Those who love the Great Outdoors and like to get out and about to explore will have plenty of places to do so while holidaying in France, which ranges from a windswept northern coast and a Mediterranean south coast to Alpine peaks, and from fields of lavender to lush pastures. Amongst all of your options, one of the most picture perfect of all is the 2,000-hectare Néouvielle Nature Reserve. Located right next to the Pyrenees National Park, this incredible part of the world is a lake district with snow peaks and an idyllic glacier-sculpted scenery comprised of meadows, pine forests, mirror-like lakes and much more besides. If you have found a vacation rental in Midi-Pyrénées, be sure to come and see this computer wallpaper come to life...
The Néouvielle Nature Reserve, or Réserve naturelle nationale du Néouvielle, was established as a nature reserve in 1968 and is open to visitors each year from April to September. It is a rather extraordinary place, comprised of around 80 lakes (the largest of these being the Lac d’Orédon, the Lac de l’Oule, Lac d’Aubert and Lac d’Omar), thickets of mountain pine that reach a European record-breaking 2,600m high, a lush fauna made up of 1,250 vascular plants, 370 animal species, and 570 breeds of algae. Among the creatures that you can expect to encounter there are alpine marmots, heather cocks, red crossbills, golden eagles, griffons, egyptian vultures, bearded vultures, the unique Pyrenean desman (an odd semi-aquatic mammal found only in the Pyrenees and northern Spain), salamanders, isards, the midwife toad (which remains a tadpole for almost its entire life), deer, and more.
Across the park, you will find a network of marked paths that can be followed according to your preferences, of varying difficulty. Many trails are tough enough and they can get quite remote so be sure to be careful in choosing that you pick the correct route for your needs and ability. However, even if you're coming for a more casual hike, you will be well rewarded with some of the most magical views you could ever imagine. This is truly one of the most beautiful parts of France.
Across the park, you will find a network of marked paths that can be followed according to your preferences, of varying difficulty. Many trails are tough enough and they can get quite remote so be sure to be careful in choosing that you pick the correct route for your needs and ability. However, even if you're coming for a more casual hike, you will be well rewarded with some of the most magical views you could ever imagine. This is truly one of the most beautiful parts of France.
Photo credit: PACI LAETITIA / CC BY-SA 3.0
