Route: Menetreuil
Area: Bourgogne, France
Date of walk: 14th August 2018
Walkers: Andrew, Gilly and Francine
Distance: 2.0 miles
Ascent: nil
Weather: Sunny
On the way to a walking holiday in the Alps we stopped off for a happy reunion with Gilly’s French penfriend, Francine. The two of them have been corresponding for over 50 years. Francine and her husband Hervé own an ancient farmhouse in Menetreuil, Le Devu, which they have lovingly converted over the years, and now run as a characterful ‘chambres d’hôtes‘. For anyone visiting the Bresse Bourgogne area in eastern France – a gourmet’s paradise – I can highly recommend Le Devu as a base
After a night spent reminiscing a sunny day dawned and Francine kindly offered to take us on a short local walk, combined with a drive around the Menetreuil area. We parked in the public car park at the entrance to Les Prés de Ménetreuil, which is a flood prairie consisting of meadows, lakes, pools and streams and is a haven for wildlife. The maps page indicates the location of the start, but I’ve not included a route map as there are various options and these are clearly described on the notice board at the entrance
We followed a path through the fields until we arrived at the main lake which we skirted around before joining a boardwalk which took us across some of the wetter areas. It was easy going throughout, with zero ascent on account of the flat terrain in these parts, and we thoroughly enjoyed the walk, although the highlight of the day was catching up with Francine and Hervé again and enjoying their good company, food and wine – ‘merci beaucoup’ you two for a wonderful stay
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Before our flight from Manchester to Lyon, we took the opportunity to visit Tatton Park, where the Japanese Garden was looking magical...
After arriving in Lyon we drove to Le Devu in Ménetreuil for our reunion with Francine and Hervé. Ménetreuil is in the quiet and unspoilt Bresse Bourgogne area of France, famed for its wonderful food and wine
Photo of an early page in the album which is kept at Le Devu - rolling back the clock to a visit here with our children 20 years ago
Next day we went for a walk with Francine around nearby Les Prés de Ménetreuil
There's a choice of circular walks and we opted for the longer one
Looking across La Sane Morte to Ménetreuil Church
One of the notice boards pointing out the wildlife to be seen in the meadows
We follow a path towards the main lake
We arrive at the lakeshore path
Francine and Gilly catch up on family news
We continue around the lakeshore...
A small island in the lake
One of the many dragonflies we saw along the way...
...and a Meadow Brown butterfly, again one of many
We complete the circuit of the lake ...
A boardwalk section across the wetlands leads us back to the start
A lovely short walk - Francine and Hervé are lucky to have such a haven on their doorstep
We then drove over to another local beauty spot just outside Ménetreuil - Lake Guichard - where we saw egrets, heron and a couple of marsh harriers
A Scarlet Dragonfly
The last visit of the day was to the nearest town, Louhans, the capital of Bresse Bourguignonne
We wandered around the attractive the streets for a while
La Seille runs through the town, and we strolled along the riverbank
Looking back to the town
We returned to Le Devu and later that day Hervé treated us to an unforgettable meal at a local Michelin starred restaurant - thanks again Hervé!
Next day, and time to be heading for the hills, au revoir et merci beaucoup Francine et Hervé, and here are some more photos for your album
After a 3 hour drive we arrive at the Hotel l'Abbaye in Abondance, our base for the next 2 nights and the start of our walking holiday in the Chablais Alps
Our arrival coincided with a local carnival....
View from our hotel room and we look forward to exploring the local mountains over the next few days
