Parc départemental du Val Joly (Val Joly Departmental Park)

Val Joly Departmental Park Sculptures on the banks of the park in Val Joly. Pepite photography

Do you want to relax, exercise, take part in activities and have a good day out in fresh air and natural surroundings?
The Parc départemental du Val Joly, which is part of Avesnois Nature Park on the edge of the Ardennes in 'Terres de Thiérache', offers everything you need. Its 14,826 acres of wood and forest, as well as the biggest lake north of Paris (445 acres) provide all the fresh air you could possibly be looking for!
As far as activities are concerned, the park offers aquatic games in an outdoor swimming pool, with two pools (one measuring 8,073 sq ft, the other 15,823 sq ft), a big slide and artificial beaches. Water sports enthusiasts are also catered for, with catamarans, kayaks, canoes, windsurf boards and sailing dinghies all available for hire. Fishermen and women can indulge their passion by hiring out a fishing boat fully equipped with an engine, jerrycan, grapnel, oars and life jackets.
An 18-hole mini-golf course, 10 trampolines and an archery range with 6 targets should keep you happy if you are not a fan of the water.
However, the main activity to enjoy on a stay here is exploring the environment of the park itself.
Indeed, there are many possibilities here, whether you are hoping for a simple stroll or a longer hike.
A mountain bike and hybrid bike centre has all the equipment you could need (helmets, baby carriers and a cleaning station) to safely tackle one of the 6 marked and maintained off-road tracks in Val Joly. The footpath next to the lake is specially designed for seasoned walkers, with circuits measuring 11 and 13 mi. A more family-oriented stroll is provided by the 3-mi 'Les Roquettes' lakeside circuit.
There is also a walk for keen birdwatchers that takes in a diverse range of vegetation providing shelter for ducks, cormorants, grebes, herons, sandpipers, calidrids and ospreys, who live and nest on the water meadows at the end of Val Joly. The hedgerows and forest environment are perfect habitats for various types of buzzard, common kestrels, tits and robins. The best way to learn about this bird life is to follow the educational route with its 14 observation stations and explanations on the birdcalls, morphology and behaviour of the various species along the way. Don't forget your binoculars!
If horses are more your thing, the park opened its riding centre in 2005 and now has a club house with changing-rooms, toilets, showers, a gentleman's club, stables consisting of 20 loose-boxes and 5 stalls, a hay loft and 49 acres of pasture for the horses. Visitors can take lessons in riding and dressage or go on longer treks and outings.
The accommodation possibilities include a 3-star campsite, chalets and other options in the village.
Parc départemental du Val Joly
Maison du Val Joly BP 25. 59132 Eppe Sauvage, France.
Tel.: +33 (0)3 27 61 83 76.