Car boot sale of Villy-en-Trodes

The Villy-en-Trodes Car Boot Sale, in the Champagne Forest of the Côte des Bar

Every year in June, Villy-en-Trodes opens its annual car boot sale, a popular local event that brings together private exhibitors and visitors in the peaceful atmosphere of this wooded village in the Côte des Bar. The event is an opportunity to clear out attics of Aube homes and circulate objects that bear witness to the material memory of the region.

Villy-en-Trodes, Village of the Forest and the Trodes

Villy-en-Trodes is a commune in the Aube (10140) that takes its name from the Trodes plateau, a wooded and forested territory in the northeast of the Côte des Bar, in the Bar-sur-Aube sector. This area of the Aube, at the transition between the great Champagne plain and the first wooded foothills of the Langres plateau, is characterized by its state forests, its hornbeam and beech woods, and its discreet villages nestled in clearings or along valleys.

Bar-sur-Aube, the main town in the sector, is an endearing medieval town that retains its historic center with its half-timbered houses, its Saint-Pierre cellar, and its wine-growing surroundings. The Côte des Bar, of which Villy-en-Trodes is one of the forest villages, is renowned for its distinctive champagnes made mainly from Pinot Noir grown on limestone slopes. The village is also close to the Lac du Der and the Der-Chantecoq ponds, immense water reservoirs created in the 1970s to regulate the flow of the Seine and the Marne.

The landscapes of Villy-en-Trodes alternate between cultivated clearings, dense woods, and wet meadows. The village architecture, sober and solid, is representative of the forest houses of Champagne: limestone or half-timbered buildings, large barns, and imposing stables.

Flea Market in the Champagne Forest

The Villy-en-Trodes car boot sale highlights objects from the region's forest and agricultural homes. Exhibitors offer a variety of second-hand items: rustic and forest furniture, woodcutter and forester tools, old crockery and utensils, household linen, books and documents, old toys and games, trinkets, and decorative objects. The region's forest and sylvicultural tradition is sometimes reflected in the nature of the items offered: cutting tools, hunting and fishing equipment, rural equipment typical of wooded villages.

For flea market enthusiasts, car boot sales in forest villages sometimes hold beautiful surprises: antique hunting and fishing items, rare forestry tools, photographs and postcards of the Champagne forest. Prices remain affordable, and the atmosphere is that of an authentic village market.

June in the Clearings of the Côte des Bar

In June, the land of Villy-en-Trodes dons its finest colors: the forest is in full foliage, the clearings are in bloom, and the forest paths invite you for a walk. The car boot sale is set against this generous natural backdrop, offering a pleasant day that can be extended with a hike in the woods or a visit to Bar-sur-Aube.

Entry is free and open to all: families, collectors, Sunday strollers. The atmosphere of these village car boot sales is always conducive to encounters and exchanges.

Access and Practical Information

Villy-en-Trodes is accessible from Bar-sur-Aube via the forest roads of the Trodes plateau. Parking is available in the village. Free entry for visitors. Information from the town hall or local organizers.