The Eawy Forest is one of the biggest forests of the

Pays de Bray The Pays de Bray (, literally ''Land of Bray'') is a small (about 750 km²) natural region of France situated to the north-east of Rouen, straddling the French departments of the Seine-Maritime and the Oise (historically divided among the ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France. It covers an area of 6550 hectares between the communes of Saint-Saëns and

Dampierre-Saint-Nicolas Dampierre-Saint-Nicolas is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A farming village situated by the banks of the river Béthune in the Pays de Caux, some southeast of Dieppe, at the juncti ...

, about 20 km south-east of

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

and not far from

Neufchâtel-en-Bray Neufchâtel-en-Bray (; Norman: ''Neucâtel-en-Bray, Le Câtel'') is a commune situated in the Seine-Maritime department of the Normandy Region, northern France. The Neufchâtel cheese is made in the area. Geography Location Neufchâtel is a co ...

. The village of Ventes-Saint-Rémy is located in the centre of a clearing.

Toponymy

Eawy (pronounced , but previously ) is an

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

term, derived from the noun ''eve'', ''ewe'' an old form of the French word ''eau'', meaning here "wet".

Natural environment

The forest borders a large ridge which separates the

Varenne Varenne (foaled in Copparo, Italy, 19 May 1995) is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu. Varenne is considered to be the best trotter of all time. No other trotter has won so many of the most important races in the ...

in the SW from the

Béthune Béthune ( ; archaic and ''Bethwyn'' historically in English) is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department. Geography Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated south-east of Calais, ...

in the NE; it is a small

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

, varying in altitude between 130 and 230 metres, descending in a convex slope to the

. Although the forest is not crossed by any

watercourse A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long large streams are ...

, the flint clay which covers the

retains a fair amount of moisture. Previously an oak plantation, it was transformed into a beech grove in the 19th century by the forestry workers. Thus it now mainly comprises

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

es (''Fagus sylvatica''); there are also some

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam' ...

s, ashes, wild cherry and

sycamore maple ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', known as the sycamore in the British Isles and as the sycamore maple in the United States, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large deciduous, broad-leaved tree, tol ...

s. The forest is crossed, at its centre, by the Allée des Limousins, a mostly straight clearing 14 km long and 20 to 30 metres wide, cut in the 16th century by Gabriel de Limoges.

Climate

There is an

oceanic Oceanic may refer to: *Of or relating to the ocean *Of or relating to Oceania **Oceanic climate **Oceanic languages **Oceanic person or people, also called "Pacific Islander(s)" Places * Oceanic, British Columbia, a settlement on Smith Island, ...

climate, with mean annual precipitation of 950 mm and a mean annual temperature around 10.1 °C and a narrow temperature range (4.5 °C in January, 16.5 °C in August).

History and exploitation

The Eawy Forest is a vestige of the large forests which covered the region in the first millennium AD, but has suffered great clearances. Owned by the

Dukes of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles III in 911. In 924 and again in 933, Normandy ...

, it was seriously damaged during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the forest sheltered launching pads for the German

V1 rockets The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...

targeting London. The forest was further damaged by these military installations and by Allied bombing. The damaged areas were replanted with

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s after the war. The Eawy forest was long a source of wealth for the inhabitants of the region, providing wood for many

sawmills A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and glassworks. The quality of the

wood drew many wood workers to settle in the nearby villages, starting in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, making wooden chests. In the 16th century, these wood workers constructed recreational houses for the nobility. The desire for luxury furniture in the Italian style led to a heavy demand for their services. Nowadays, families use the forest for walks and cycle rides. It is also used for hunting and for wood. It is well stocked with

game (hunting) Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, thou ...

, including

red deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of wes ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

and

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

Protection

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

zone covers a part of the plateau, at the north (Croc massif) and south (Cusson camp) extremities, with an area of 692 ha. The forests of Eawy and Arques and the Varenne valley are within a ''

zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique A Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (Natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora), abbreviated as ZNIEFF, is a type of natural environment recognized by France. The inventory of a ZNIEFF area is an invent ...

''.

Curiosities

The forest is crossed by the Allée des Limousins, a straight line for a motorable part of 14 km from Maucomble to Muchedent (Pubel farm). The Saint-Etienne chapel is a chapel of 12m² located in the middle of the wood in the town of

Rosay, Seine-Maritime Rosay () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A forestry and farming village situated by the banks of the river Varenne in the Pays de Bray at the junction of the D195, D97 and the D98 ...

. The Père Antoine is a hundred year old beech with an exceptional circumference located at

Les Grandes-Ventes Les Grandes-Ventes is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A large village of farming, forestry and associated light industry situated in the Pays de Bray, some southeast of Dieppe at t ...

References

Bibliography

External links

{{commons category, Forêt d'Eawy Forests of France Geography of Normandy Tourist attractions in Normandy Natura 2000 in France