A walk in the forest of Loches
As well as visiting the royal city of Loches, the village of Chédigny, or the château of Montrésor, the domanial forest of Loches also hides a few curiosities, to be discovered by following short hikes among its venerable oak trees.
The four pyramids: stone monuments built in the 18th century at the edge of forest roads, they served as landmarks for hound-hunting crews.
The Orfonds fountain: surrounded by a low horseshoe wall, in a pretty clearing, it probably fed a Gallo-Roman aqueduct.
The chapelle Saint-Jean du Liget: on the edge of the forest, it houses pretty Romanesque polychrome frescoes (visits by prior arrangement with the Loches Tourist Office). It was once attached to the Chartreuse du Liget. Nearby, sleep in one of the guest rooms at the château-monastère de la Corroirie.
L’étang du Pas aux ânes: this is the largest in the Loches state forest, covering more than 6 hectares. In the past, newly-weds would come and walk around the pond to place themselves under the protection of Perrine and Pierre, two lovers with a tragic destiny. In love with Pierre, Perrine preferred to throw herself into the icy waters of the pond rather than marry the cruel Baron de Sennevières. Now a monk at the Carthusian monastery, Pierre saw Perrine’s ghost every Christmas Eve.
Walking in the forest of Loches“During my wanderings through the eternal greens, I had the impression of reading the universe and the forest was for me the most beautiful of libraries.” Gonzague-Saint-Bris, journalist and writer born in Loches.
