Topic summary
Compiègne Forest
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Forest of Compiègne.
Characteristics
The forest sustains a great number of game animals including deer, rabbit and wild boar, and the varied terrain – plateaus cut by valleys and gorges, hills, streams and ponds – makes for challenging hunting. For centuries the Compiègne forest has been a prized hunting ground for virtually all the kings of France. Some 350 roads and pathways cross it adding up to over six hundred miles of trail with stately vintage signposts marking most of the intersections. The oldest ones include a small red mark which shows the direction to the château, relics of an imperial order given during the Second French Empire after the Empress Eugénie found herself lost in the thick woods.