Activities and cultural interest

As you drive through the Perche, it is so quiet you may well think it is under some kind of sleeping spell. Do not be fooled - beneath the surface it is brimming with life.
Visit the nearby Manoir de Courboyer (www.parc-naturel-perche.fr) and the Ecomusée du Perche to soak up Perche heritage.

Without going far you can enjoy many activities:
horse riding at La Chapelle Souëf www.traitnature.com
La Chapelle Montligeon Centre Equestre Perche Reno
golf at the Golf de Bellême www.golfdebelleme.com
fishinge.g. in the river Même at Igé, the Huisne at Condé-sur-Huisne, the Etang de la Herse at Bellême.
swimming at Nogent-le-Rotrou www.aquaval.com, at Mamers or open air at La Ferté Bernard. Forest lake swimming at Soligny la Trappe and Sillé le Guillaume.
walking public forests great for walking: Forêt de Bellême, Forêt de Réno Valdieu, Forêt de Perche are some. Or join organised walks, by the Association de Faune et Flore de l'Orne. Find wild orchids or a praying mantis maybe! 'Balades'at www.cg61.fr
cyclingthis is good cycling country: small quiet lanes, undulating terrain, not hilly. In the Alpes Mancelles at Saint Leonard des Bois near Alençon, you can hire mountain bikes and also have adventures swinging through the trees. www.aventuresdanslesarbres

Good day trips from here:
Le Mans, a dynamic city and home of the 24hr Motor Race
See the spa town of Bagnoles de l'Orne and its casino
Taste and buy wine in the Loire Valley (suggest Amboise)
Go to the sea-side (Deauville, Trouville or Honfleur)
The amazing Mont St Michel can be seen in a day trip, as can Monet's garden at Giverny
Horse lovers would enjoy a day out to the famous national stud, the Haras du Pin
Chartres Cathedral is a must and only a bare hour away
Paris is yours by train Nogent le Rotrou - Montparnasse in 1 - 2 hrs
You will probably need to come back again to get through it all!

Where we are

Just to clarify certain names, and apologies if you know this already:
France is divided into regions. Our region is Normandy, and within that we are in Basse Normandie or Southern Normandy.
The regions are divided into Départements. The départements of Basse Normandie are: Calvados (Caen), Manche (Cherbourg) which both have coast on the channel, and our département, Orne (Alencon)which borders on the region of the Loire.
Our own village, Igé, is on the very southern edge of Orne, Normandy, bordering on the departement of Sarthe, in the Loire region. We are also in the ancient province of the'Perche' that no longer has any administrative status. It comes from the latin 'Perticus' which was a latin word meaning oak tree, because of the vast oak forests the Romans found here.


House-hunting?


This area is very popular with house-hunters, especially from the U.K. and Holland. At the same time it is still very French and full of character.
If you want to look at properties here it is a good idea to get organised beforehand so as to make the best of your time. We would recommend you contact Marine Leboucher (e mail: info@immobilier-de-charme.com), who has a wealth of experience of the Perche area . She speaks excellent English, French and Dutch. Tell her what kind of place you are looking for and she will really enjoy helping you find your dream.

www.immobilier-de-charme.com


Gastronomic interest

Particularly good restaurants locally are:
Les Trois Js at Verrieres
The restaurant at the Manoir de Courboyer
The Auberge de Brochard
The Croix d'Or at Le Pin la Garenne
Ma Maison Neufchatel en Saosnois
L'Hotel Montligeon at Chapelle Montligeon
Les Pieds dans l'Eau and the Hotel du Tribunal at Mortagne

Also:
Fantastic chocolate at the chocolatier 'Bataille' at Belleme
Organic bread made with local organic flour - La Suardiere at La Perriere