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Wildflowers in the Vendée

If you have toured around France, you might have noticed that the roadsides are often covered in a wealth of wildflowers. One of many joys of living in France, including the Vendée, is that the villages typically maintain these verges two or three times each year, but when the flowers pop out in spring, they are left to bloom to their heart’s content. Their beauty, as we await with bated breath the vastly blooming fields of sunflowers, make the Vendée countryside a pleasure to roam around with no particular destination in mind. In spring and summer even on a quick to-and-fro for groceries one’s heart sings with the abundance of wildflowers. In autumn, the forest floor reveals carpets of wild cyclamen and searching for crocus feels as much like a treasure hunt as foraging for mushrooms. In this article, we give you a rundown of the species you might encounter …

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Activities guide to the Massif Forestier de Mervent-Vouvant

In south-Vendée where the rivers Mere and Vendée converge lies a hilly forest of some 55 square kilometers called Le Massif-Forestier de Mervent-Vouvant. It consists of accessible private and public domain and contains nine villages: Mervent, Pissotte, Bourneau, L’Orbrie, Foussais-Payré, Saint-Michel-le-Cloucq, Saint-Hilaire-des-Loges, Xanton-Chassenon, and Vouvant – one of France’s most beautiful. The villages are mere dots, leaving 5519 hectares of dense forest featuring beautiful hardwood trees. Whether it’s your first visit or your fiftieth, as soon as you step foot beneath their canopy and lay eyes on meandering brooks sounding like little bells, and the abundant carpet of wildflowers, realization will strike that this forest exudes something absolutely magical. Whether you live in the Vendée year-round or like to visit with the seasons, these woods hide a plethora of activities to please the solo adventurer, the athlete, and the whole family. Use images below (and the UP arrow) to easily navigate our guide, or scroll through.A brief history …