La Vallée des Eaux Claires

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Le June 30, 2023

Set off to discover the beautiful Vallée des Eaux Claires in Charente. It has been classified as a “site of European interest” because of its ecological wealth. With its limestone cliffs and Mediterranean vegetation you will find a false air of “Causses”.

To the south, the limestone lands and shallow soil favor the presence of Mediterranean plants. Often rare, they form what we call dry lawns. This vegetation exposed to the sun contrasts with cooler lands on the northern slopes and the humid valley floor. This is where the Eaux Claires stream flows.

Natural climbing site World famous, the Vallée des Eaux-Claires attracts visitors from all walks of life to discover its walls. While others come for a real pilgrimage to the Eaux-Claires valley. It is home to the famous mill at the heart of the saga “Le moulin du loup” by Charente author Marie-Bernadette DUPUY.

From geological times to human occupation

The Vallée des Eaux Claires is a 13 km tributary on the left bank of the Charente river. With its neighbors Anguienne, Boëme and Charraud, they form the peri-Angoumois limestone valleys. These valleys cut into a large plateau formed of hard limestone, dating from the Turonian. They result from successive deposits of marine animals when the sea covered the Charente in the Cretaceous. Subsequently, the alternations of freezing and thawing of the Quaternary period dug the rock shelters on the rocky slopes.

During the Middle Paleolithic, people found favorable conditions for their settlement in these valleys: water, game, caves. But also raw material for making tools. The traces of this occupation are numerous

A picturesque valley, a source of biodiversity

The site was classified in 1941 under the 1930 Landscape Law for the quality of its landscapes. Particularly its monumental chalk cliffs and rock shelters on the right bank. It must therefore be protected from "any serious damage."

At the top of the cliffs, a draining basement and a southern exposure have favored the installation of specific vegetation. When it is shaved, it is made up of annual and perennial plants: limestone lawns. Also called thatches, they shelter rare flowers of southern or mountain affinity.

Discovery Trails and Awareness

In 2006, Greater Angoulême implemented the “Eaux Claires du Temps” interpretation trail. It offers an original discovery of the valley to the rhythm of time, through 9 stations.