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leyt's
imagine you have just arrived and don't want to do much on the first
day or two. On the other hand you need to get to the shops.
Here
are a few suggestions within 20 minutes' drive. With the exception of
Jarnac, your guide books aren't going to be much use. Buy or borrow
the IGN Niort-Angoulême (Série Verte) map for local sightseeing.
Dolmens, castles etc. are clearly marked. The
Série Bleue 1631 E Rouillac (available from local 'Presse' newsagents)
is handy if you intend to go walking or cycling off-road.
Attractions
further afield (towns, coast, islands)
Hamlet
of la Bréchoire and the nearest shops
MAIN
PICTURE ABOVE: The 12th-century abbey church at
Marcillac-Lanville has been the subject of major restoration
works, and is open to visitors. The massive structure is easily seen
from the D939 Périguex to La Rochelle road and is only a few
minutes from La Bréchoire. It's a great space inside too, with
leaning columns and traces of medieval fresco. Concerts are occasionally held.
Click
on the small images below to enlarge.
| Weather
permitting, take a walk into the Forêt d'Anville.
Turn right from the house (onto the D75) and walk past the end of
the village before taking the second track on your right. This will
take you into the woods, with great views, wild orchids, strawberries,
sloe and walnut trees, beehives, birds etc. Follow blue-marked path
(map from tourist offices) Or you can do a 45 mins circular to Anville
and back. |
| Visit
the Logis de la Logerie near Bonneville,
open from 11.00 to 19.00 most days. Run and inhabited by Mme Nicole
Bordier plus harmless dogs, this ancient manor house and barn
are given over to arts and crafts. Many objects for sale at reasonable
prices - all hand-made. Probably
most easily found if you drive or cycle to Saint-Médard
and pick up the signs from there.
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| Talk
about the Fallen Madonna with the big boobies! Other attractions
in Aigre, less than 15 mins away by car, are a
weekly market and a couple of restaurants. Nice quiet town for shops,
banks, tourist info etc. Boasts, for some reason, two huge ironmongers
(try asking for mirror plates or spring toggles). |
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| Free
places to swim include the natural lake at Les Gours,
15-20 minutes' drive to the north on the D75 by car. There are
also quiet waymarked walks through the fields and woods, and a
mysterious buvette in a hangar-like shed. |
| |
Neuvicq
le Château is a small village with, predictably,
a 15th-century castle, now owned by the local council. In its
day, this was an important town. Now it is definitely not. The
castle holds free exhibitions. There's an excellent cognac producer
(Balladour) nearby. |
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Ah,
the fleshpots of Rouillac...! Super U is open all
day, every day (inc. Sun morning), which is almost unheard of in
France. There is a large arts centre where we once saw John Mayall
play, but it isn't quite the Barbican. Also outdoor swimming pool,
banks, PMU bar, DIY stores. |
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There
is a huge Gallo-Roman theatre at Les Bouchauds
(close to Rouillac, above) on a wooded hill in the middle of nowhere.
Admire that Roman brickwork, and the sanctuary behind the theatre
itself. Occasionally used for summer festivities (Les Sarabandes),
it's as big as the theatre at Orange, so where did the audience
of 30,000 come from? |
| Some
gentle tourism can be undertaken at Jarnac, 20
minutes to the south. Lovely shops, Mittérand museum, restaurants,
indoor market, banks and supermarkets, Courvoisier headquarters
and long riverside walks to Bourg-Charente or around the locks. |
Copyright
© 2001-2016 Colin Wight
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