CHARENTE GUIDE

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The department of Charente epitomises traditional rural France. Occitan dialects can still be heard in the fairs and markets frequented by local farmers and craftsmen. Charente is an area of natural beauty and lush with vegetation, due mainly to its temperate climate.

 

Traditionally, the rest of France considers the Charentais character to be laidback and visitors here can certainly find time for lots of leisurely pursuits. The whole area is laced with rivers and streams that feed into the picturesque River Charente. Taking a relaxing boat trip, it’s hard to imagine this was once a busy waterway bringing armaments from Angouleme to the naval shipyards of La Rochelle.

 

Each stunning valley in the department of Charente has its own character. The Vienne is popular with anglers and watersports enthusiasts, the Issoire boasts mountains, and the Tardoire valley has vineyards and exciting deep gorges. Make time to visit the ancient village of Aubeterre perched on white cliffs above the River Dronne and the little river port of Jarnac - birth and resting place of France’s late president, Francois Miterrand.

 

There’s plenty too in Charente for those who enjoy the cultural experience: Chateau de la Rochefoucauld, the Chateau de Rochebrune at Etagnac and the ancient Cistercian Abbey of Fontaine Vive. The cathedral city of Angouleme, once famous for papermaking, now has a centre – Centre National de la Bande Dessinee - showing the development of French print and film cartoons.

 

Historic Confolens with its riverside restaurants is a great place to try a dish of snails – ‘les petits gris’ – so popular with the Charentais. Afterwards, a measure of the world famous double distilled brandy known as Cognac could be in order for the faint hearted. A visit to Charente’s town of the same name is a must to sample and discover the history of its most celebrated product.

 

Cognac and its Brandy Houses

The town of Cognac lives and breathes its world famous product - 80% of which is exported - and many producers offer free tastings. The Hennessy Cognac Company has been in the same family for 7 generations and makes a good starting point for a visit. Their tour begins with a film explaining where cognac can be produced and the various factors affecting its quality. Visit Distillerie Otard based in the medieval chateau where Francois I was born. 18km northwest of Cognac, between Migron and Authon, the ‘Ecomusee du Cognac’ gives a history of the double distilled brandy, including tastings of cognacs, liqueurs and cocktails. Try Pineau des Charentes -an aperitif made from brandy and sweet, unfermented grape juice. Notice the black fungus growing on warehouse roofs caused by evaporation (known as the angels’ share) as the spirit ages. Cognac itself is a typical old Charentais town with narrow cobbled streets and fifteenth and sixteenth century buildings in the rue Grande. The town’s Musee du Cognac displays pre-historic artefacts and a collection of fine paintings alongside the history of the famous brandy. Ask at the tourist office about river trips from the port in summer.  

 

Confolens

Pretty hillside town above the River Vienne at its confluence with the River Goire. Confolens has twelfth century castle ruins, ancient churches and a narrow medieval bridge across the river. The steep narrow streets bordered by ancient houses are thronged with thousands of visitors during Confolens’s International Folk Festival each August which attracts top musicians from all over the world. At quieter times, the town is a great centre for ramblers, cyclists and fishermen and offers plenty of opportunities for watersports enthusiasts. For cycling with a difference try the Velo-Rail (bicycle-rail) along the old railway line from Confolens to Manon where there’s a café for refuelling! Each vehicle can take 2 peddlers and 3 passengers. Great fun, but wear sensible shoes and warm clothing. Usually open July and August and weekends in June and September - check on www.velorail16.com

 

Angouleme and the Centre National de la Bande Dessinee

Situated on a hilltop with a superb view of the valley between the Charente and Anguienne rivers, Angouleme is surrounded by 3km of medieval ramparts. Visit the Romanesque St-Pierre Cathedral with its inspiring twelfth century façade. Once famous for papermaking, Angouleme now only has a free museum dedicated to the craft - located in an old cigarette-paper factory on the rue de Bordeaux. More famous is the town’s Centre National de la Bande Dessinee - showing the development of French print and film cartoons. There’s no doubt the French regard comics as a serious art form; the collection houses 4,000 original drawings with subjects from politics to ‘Peanuts’. Have fun browsing through the English comics in the library section. Angouleme holds an annual international comic strip festival - usually the last weekend in January - attracting visitors from all over the world. Ask at the tourist office about guided tours around this pretty flower-decked town which also permanently exhibits wall paintings by some of the more famous cartoon artists. Enjoy a meal in the little restaurants of the old quarter and remember there’s a great market in place Victor-Hugo on Sundays.

 

Ruffec

Pretty small market town on the banks of the River Charente set in typical rolling Charentais countryside. The walled town has castle ruins and an interesting twelfth century western façade to its church of St Andrew. Ruffec was a centre of the Resistance in WWII and a rallying point for escaping British pilots. Now popular with holidaying Parisians, Ruffec is a great centre for canoeing, fishing, walking and horse riding. Its Wednesday and Saturday markets are known for their good selection of local produce including cheeses.

 

La Rochefoucald

This pretty market town on the banks of the River Tardoire is perhaps best known as home to one of the most impressive chateaux in France. The Chateau de la Rochefoucald standing on a rocky spur overlooking the town and Tardoire Valley has been home to the family of the same name for over 1000 years. The current Renaissance building is so beautiful it is known locally as the ‘pearl of the Angoumois’. Definitely worth a visit - especially for the ‘son et lumiere’ usually shown in July and August. The Chateau is open for guided tours every day except Tuesday from April until the end of December and Sunday afternoons January - March. If the 20 rooms of period furniture, library with 18,000 books, and impressive art collection give you a taste for refined living, part of the Chateau is now a hotel. La Rochefoucald also has a thirteenth century church, pottery and pre-history museums and visitors can enjoy good shopping and fine dining. Take a quiet walk through the garden of Saint-Florent tucked beside the Tardoire and enjoy the colours and perfumes of over 700 varieties of plants. For more strenuous exercise, follow walking trails in the surrounding Braconne Forest where underground streams working on the limestone have exposed mysterious gaping holes (fosses) giving rise to a host of local legends. La Rochefoucald is a great base for cycling, horse riding, rambling and fishing. 

 

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne

One of the most beautiful villages in France, Aubeterre’s name comes from the latin ‘alba terra’ meaning white land - a reference to the white cliffs on which the town is built in a semi-circle overlooking the River Dronne. The narrow streets with their open wooden balconies and curved roof tiles give Aubeterre, benefiting from Charente’s mild climate, a very Mediterranean atmosphere. A square tower dating from the sixteenth century is all that remains of Aubeterre’s castle. Lovers of architecture should appreciate the wonderfully decorated Romanesque west front of the church of Saint-Jacques inspired by oriental art and underground church of Saint-Jean - 20m high and thought to be the largest troglodyte church in Europe. Mystery surrounds this church carved into the cliff in the twelfth century with its origins going back to the sixth century tombs found within. Beside the river, a tree-lined beach (supervised from mid July to mid August) is a popular summer venue for families. Canoe outings are also available and the local tourist office has information on walking and cycling routes.   

 

Charente’s Rivers

Visitors to the department of Charente will never find themselves far from the river from which it takes its name or one of its tributaries. The waterways here were once an essential means of communication and transport, with flat-bottomed ‘gabares’ taking cognac, paper, cereals and stone to the Atlantic and returning with salt and spices. Today, you can cruise the same routes admiring castles and churches. Moor up for provisions at little riverside villages, watch the river wildlife, or fish along banks lined with irises and meander past vine covered slopes and limestone cliffs. The Charente is navigable for cruisers from Angouleme to Rochefort with 147km of waterways. Look on line for boat hire or contact the Charente Tourist Board. Boats need no licence and tuition is given. Have fun negotiating the locks and visit the old barging village of Saint Simon where you can take a trip on an old sailing barge. The Tourist Office at Jarnac can arrange this – see www.jarnac-tourisme.com Canoes and kayaks are widely available for hire on a variety of rivers such as the Vienne and the Dronne, there’s plenty of fishing including fly fishing on the Touvre, and places such as Aubeterre have supervised swimming beaches. Ask at local tourist offices for details. For those who prefer not to take to the water there are plenty of quiet roads alongside the Charente and towpaths for walkers and cyclists.

 

Lakes at Mas Chaban and Lavaud

The upper Charente is an area of lush pastureland and coppiced woodland where the River Charente finds it source. Two lakes have been created here offering a wealth of activities for lovers of the outdoors around their 400 hectares of fresh water. Lake Mas Chaban and Lake Lavaud both have a host of walking trails around their perimeters, through forests and beside pastures between local hamlets. Signposted green trails indicate routes accessible for those with limited mobility. Visit the ornithological observatory at Foucherie on Lake Lavaud for early morning sightings of little grebe and greenshank along with many other nesting, migratory and wintering species. Summer supervised swimming is available at the Lake from beaches at La Guerlie and Videix and shore fishing is allowed on both lakes with a fishing permit. Dinghy sailing, catamarans and canoeing are on offer at the Watersports Centre on Lake Lavaud but no outboard motors allowed - they could disturb the wildlife. The local Maison des Lacs has more information about provision for people with restricted mobility , tel: (00 33) 545 65 26 69.

 

The mild climate of sunny Charente not only makes it a great holiday destination, but also provides ideal conditions for the products used in the traditional cuisine. Most visitors will be familiar with the region’s world famous brandy from the Cognac vineyards, but have you tried the locals’ favourite - Pineau? Advertisements for this sweet liqueur - a blend of Charente grape juice with Cognac brandy - can be seen everywhere. Sample it chilled as an aperitif with tonic and a sliver of lemon peel or to accompany foie gras and desserts. Pineau added to a rabbit casserole (lapin a la santongeaise) along with garlic and tomatoes is popular or cooked with mussels.

 

Cattle grazing the lush green pastures of the Charente Limousine produce fine tasty Limousine beef and milk-fed calves from Chalais give tender veal. From a variety of cheeses try Le Manslois, named after the town of Mansle. Made from either cow’s or goat’s milk, it can be eaten either sweet or savoury. Even Charente’s butter has AOC status and is acknowledged to be the finest in France. Special occasions are often celebrated here by serving moist, flavoursome, caponised chickens from Barbezieux, although on 1 May it’s the custom to sample the pork delicacy of grillon charentais, a type of potted meat eaten with young garlic shoots.

 

You’ll be sure to find dishes with Charente’s little mojhette beans on menus any day of the week. Also look out for fabulous truffles and smooth fragrant salad oils made from walnuts and hazelnuts. You may also spot Charentais locals hunting around vines and ditches after rain, gathering one of their favourite delicacies - ‘les petit gris’ or small grey snails!

 

Domain la Hache de Bronze Vineyard

The Charente region has been well known for centuries, producing grapes for France’s famous cognac. Since 1999, the owners have transplanted vines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Colombard. Joel and Jean Luc Metayer provide tours and wine-tasting sessions

For more information

tel: (00 33) 5 45 97 05 46

 

Aventure Parc

If you are seeking adventure, why not try the Aventure Parc at Massignac, on the shores of the lake at Mas Chaban. There are 4 courses of increasing difficulty where you can move from tree to tree using a variety of rope bridges, taggle ropes and aerial runways. There are 63 activities in the air in total. For the more hardy of you, there is bungee jumping and for the under 8’s there is a mini park. All equipment is supplied and the activities are supervised. Snack bar and picnic areas on-site.

For more information contact: (00 33) 5 45 24 07 43 or visit: www.aventure-parc.fr

 

Gallo-Roman Thermal Baths

One of the best preserved and largest group of Gallo-Roman thermal baths in Europe can be found at Chassenon. After the conquest of Gaul, the Romans relied upon a network of ancient roads. This site is on one of these routes and the thermal sanctuary welcomed large numbers of people taking the waters. There are pools, a vast network of aqueducts, and hot and cold chambers.

For more information contact: (00 33) 5 45 89 32 31.

 

Canoeing and Kayaking

The tumbling waters which feed into the River Charente from local streams and rivers are ideal for canoeing and kayaking. There are routes on Rivers Charente, Touvre, Dronne, Vienne and Boeme with main bases at Angouleme, Ruffec, Montignac-Charente and Aubeterre. All the family can have a go at Montbron on the Tardoire or at Aubeterre on the Dronne, but a type of rafting known as ‘radelage’ practised on the Vienne is probably best left to those with some previous expertise. The clubs at Jarnac and Angouleme hold prominent competitions such as the men’s pairs slalom and Jarnac has a school. Navigable rivers are graded and the Federation Francaise de Canoe-Kayak can give information on rivers and where guides are needed. Visit www.ffck.org for more details.

 

Fishing

The department of Charente has 600km of rivers for trout and other first category fishing and 900km of second category coarse fishing rivers. The department also has 265 hectares of ponds and lakes such as Lake Lavaud which allows shore fishing only for pike, perch, bream and pumpkin seed sunfish and Lake Mas Chaban which offers shore fishing only for pike, roach, perch, tench and carp. Both lakes are second category. Permits are required and day permits are usually available. There is also night fishing for carp on Mas Chaban. The website of the Fish Federation of the Charente has more information but it is in French.

 

Climbing, Eaux Claires

Tall white cliffs rising from woods of tall evergreen surround the Valley of Eaux Claires making it a favourite spot for climbers. Chose from about 400 different routes - mainly short finger crack climbs - catering for beginners through to the more highly experienced. With climbs ranging from grades 3 - 9, the ‘great roof’ at 9A provides a formidable challenge. Information (in French) is available on grades, training and availability of guides from the Federation Francaise de la Montagne et de l’Escalade (FFME).

 

Gardens

Gardeners will find plenty to enjoy in the department of Charente. If you have an allotment, you may be interested to see what vegetables were available in France 800 years ago by visiting the reconstructed monastery garden at Tusson. Another medieval garden of raised beds can be found beside the twelfth century church at Dignac and there’s an opportunity to buy old species of plants and vegetables at the Bandiat Gardens at Souffrignac. Not surprisinglym water features prominently in many Charentais gardens. The arboretum of over 3,000 species at the Chene Vert, Chabanais is built around the River Vienne and the area of peat bogs and waterways on the River Osme at Saint-Fraigne is used as the setting for ephemeral gardens designed by ‘up and coming’ landscape gardeners. The castle at La Rochefoucauld displays a collection of over 700 roses and perennials in a more traditional setting, whilst the botanical park of the Bois du Signe at Mansle is home to the fuschia collection of Louis XIV’s botanist, Charles Plumier.

 

Castles

The castles and ancient fortified chateaux of Charente make a visit to this area a rich source of pleasure for lovers of history, art and architecture. Two of the most famous buildings are Chateaux de la Rochefoucauld on the River Tardoise - so beautiful it is known as the ‘pearl of the Angoumois’ and the castle in Cognac where one of France’s most famous kings, Francis I, was born in 1494 and where Richard the Lionheart gave his daughter in marriage. Now known as Chateau de Cognac, the latter has been the base for Distillerie Otard for 200 years and fascinating tours here combine royal history - see where English prisoners carved graffiti during the 100 Years War - with the history of the famous brandy including tastings. Chateau de Balzac, built in 1600 close to the River Charente entertained Marie de Medicis and Richelieu as guests of French author Guez de Balzac (not to be confused with later writer Honore of the same name). Chateau de Bayers is a fully restored twelfth and fifteenth century castle and Chateau de Peyras in Roumazieres-Loubert is worth a visit for its armoury - the Black Prince is said to have stopped there during the 100 Years War. Dominating the town of Chalais, the massive castle of Talleyrand-Perigord still has a working drawbridge. 

  

Mills

Visitors using Charente’s rivers and streams will notice many old watermills dotting the river banks. The water quality proved ideal for grain milling and paper making in the past. Angouleme vellum was exported all over Europe in the seventeenth century with barges on the River Charente on hand to transport the finished products. Moulin a papier de Fleurac still uses hemp, flax and cotton in eighteenth century processes and Moulin a papier du Verger in Puymoyen has been a working paper mill since 1589. Both are open to the public and the latter is now listed as a historic monument. There’s bread baking on site at Moulin Neuf d’Echoisy, part of a site demonstrating rural life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the flour mill at Montbron has educational workshops. Many mills also produced oil and seventeenth century Moulin de la Chaume at St-Germain-de-Monbron on the River Bandiat still makes walnut oil from customers’ own fruit. To find out more on this fascinating aspect of traditional Charentais life, visit the mill museum at Moulin de la Forge, Rancogne.

 

Mouton Pottery at Mouton

This pottery workshop provides individually hand made pieces, enamelling and pottery “cooked in the campfire” on site. Store opened every day from May till September.

For more information contact: (00 33) 5 45 22 55 62

 

June to August 2008

Romanesque Festival, Angouleme

The history of this fascinating area is relived through a series of events including performances and street art.

 

August 2008

Folk Festival, Confolens

Performers from across the world gather in Confolens for this colourful annual festival - 12 - 17 August in 2008.  But be prepared for a huge number of visitors.

 

September 2008

Coup de Chauffre, Cognac

A fabulous festival that children in particular will love. The streets are crammed with performers including jugglers, puppeteers and stilt-walkers.

 

Please check precise details and dates with event organisers before making your holiday and travel arrangements.

 

Copyright: Holiday France Direct 2008