Learn more about the regions of France A


paradise for lovers of authenticity – bucolic bocage, a patchwork of


fi elds, raised hedges arching over sunken lanes; medieval châteaux, gardens and manor houses; a landscape of ancient forests, fi sh-fi lled rivers and gentle hilly countryside with quiet roads for great walking. Welcome to the ancient province of the Perche. Today it is the 201,254-


hectare Parc Naturel Régional (PNR) du Perche, with a population of 75,500 living in 91 communes. It is also home to the docile and robust Percheron dray horse (cheval de trait). The park protects its rich biodiversity and built heritage, and manages six Natura 2000 sites. Water is omnipresent – in the wetlands, rivers and streams, peat bogs and ponds.


ON THE MAP The PNR straddles Orne in Normandy and Eure-et-Loir in Centre-Val-de-Loire. You’ll fi nd it on your map between Paris and the Normandy coast, so start checking out ferry crossings to Caen, Le Havre, Dieppe and Cherbourg. Or pack your panniers and pedal off on the 450km Mont-St-Michel to Paris Véloscénie cycle path, which swings by the Perche. It has some great property too – notably around Senonches and Perche capital Nogent-le- Rotrou in Eure-et-Loir, and the Petite Cité de Caractère, Bellême, in Orne. “Senonches (population


3,000) has one main street and sits in a clearing,” says Laurence Legry of Perche Nord Immobilier. One of 15 communes making up the Communauté de Communes des Forêts du Perche, it’s an entry point into the Perche and is surrounded by a beautiful public forest (forêt domaniale). “Along the main road, near


the church, you will fi nd 18th/19th-century terraced stone properties with fl at terracotta roof tiles, as well as fi ne detached houses with gardens,” she continues. The rust-brown stone used is the local pierre grison, soft enough when extracted but it dries quickly once in the air becoming extremely


Medieval Manoir de Courboyer atNocé


frenchentree.com/ regional-property- guides


The real thing


Carolyn Reynier explores the authentic, outdoor delights that can be found in the Perche province


hard, diffi cult to carve and impermeable. Expect to pay around €120,000 for a small 80m2


work and/or freshening up. “In the surrounding


Bellême, a Petite Cité de Caractère in Orne, is surrounded by lush countryside


countryside there are renovated farmsteads (corps de ferme), and longères, long low single-storey buildings, often with some land although it’s hard to fi nd more than a hectare,” she says. Have a look at the prettily named nearby village of La Framboisière. There’s a renovated three- bedroom village house with a garage on the market here for €155,000 (Agence du Lion). La Ferté-Vidame, to the


You can explore the trails that criss-cross the Perche on foot or in the saddle 70 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 2023


northwest, has shops, ruins of an ancient château and its own forest. There’s a lovely main road here running in a straight line north to Verneuil-sur-Avre in Eure, with beautiful houses on either side. Two or three farmsteads nearby have been converted into riding centres.


house requiring a little


© ORNE TOURISME, DAVID DARRAULT


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