Bent trees

Not far from Epernay is a small forest featuring Beech trees with a genetic mutation that causes them to grow in short, twisted shapes.  You can visit the forest and it has been marked out with trails and tracks.   The trees are now surrounded by barriers so you can't carve your initials into the bark, or damage the low-hanging branches by walking on them.

The wood is known by the name of the Faux de Verzy, Fau being the old French name for Beech, and Verzy being the nearest town.  (Champagne also features the villages of Bouzy and Dizy, which I thought was cute)

The forest walks claim to be suitable for people with various handicaps, including blind people, but I must admit I struggled to understand how blind people would benefit from a collection of trees that you can't touch.

However, we had a pleasant walk in a quiet woods, a short break in our Champagne hunting.