Boncourt: Nature Trails and Cultural Heritage

Boncourt offers two distinct starting points for planning a trip: nature trails and local cultural heritage. The Vallée des Cailles is home to a circular trail and a protected valley landscape, while the Église Saint Martin de Boncourt connects local history with architecture and art. Which of these aspects you choose to explore can shape the character of your stay.

Nature Trails and Landscapes

The Vallée des Cailles has been a regional nature reserve since February 2012. This dry valley on the edge of a state forest is characterised by chalk grassland and woodland. A 4 km circular trail leads through the area; an information board stands at the edge of the chalk grassland. The Vallée is open to the public. As access information, trail signs and conditions may change, check them before your visit.

The Vallée des Cailles is known for its 14 orchid species and is nicknamed “Vallée aux orchidées” (“Orchid Valley”). The flora is therefore also part of the dry valley’s natural appeal. Visitors particularly interested in orchids and protected landscapes will find a clear focus here. The information board at the edge of the chalk grassland is a specific point of reference in the area.

The Vallée des Cailles lies on the GR 22 and offers a scenic walk. From the centre of Boncourt, access to the Vallée is via the RD 21-2 towards Rouvres; before the last houses, the GR 22 branches off to the right. The direction of Rouvres and the turn-off before the last houses are useful landmarks for finding this access route.

Another natural area is Les Côtes de Boncourt, a protected site on the chalk slopes of the Vesgre Valley in Boncourt. Well-preserved chalk grassland characterises this area. Alongside the dry valley of the Vallée des Cailles, the chalk slopes of the Vesgre Valley thus provide a distinct natural feature in the local area.

The Vesgre Valley in Boncourt also has a walking trail. The descriptions of the trails differ in specific ways: the Vallée des Cailles has a 4 km circular trail and is associated with the GR 22, while the Vesgre Valley is described as having a walking trail. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between a named circular route and another walking trail in Boncourt.

Church and Quarry History

The Église Saint Martin de Boncourt was built in the 16th century from white stone from the Boncourt quarry. Its features include three paintings: a 19th-century Christ on the Cross, an Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and a Deposition from the Cross from the late 19th century. These subjects and their different dates give the church its own art-historical significance.

There are also partially unfinished black-and-white frescoes by Paul Ackerman, created around the 1960s. Together with the older church building and the 19th-century paintings, they reflect several periods in Boncourt’s architectural and artistic history.

The former Boncourt quarry near La Garenne d’Oulins was worked until the 1950s. Stone from the Boncourt quarry was used in numerous buildings, including the Château d’Anet, the Église Saint Pierre d’Oulins and the Église Saint Aignant de Gilles. The quarry’s history adds a connection to local materials and construction history to the cultural heritage focus of a visit.

Discover more destinations: Mézières-en-Drouais, Béthonvilliers, Ouarville, Champrond-en-Gâtine, Faverolles, Barjouville, Flacey, Hanches.

For the broader travel overview: Eure-Et-Loir.