Last week was the kind of heat Le Perche likes to pretend it never gets. The fields shimmered, the streets emptied by noon, and everyone quietly remembered where the shade is. It does not happen often, but when it does the forest stops being a backdrop and becomes the whole point. Here is where to cool off when the thermometer climbs.

Start at the Bellême pool. The Piscine du Pays Bellêmois is an open-air 25-metre pool on the edge of town, seasonal and cheap. It opens at 10h and shuts for lunch at 13h, and that morning slot is the one to take, quiet water before the afternoon crowd. A morning length here is the most civilised thing you can do with a hot day.

Let the forest do the work. The Forêt de Bellême stays cool when the fields are baking. The marked loops hold shade most of the day, and the Parcours Bien-Être does the rest. This is the one place you do not need to plan around the sun.

Picnic at the Étang de la Herse, but keep your clothes on. The pond under the trees is the prettiest spot in the forest and there are tables by the water. It is a fishing pond, not a swimming one, so bring lunch, not a towel.

For an actual swim, drive twenty minutes. Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe has a proper sand beach and supervised swimming through July and August, with pedalos for the children. La Ferté-Bernard, the other direction, has a supervised lake beach and kayaks to rent. Both are worth the short drive the Bellême pool cannot replace.

Shop the market before nine. Whatever is on, Bellême on Thursday or Mortagne on Saturday, go early. By mid-morning the stalls are warm and the good bread is gone.

Skip the river. Swimming in the Orne is not allowed, and the étangs that look inviting are mostly for fishing. Stick to the supervised spots above.

Drink it local and drink it cold. A chilled poiré from a Perche producer is built for this weather. Save the Calvados for October.

Do as the villages do. Shutters closed by eleven, terrace after seven. The heat here breaks in the evening, and the last hour of light is the best part of the day.