Forest of Écouves

The forest of Écouves extends in the Département from the Flowering ash in north from Alençon, between the communes of Carrouges in the west and Sées in the east, on a surface of about 18 km length on 8 kilometers with 10 kilometers broad. Most of the forest is domanial; nearly 8.200 hectares on a total of 15.000, on a very varied relief, of 100 with more than 400 m of altitude, including/understanding rocky hills, peaks and small valleys, with the borders of the Paris basin and Armorican Massive .

It is as a planted majority of sessile oak S, Hêtre S and woodland Pin, but also pines laricio, Oregon firs, pectinate fir trees, Bouleau X and Tremble S, Aulne S, Frêne S, spruce of Sitka, Mélèze of Japan. It belongs to the regional Parc of Normandy-Maine with the Forêt of Andaines and the Forêt of Perseigne.

The game is abundant there (stags, hinds, roe-deers, wild boars…) and the tradition of the Vénerie remains there thanks to a crew: the Kermaingant crew. Passage of migrations of birds (Guifette black, black Milan, Curlew, Tern S, wild ducks. Crèbes crested, castagneux, owls chevêches nest on the site.

The mushrooms are abundant (Cèpe S, Bolet S, Girolle S…). In the underwood Bilberry S, digital, Solomon's seals, ficaires, tinsel maker, bugle and speedwell, Callune, Broom S and Fern S.

It is marked out by 80 kilometers of forest roads which weave a fabric around the crossroads of the Cross-Madam, of Oak-with-Verdier or of the Cross-Médavy. Entireties of great excursion GR. 22 and GR. 36 the cross-piece. It is also cut by two secondary roads (Alençon-Carrouges and Carrouges-Sées).

The forest of Écouves is particularly present in the work of the painter Georges Lacombe (1868 - 1916), established with its orée.

Each year, at the end of March, the Alençon-Médavy race on foot joins together more than 5.500 runners of all nationalities. The course of 16 kilometers comprises 5 kilometers of rise in forest of Écouves.

Remarkable places

the Signal of Écouves culminates to 417 m, twin brother of the Mont of the Heads located not very far, is like this last the culminating point of the armorique one.
the Rochers of Vignage offer a superb panorama.
the Hillock Chaumont to 378 m of altitude, the timbering of yew S and Houx.
the ponds of Vrigny
old the Priory of Goult to Moor-with-Goult (11th century).
the vault Saint-Michel.
a priory (XVIe at the XVIIIe century) dedicated to Holy Catherine of Alexandria.
the Castle of Carrouges
the Castle of O
the Castle of Sassy.
small the necropolis gathering the tombs of 19 French soldiers of the 2nd dB.

History

royal Forest since 1220, it had been very damaged before the installation started in 1863 does not reconstitute it in grove.
In 1669, the king Louis XIV had made there establish 79 terminals of granite indication of Hertré (always visible) to mark the limit of famous huntings seigneuriales. They are classified Historic buildings.
In 1882 was captured the last wolf of the forest.
the August 12th and August 13rd, 1944, a detachment of the the 2nd armor-plated division of the General Leclerc -- the armor-plated column Roumiantzoff -- who had just released Alençon and who was on the way towards Argentan, joined by the Putz subgroup, was opposed violently to armoured tanks of IXe Panzerdivision hidden in the forest of Écouves. The son of the colonel Remy 18 years old and eighteen others of his comrades of combat, was killed. Three Sherman tanks, were lost at the time of these engagements; one of the tanks, touched by a German anti-tank device with the localities Gateys, is established today with the crossroads of the Cross of Médavy to commemorate these events (commune of Fontenai-les-Louvets).

Demonstrations

Every year, 1st Sunday of September, the forest of Ecouves accommodates a great appointment VTT known under the name of TRANS' ECOUVES. This event organized since 1990, allows each year to make discover this splendid forest to more than one thousand of vetetists beginners and raftered. The Departure is given since Radon, small commune with the foot of the drill the morning to 9:00. Information on http://www.trans-ecouvesvtt.fr

See too

Forest | List of the principal forests of France | List of the forests Normans

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