sightings, "fungus forays" (wild mushroom hunting) and mountain bike riding. (See our Activities page for further details) |
February/March Trees in bud. Bids' nesting season begins. Fish breeding season.
April/May
Summer migratory birds arrive in large quantities. Fruit trees in
blossom. Wild primulas and bluebells. Courtship and nesting by
numerous bird species including swallows and barn
owls. Rhododendrons come into flower.
June/July/August Evening "aerial acrobatics" in
the farm courtyard, performed by
resident bats, owls and swallows. Carp basking on surface of lake.
Deer enter crop fields to feed. Lizards bask on stone walls.
Wild orchids and yellow irises in flower. Several species of wild
bee feed among flower-beds and fruit trees. Crickets chirrup in grass.
Sept/October Main edible
mushroom and fruit season. Journées Mycologiques
(local wild mushroom festival). Stags' rutting season. Forest dressed in
autumnal colours.
Nov/Dec/January Many species in hibernation. Wild boar root for food in frozen fields
| To preserve and encourage the woodlands and diversity of wildlife around us. |
| To increase awareness of environmental and ecological issues. |
| To encourage an interest in organic food. |
| If everyone in France turned off their TVs at night rather than leaving
them on standby, there would be the need for one less nuclear power station. |
| France currently has the highest level of nuclear-generated electricity in Europe, and the lowest level of electrical production from "renewable", environmentally friendly sources. The government has set quotas to increase the latter in the years to come. |
| Recycling a single plastic bottle can produce enough energy to run an electric light-bulb for several hours. (It also helps reduce non-degradable landfill waste.) |
| We encourage our guests to participate in our ecological commitment, by recycling their household waste at the municipal facilities, and via our "organic compost heap" and the vegetable plots. |
Want to know more about our Owl Conservation project? Click the highlighted link.
Tiger Moth - arctia caja
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Buzzard hunting in field behind gite Scarabs swarming
Blue butterfly feeds near orchids
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Blue, green and red dragonflies swarm above the lakes in summer
A host of other butterflies and moths feed in the gardens
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Wild orchid |
The property hosts many species of wild flower.
Wild yellow Iris |
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Solomon's Seal Polygonatum multiflorum grows on a shady bank |
Wild strawberries and blueberries - |
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Wild mushrooms grow in profusion
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For details of our Fungus Forays and Fungus Feasts (mushroom hunts, cookery lessons...) visit our Activities page. |
All photos Copyright © N.S. Woodhead, 2004
The French WWF Site
Parc Normandie-Maine Site
www.parc-naturel-normandie-maine.fr/
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100 Vintage Animal Prints - Windows Screensaver A collection of over 100 antique engravings and lithographs, mostly in color, of world fauna - birds, reptiles, insects, fish, mammals and other animal species, digitized and compiled as a screen saver format slideshow for windows. Includes illustrations from sought-after Buffon, Gould, Bloch and Audobon editions, etc. Ideal gift for nature lovers, kids, ecologists... Download it now for just $5.99 Supplied as a .SCR installation file for Windows, with random transition effects between each image. Simply download or copy the file to your Windows default screensaver directory (normally C:\Windows or C:\Windows\system32, depending on the version of windows you are using). Then open your computer's Control Panel, select the Display icon, click on the Screensaver tab, and choose "FlyerSaver" from the list.
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near the spa town of Bagnoles de l'Orne in Lower Normandy:
