Hiking the Andelys

in Pinmapple3 years ago

Les Andelys is a small town in France that is located in the province of Normandy along the banks of the Seine river.

The town itself is not all that special, its basically just a typical French commune, but the hiking in and around the area is really quite superb.


20200912_131400 (1).jpg

A quick drive up a steeply paved road brings you to a parking lot that overlooks the ruins of an old 12th century military fortress by the name of Chateau Gaillard. You can also choose to park your car in town and walk up to the castle on foot. We chose to do the latter.


IMG-20200918-WA0000_2.jpg

Our hike up the road brought us to a small cafe. It happened to be closed that day but we could hear people working in the yard. Through the gate we also happened to see two large peacocks hanging out in the sunshine. I know that white peacocks are common in some parts of the world but for me this was the first time that I had ever seen one in person. They are really quite beautiful.


20200912_131345 (1).jpg

From the parking lot at the top of the hill you can see dozens of rocky dirt trails worn into the limestone hills.

They criss-cross the landscape in various directions.


20200912_123854 (1).jpg

We started our hike on a circular path that took us around the old castle ruins.


20200912_122256 (1).jpg

We saw large stone structures scattered throughout the area, remnants of the a fortress currently worn and crumbling after centuries of wind and rain erosion. Nonetheless they stand tall and still, kind of like the grave stones within a forgotten cemetery.


20200912_122850 (1).jpg

The limestone walls pop up out of a heavy growth of trees and shrubbery that have long since reclaimed the landscape.

Were the structures built or did they do they grow alongside the vegetation?


20200912_122145 (1).jpg

The castle itself was built in a single year in 1197 by the English king and Duke of Normandy - Richard I (also know as Richard the Lionheart).


20200912_122545 (1).jpg

Remnants of the old fortified defensive towers as well as a 12 meter deep ditch, now filled with a plethora of shrubbery, can still be seen among the trees and crumbling stone.


20200912_123147 (1).jpg

The castle sits on a cliff roughly 100 meters above the Seine River.

White chalk cliffs can be seen in the distance.


20200912_131023 (1).jpg

Trails leading around the castle ruins and up into the hillside offer various vantage points of the area, each with their own spectacular view of the river and town below.


20200912_123447 (1).jpg

20200912_123407 (1).jpg

We spent a bit of time here looking out over the landscape before heading onto a trail leading into the woods.


20200912_122702 (1).jpg

20200912_122803 (1).jpg

20200912_125514 (1).jpg

There were people in the area, all out for a hike in the nice weather, but it wasn't too busy so we allowed our dog to explore the path off leash.


20200912_124427 (1).jpg

The trail wound its way down the mountain and then back up to a point higher than when we started. We eventually came to a large clearing in the trees that allowed us to look down on the Donjon of the old castle.


20200912_125921 (1).jpg

The trail that we chose was one large loop that ended back at the parking lot. If you aren't ready to head home at this point then you could continue on, exploring the many other trails leading in the opposite direction. You could also have a picnic in the grass in the large field surrounding the parking lot.


20200912_130330 (1).jpg

20200912_121959 (1).jpg

We had had enough that day so we took one last look at the castle before heading back down to our car.


20200912_130724 (1).jpg

That’s it for now. Thanks for Reading

Sort:  

Those are some really nice shots! It looks like a very lovely area. Now that my wife are retired we hope to do some traveling. I will have to add Les Andelys to the list.

Thsnks, I'm glad you liked them. Its a nice spot for a hike

Your balance is below 0.3 HIVE. Your account is running low and should be replenished. Check out the Dustsweeper FAQ here: https://hive.blog/dustsweeper/@dustsweeper/dustsweeper-s-faq

This is why I enjoy Hive so much. I love touring other parts of the world. Thanks for taking us on this great hike. Old architecture and great views are wonderful.

Yes I agree. The Hive is a great place to see the world from others perspectives. Thanks for the comment :)

Those castle ruins look so stunning at the top of the hill and I particularly like the bits that are leaning, but not yet and hopefully won't fall. The white chalk cliffs are interesting as well. We have a lot of them on the south coast, but they're really high cliff facing the sea like at Dover port, don't think I've seen many inland and with vegatation before.

Yes, I know which cliffs you are referring to. France has their own cliffs, sisters to those of Dover but across the water of course. I saw them in Etretat and Ault. There are quite a few places with chalk cliffs inland here as well. Some areas are known for their troglodytes, which are old homes carved into the limestone cliffs. Most are used today as sheds or garages but there are some troglodyte Airbnbs that look pretty cool. I've never stayed in one, just seen pictures. I would put money on it that there are a lot in the cliffs beyond the city in the photos I posted. They are often seen while driving under the cliffs, in the backyards of homes built along the roads.

Les Andelys is certainly a quiet but nature-filled town! I love the richness of its vibrant green surroundings. Like you, I’ve never seen a white peacock in person as well. (I’ve only seen the dark-colored birds.) And by their looks on the picture, they are as white as snow and gorgeous indeed! Were you able to capture a photo of it fully spreading their white feathers?

No spread feathers unfortunately. That would have been cool to see. I think they only do that during their matkng rituals though and I don't know when their seaon is for that.

No worries. That’s true, it would have been a magnificent sight!

It is a truly fantastic landscape @leaky20.

I don't know anything from Paris up to France. On the other hand, I know the southern part a lot that I visit many times during the years that I lived in Italy.

Greetings.

I have visited a lot of the northern part of France but I have yet to visit the south of France. I hope to eventually. I suppose we are opposites in that regard. Maybe one day I will even make my way to Italy

Stunning! The castle blends so well with the landscape, especially with the white chalk cliffs. I don't think I have ever seen a white peacock before. Thank you for taking us on a hike in France.

Yes, I agree about the castle and that was my first time seeing one as well. I don't think that the white ones are as common as the blue

Wow! What a magical place.
I can imagine having a picnic on one of those green fields.

Yeah. We didn't do that but we saw others doing it. It looked nice.

Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍

Did you know every user has their own profile map?
And so does every post as well!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Pinmapple
  • Click the get code button
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (Hive only)
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #985.

Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!

Become part of our travel community:

Cool! I'll check it out. Thanks.

Wow! What a great place. Thanks for sharing with us.

Glad you liked it.