The Acon Valley

Balisage Continuité d'itinéraire Mauvaise direction Changement de direction

Corbie Woods 0 250 500 750 1 km

Acon Valley D 1001 Amiens

La Chaussée Sarrazin Tirancourt Ditch D 191 Caracou Woods Caesar’s Camp (Future) Water Viewpont Le Camp SAMARA Cautelasse Wetlands

Saint Sauveur Wooded areas

Chalk-banks

Starting point Be careful: Turn right

The site is closed during hunting periods. © CEN Picardie Car Park Take the right turn over the Keep dogs on leads when crossing the Park at Samara embankment of the Sarrazin hillside to point 8 during grazing periods. Car Park Ditch. Not suitable for horse riding or cycling Variation: return via the minor (stiles) The Acon Valley Cross the road via the passage, road Starting at: Samara Protect the natural environment Car Park go down the steps and take the Cross the stile and follow the To help with the conservation of the rich natural La Chaussée-Tirancourt, Halfway along the Somme right turning trail across the chalk-bank habitats of this fragile site, please: 2km from Picquigny, 17km Valley enjoy a walk of great Time: 1 hour 15m Take the left turning and follow . Always use the marked trails from Amiens Cross the stile and return diversity: this is the major quality alongside the pasture to the trail . Keep gates and stiles closed . Respect the fauna and flora of the site - a fascinating journey Distance: 3.8km Turn left Continue along the trail . Take your litter away with you . Always keep dogs on leads through the wet valley to the dry Take the right turn and climb Take the trail to the right hillsides. the steps through the wooded area and This trail is maintained by the Route: moderate return to the pasture municipality of Chaussée-Tirancourt.

Sign posts Route continues Wrong direction Change of direction To find out more: Spring • Tourist Office: Picquigny : 03 22 51 46 85 Abbeville Summer www.amiens-ouest-tourisme.fr La Chaussée-Tirancourt 0 250 500 750 1 km Péronne • Somme Tourist Board: Picquigny Amiens This leaflet was created by www.somme-tourisme.com Autumn the Somme County Council www.somme-nature.com 43, rue de la République - 80026 Amiens cedex 1 Winter 03 22 71 80 80 www.somme.fr

Managers of the site: Walk

Exploring the natural sites

Summer 2012 Summer Updates and printing: imp. Cg80 - Translation: C. Carnel - - Carnel C. Translation: - Cg80 imp. printing: and Updates Written by: Nathalie Saillard - Design: L’Agence par A Propos Propos A par L’Agence Design: - Saillard Nathalie by: Written 6 © B. Teissedre 3 monthseveryyear”. of the Acon Valley bygrazingherefor2to and areverysociable. They maintainthesite animals, wellsuitedtograzinginwetzones bio-diversity. The Nantaiscowsarerustic of “Nantais” cattle, andtomaintainthe This hasallowedustopreserveararebreed Naturels dePicardie, whomanagethesite. Parcelet andtheConservatoire d’Espaces years agobetweentheLycée Agricole du A partnershipwas putintoplaceafew Council Council of Picardie, SommeCounty Agence d’Eau Artois-Picardie, Regional > Financialpartners: Europe, State, de Communesl’Ouest Amienois Paraclet, acattlefarmer, Communauté Municipality, Lycée Agricole du > Maintenancepartners: d’Espaces NaturelsdePicardie > Managedby:Conservatoire > Size: 11ha of Amiens CHU Municipality ofChaussée-Tirancourt, > Proprietor: SommeCountyCouncil, About thesite

© M. Bellanger carried outbytheConservatoire d’EspacesNaturels dePicardie. the chalk-bank. Manytypesoffaunaandflora flourishhere thankstotheconservation work with ponds. Ontheleftbank, achalkyhillsideiscovered withshortgrass andbushes: thisis bottom ofthevalley, theRiver Acon snakes across thewetlandsanddamppastures dotted Leading intotheSommeRiver, the Acon Valley hasawonderfuldiverse landscape. At the The Acon ValleyThe natural habitat. preserve this “Grazing animals Paraclet du Lycée Agricole Manager forthe Operations Bellanger, Michel

early morning orlateevening, During inthe thesummertime, insects, amphibians andbirds. with wildlife:micro-organisms, during badweather) are alive grasslands (regularly flooded join theGreat Water Dock. The swords ofthePurple Loosestrife Mint. On thebanks,pink of spring,orthefragrant Water large bunchesatthebeginning of largebuttercup thatgrows in as: theMarsh Marigold -akind common typesofplantssuch a pasture, you willrecognise grasslands. On theedgeof trail willtakeyou across the the Samara CarPark); amarked pointisopposite (the starting Accessible from theRD191 of tallgrassesandbushes. and solimitingthegrowth maintain thearea by grazing In summer, cows andhorses isofpasture lands. the scenery where theRiver Acon runs, At thebottom ofthevalley, Refresh yourself inthevalley butterflies, etc. butterflies, insects: crickets,grass-hoppers, You canalsoseemanytypesof as dodifferent aromatic plants. the Man Orchid -thrive here, Orchid (visiblefrom May) or orchids -suchastheFragrant About tendifferent speciesof mainly by Gramineae. the chalkyground, dominated atmosphere. Vegetation colours there isasouthernfeeltothe On theslopesofchalk-banks Take someheight apleasurein concert: tohear! you canlistentothegreen frogs © B. Teissedre looks over theAcon Valley, At theendofditch,which canbeseen. views From here, beautiful panoramic the Somme andAcon Valleys. make upthedominantslopesof which by thenatural ramparts protected on itstwootherflanks Today, itiscovered by fieldsand camp. Camp, aGallo-Roman fortified surrounding wallofCaesar’s the lastvisiblemark ofthe looks over the“Sarrazin Ditch”, Take theembankmentthat cultivated land ontheheights. through a wood ontothe The trailcontinuesclimbing willows live: aspecialtechnique This iswhere thepollarded taken across thegrasslands. stile andfindthetrailpreviously chalk-bank tomeetthesecond cross thestileanddescend © B. Teissedre flowers willcertainlydrawyoureye. flowers attheendofsummer. Itsfinelycut, mauve valley, andonthemanybanks, theChilternGentian The ChilternGentian: On the hillsidesbordering the arboretum. marshlands, reed bedsandan discover avariety ofhabitats: visitors butalsoallows you to offers ahistoricalinterest to Archaeological Park notonly Close by, the Samara protected onaEuropean level. remarkable planttoPicardy and raregoats; aparticularly and Mustard from beingeaten by October, protects the Tumble seen ontheleftfrom June to enclosed area, whichcanbe their curioussilhouettes. The branches are cutgivingthetrees for timbering,where onlythe © CEN Picardie

plants. development ofthe not todisturbthe is supervisedsoas their presencehere hillsides. Of course, Fjord horses, andsheepgrazeonthe Nantais cattle, (anendangeredbreed), the “maintenanceworkforce”: From April toNovember, youwillmeet biotope since1994. prefectural orderofprotectionthe the sitehasbeenregulatedbya becoming anillegaldumpingground, natural habitatsandwas indangerof species, iscomposedofrare Because ithostsmanyprotected found here. most remarkableofthespeciestobe and theCommonParsley Frog arethe and hibernation. The GreatCrestedNewt and woodedareasforfeeding, shelter reproduction, andgrasslands, limestone, living conditions: aquaticareas for habitats whichprovidesuchexcellent all athomehere. Itisthecomplementary Acon Valley: toads, frogsand newtsare amphibians havebeencountedinthe Some tendifferent speciesof co-habit onthesite. Many species, includingtheCommonParsley Frog, wonderful indicatorsofthequalitywetzones. The CommonParsley Frog: Amphibiansare © CEN Picardie Man Orchid