One is on the left bank and is the largest, it is the forêt de Brotonne. The second faces it on the right bank, the forêt du Trait-Maulévrier. Each has its charms, but both conceal a few treasures that we’re going to reveal to you.
Midway between Rouen and Le Havre, the Brotonne state forest overlooks the penultimate bend in the Seine.
The original name “Forêt Arelaune” was changed to “Forêt de l’Union nationale” during the Revolution.The 6750 hectares that make up the state forest are part of the Parc Naturel Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande.It belongs to the State and is managed by the ONF – Office National des Forêts.
There are different parts of the Brotonne forest, state, municipal or private, covering a total area of 10,000 hectares.
Oaks, beeches and Scots pines offer a magnificent spectacle whose colours change with the seasons.
The Brotonne forest is also characterised by its ponds and its viewpoints over the valley and the Seine, such as the belvedere at La Mailleraye-sur-Seine, which offers a panoramic view of the river and Jumièges Abbey.
The vat oak is another of the forest’s attractions. More than 380 years old, it is made up of four barrels forming a vat in the centre where water collects. It is said to have therapeutic properties.
And then, how can we not mention the Saint-Maur chapel in the commune of Vatteville-la-Rue. A place of worship, but also of superstition. People used to come on pilgrimage to ask for children to be cured by tying knots with the thinnest branches of trees.
Still today, pieces of cloth are tied to the branches. This is known as the “rag tree”.
