La Brenne
The natural heart of France

Saturday 17 - Friday 23 May 2008 (7 days)

A Pond Terrapin basks in the early morning sun by a reedbed where Great Reed and Savi's Warblers sing. Out over the lake Black and Whiskered Terns hawk for surface insects, while a succession of Purple Herons fly into their colony in the reeds, untroubled by the constant presence of Marsh Harriers. Suddenly, a tiny black and buff heron flies out from the reeds across the water to vanish again into the thicket on the other side - a Little Bittern, one of Europe's most secretive waterbirds...

© Colin Preston/Nature Portfolio
photo of Little Bittern
Little Bittern

            download a report of one of our previous trips to this area

La Brenne is a magical place: more than a thousand lakes, they say, surrounded by a superb mix of woodland, dry heath and open farmland. The lakes have been managed for centuries to provide fish, and a complex pattern of ownership has led to a huge diversity of habitats, both wet and dry. Right in the middle of France, there is a unique mix of northern, southern and continental species making it an ideal spot for a short French wildlife holiday. This will be our eleventh visit to La Brenne.


Price: £ 1,145

Single supp. £ 155 per room
Deposit: £ 300 per person

The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Stansted-Tours/Poitiers, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership.

The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

*For an ex-flight cost of the tour (ex Tours/Poitiers) please deduct £ 100 per person from the tour cost.

Please note that this tour can be combined with our Loire & Sologne tour for a wonderful fortnight! Deduct £100 pp if you are booking both.

Leaders: Mike & Liz Read

La Brenne map


Itinerary
Day 1
We fly from London Stansted to Tours/Poitiers where we meet Mike & Liz Read, and collect our minibuses. From here it is about a two-hour drive down to La Brenne. Our base is a chateau-hotel set in its own grounds, with good food and excellent morning and evening birdwatching around the hotel’s own woods and lake.
Overnight La Brenne

Days 2 – 6
The lakes themselves in La Brenne should be hosting over 500 pairs of Whiskered Terns (the best French site for these), nesting amongst the water lilies. Herons are especially good with several Grey and Purple Heronries, and Bittern, Little Bittern and Night Heron all possible. Cattle Egrets are recent colonists and nest alongside Little Egret, which, with the odd summering Great White Egret, makes eight possible heron species. Raptors, too, can be absolutely stunning and include Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Black Kite, Honey Buzzard and all three harriers. Around the lakes Red-backed Shrikes hunt the hedgerows, and Hoopoes call from the meadows. We also hope that Bee-eaters return to a riverside colony and fill the air with their liquid calls.

The woods have the usual mix of continental species, including Golden Oriole, Bonelli's Warbler, Crested Tit and Hawfinch, with Wryneck in some orchards. The farmland is rather special, and has breeding Stone Curlew, Quail, and Montagu's Harrier.

The butterflies can be good if the weather is fine, and the variety of dragonflies is excellent. Numerous species of orchids will be among the many flowers which add a fine splash of colour to the countryside at this time.
Five nights La Brenne

Day 7   
We may have time for a little birdwatching in the morning before our flight home.

Accommodation
3-star hotel based around a 19th century chateau set in its own grounds, with excellent regional cuisine. All rooms are en suite.

Numbers: Max. 12 clients