AU MILIEU DE NULLE PART gites, treehouse and gipsy caravan at lac du der in the champagne region

At 2 hours 30 minutes from Paris, 1 hour from Reims and 40 minutes from Troyes, "Au Milieu de Nulle Part" is a complex with group and out-of-the-ordinary accommodation at Lake Der in Champagne. Right at the heart of nature, 3 km from the village of Outines and 1.8 km from Lac du Der directly accessible by hiking trails of Saint Jacques de Compostela and Via Francigena, our complex is composed of three types of tourist accommodation:

A group gite called "Les clés d’Emeraude“ (The Emerald Keys)

A treehouse called “La Cabane aux Secrets” (The Secret Hut)

A  gypsy caravan called “La Roulotte des Elfes” (The Elf Gipsy Caravan)

This is the ideal site for a wonderful holiday for families, friends, couples and groups.

The region of the lake and the ponds of Der are well known by nature lovers, hikers, cyclists and birdwatchers. 300 species of birds can be found on this remarkable ornithological site: cranes, geese, waders, ducks, raptors including the rare white-tailed sea eagle and the osprey ...

The slopes and wine cellars that Champagne is known for are not too far away and surround us both in the North, and in the South only twenty kilometres away.

A location steeped in history

A former half-timbered hunting lodge, the origins of this property date back to Napoleon III, with the site going as far back as the early Middle Ages, where the monks shaped this landscape of ponds, groves and oak forests. Taking the name of "the Stone" in tribute to St. Peter, patron saint of fishermen and the term Der, which comes from the word "oak" in Celtic. The most beautiful remains of this country of clay and water are the typical half-timbered churches of the region, including Outines, the largest of this unique ensemble in the world.

A protected natural heritage

This exceptional site is now protected and classified Natura 2000, ZNIEFF, ZICO, Special Protection Area and Ramsad. The three large ponds of the Landres, Grand Coulon and Forest are now owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral and Lacustres Shore and are co-managed by the League for the Protection of Birds and the ONC.

Ornithologists, animal photography enthusiasts and hikers gather here and walk directly from "Au Milieu de Nulle Part" to the 4 observatories that are located on an 8-kilometre trail between the ponds and Lake Der.

I, too, am passionate about nature and birds so I’ll be happy to help you discover what this area has to offer.

Chantal - Manager of Au milieu de Nulle Part SARL

From Au Milieu de Nulle Part, several marked hiking loop tracks allow you to discover, on foot or by bike, the exceptional bio-diversity of the region's natural heritage and half-timbered buildings:

- Outines pond track: 8 km, 2 hours, yellow/black markings

- "Between Ponds and Lake Der" Track 16 km, 5 hours, red/white markings partly then yellow/black