Rand’eau

Some of our UK friends arrived with us on Thursday evening. We had not been together as a group for quite a while, so it was wonderful spending time catching up on what everyone had been doing. Such valuable time.

We had told them that Friday was ‘Rand’eau’ day. Everyone was intrigued about this mini adventure, and asked so many questions, but the truth of it was that we were not really certain what to expect ourselves. We just told them they needed to wear clothes they didn’t mind getting wet, and shoes they could walk in water in, along a river bed.

Friday came, and after a little excursion to the market we headed off to Les Riceys, the meeting point for Le Rand’eau.

We met our guide, Maximilian, and said our hello’s to the rest of the group, about 20 people in total. He then lead us down into the river. He described some of the wildlife we would be searching out and other things to look out for.

The first thing we came across was a male demoiselle. He explained how you can tell between the male and female and where the larvae could be found.

His enthusiasm for nature was infectious, and we were soon all scouring the water looking for little fishes and bugs. Learning about the waterside plants and vegetation.

The river walk took us under and over bridges, through shallow areas and along deeper sections. One being where the old lavoir had been built, but was now just a ruin beneath the water.

We saw trout and little mud skipper-like fishes and even caught a small crayfish along the way.

It was an absolutely brilliant afternoon, and we are now looking forward to doing some of Maximilian’s other walks.