A French Game Fair? Any journey through rural France will reveal the French love of hunting, shooting and fishing- la Peche, la Chasse . As France is so much bigger a country geographically and as the French are seldom squeamish about the source of their food, the opportunities are numerous and hunting is often an integral part of local life especially in rural areas – and although it may be almost exclusively a male pursuit, it is not confined to the wealthy elite.
Hence a visit to a French Game Fair at the Lamotte-Beuvron (41 Loir-et-Cher, Centre -Val de Loire ) 14 – 16 June 2024 could be an interesting day, with insights to a significant part of “la vie francaise!” Running for 3 days “la plus grand fete de Chasse et de la nature” the venue is in the heart of the Sologne , a vast wilderness area teeming with wildlife and natural vegetation.
For centuries, the oak groves, pine woods, heathland, marshland and clearings have been managed in line with the original purpose – hunting. Nowadays, that primary concern combines with organisation of amenities for the visiting public and a continuous focus on landscape quality. The area is managed with sustainable development firmly in mind, and is home to a whole range of animal and vegetable species that form part of our national heritage.
An area is ideal with cycle paths, walking and mountain-bike tracks and riding trails, along with observatories that are open to all comers, to help them make the utmost of the flora and fauna .
The Sologne is just south of the Loire and easily accessible off the A10 autoroute and was originally part of the royal hunting park – see www.loirevalleytourism.com
Another attraction is that nearby are the Cheverny and Cour-Cheverny wine appellations – predominantly white wines and home to the seldom-seen Romorantin grape- we can recommend a visit to Domaine des Huards in nearby Cour-Cheverny where Michel and Jocelyne Gendrier will always give you a warm welcome.
I was confused for a long time about the numerous signs along country roads for “Ball Trap” until I discovered that it is the French for clay-pigeon shooting!
The French Game Fair is of the same size and content as the CLA Game Fair in the UK (except that moves from venue to venue). The content is now much more shopping than field sports for, even in France, there is now a general distate for the thought of killing ones food. The young people are too used to buying food wrapped in cellophane and plastic and not bearing any relation to an actual animal. My dqaughter has lived in France for 20 years and she says the mood has changed a lot over the past ten years, many believing that France should follow the UK Labour Government and ban fox hunting.
The one thing they do at Chambord which is not done at the CLA is that during the Sunday morning service in the ring, the French bless the hounds. I think this is rather nice.
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The French Game Fair is of the same size and content as the CLA Game Fair in the UK (except that moves from venue to venue). The content is now much more shopping than field sports for, even in France, there is now a general distate for the thought of killing ones food. The young people are too used to buying food wrapped in cellophane and plastic and not bearing any relation to an actual animal. My dqaughter has lived in France for 20 years and she says the mood has changed a lot over the past ten years, many believing that France should follow the UK Labour Government and ban fox hunting.
The one thing they do at Chambord which is not done at the CLA is that during the Sunday morning service in the ring, the French bless the hounds. I think this is rather nice.