Parc de Bodélio "RDV aux jardins"

Self-guided tour of Bodélio Park this weekend. Admire the waterfall cascading into its seven basins, each with its own cascade, then stroll along the pond to the newly restored pavilion. Enjoy the tranquility of the oak-lined avenue. Self-guided tour from 1:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Please wear shoes suitable for walking in the meadow, as the shale of the waterfall and pathways is slippery. Accessible to people with disabilities. Dogs are welcome on a leash. Information: +33 6 10 07 01 40. GPS: Porte de Fer, 56220 Malansac. English-style park with water features and waterfalls, attributed to Alphand, currently undergoing restoration. Winner of the Lyonnaise des Eaux DH Prize 1999 and the Historic Garden Foundation DH Prize 2001. Winner of the 2002 French Heritage Society DH VMF Prize. In the 15th century, the park was a wooded and marshy area, a hunting reserve for the Lords of Rieux Rochefort. It was enclosed by a schist wall 11 km long and approximately 3 m high. Around 1684, the park was called Bodélio Park. A house served as lodging for the magistrates in the service of the Lords of Rochefort. From 1750 to 1842, the park's trees were used by clog makers, charcoal burners, and pit sawyers. From 1842 to 1850, the Paris-Orléans Railway Company exploited the 367 hectares of woodland. The park was subsequently purchased by wealthy landowners. In 1850, Mr. Simon commissioned Mr. Alphand, the chief engineer for the beautification of the city of Paris, to landscape the area around the house and the pond. He cultivated a large portion of the land and established the Val Simon and Kerdrio farms. François Forest, the future mayor of Malansac, acquired it in 1890 and undertook extensive drainage work. The park still belongs to his descendants. The Vau Billy cross was erected at the highest point of the estate by Madame Forest after the First World War to thank God for the return of her sons, François and René, who would later succeed his father as mayor of Malansac. The road leading to the Iron Gate forms a majestic avenue lined with tall trees.