Circuit of Bois Badaraud

Managed by the NFB, this wood was badly damaged during the 1999 storm. In 2005, oaks, alders, chestnut trees, beech trees, hornbeams and birches were replanted. One can appreciate a great variety of flora (yellow marsh iris, Touch-me-not balsam, Purple toothwort, etc.). On the ground, ferns, ivy, blackberries and hawthorns grow vigorously, and thanks to the swampy areas, this wood constitutes a privileged habitat for many fauna species (fish, amphibians, aquatic mammals, remarkable bat species...).

It rises at Puyfraud and flows 22 km further into the Briance. It is an abundant river, sometimes subject to flooding. There are trout, sculpins and minnows, species very sensitive to the quality of the aquatic environment, such as the European Otter, which also inhabits this watercourse, and the Eurasian water shrew, one of the largest shrew species. Finally, there are several species of toads, frogs, and other salamanders, newts, and green and yellow snakes.

As in much of the region, river flows have long been used to create energy. The Bois Badaraud mill produced flour until the beginning of the 20th century. It has long been abandoned and is now in ruins, and it suffered extensive damage during the 1999 storm.

Several small bridges cross the river. The footbridges are made of chestnut, while the older bridge is a plank bridge, characteristic of the region. It is made up of stone pillars surmounted by monolithic stone "planks". Stone is also omnipresent along the river, where many blocks of gneiss can be found.