www.ot-mortagneauperche.fr. A busy little town surrounded by the woodlands and valleys of the Perche, Mortagne is a popular starting point for touring and activity holidays in the area.

In town, there are two small museums, one devoted to the philosopher Alain (1868-1951), and the Musée du Perdieron, in the old gatehouse, Porte Saint-Denis. The Eglise de Notre-Dame mixes Gothic and Renaissance elements with some fine 18thC wood carvings rescued from a nearby Carthusian monastery; and you can take a quiet stroll around the 16thC cloister in the former Couvent Saint-Fran√笵cois.

Once you have exhausted these minor distractions, the tourist office has all manner of brochures and suggestions for short walks or hiking trails, cycle hire, tennis, golf and equestrian centres, also visits to studs and horse shows to see the local horseflesh in action (see Activity Holidays) [clickable]. The region gives its name to the powerful dapple-grey Percheron drays, but local studs are also famous for breeding and training thoroughbred race horses, trotters and cross breed hunters on the rich grasslands.

Another Perche speciality, built along much the same lines as its drays, is the fortified manor house. Several of these imposing grey stone complexes, dating from the 15th-16thC, can be seen from the road, such as the Manoir de la Vove (14 km south-east, off the D10). Three others are within a short radius of Nocé (see Bellême).

The region’s best-known gastronomic product is boudin noir or black pudding from Mortagne, celebrated with its own fair on the third weekend of March. You will find it served up just about everywhere with a side order of apple slices.