What to do around ?
Getting away from it all...
Fonteneau Village
Fonteneau is a small rural village, split into 2 hamlets. “Grande Fonteneau”, located on the hillside & “Petit Fonteneau”, nested in the valley.
The 2 hamlets are situated either side of a large pond bordering the forest (less than 300m from the village)
A dozen cottages & farms (specialising in goats milk, “Fois-gras” & cereal) are scattered throughout the 2 hamlets.Return to top
Aubeterre village
At a distance of 6km, Aubeterre-on- Dronne, is classed one of the 'Plus Beaux Villages de France' (most beautiful villages in France).
Set in an amphitheatre setting on the white chalky cliffs (hence the origin of the village’s name: ”alba terrae”), Aubeterre dominantly watches over the Dronne Valley.
Why not visit St Jean church, the largest Troglodyte church in Europe: the 20 m high cavity was chiselled out of the chalky cliffs. St Jeans church, was a stop-over point for “St Jean de Compostelle” pilgrims walking from France to Spain.Return to top
The market town of Chalais
At a distance of 7km, Chalais is renowned for its weekly market, held every Monday morning.
The market stretches from the moat of the castle to the banks of the river Tude.
The imposing Talleyrand-Périgord castle dominates the entire valley. Don’t miss a visit, however watch out, as every night the draw bridge is raised.Return to top
Improve & affirm your Culture
Charente, A patrimoine riche in Roman arts
Some interesting information about our region :
- Charente has one of the largest Roman arts patrimonies. With nearly 400 Roman churches, country churches, often modest in design, with a sober elegance built by local stone masons.
- The Chassenon Roman thermal baths. This magnificent vestige, on the road between Saintes and Limoges has a tier level construction. The buildings regroup an aqueduct network, a heating system, swimming pool... what an amazing technology for that time, it really makes you think.
- The liqueur of the Gods or “Cognac” was created in the XVIème century. With the aging process, some of the alcohol evaporates : referred to as the angels part!
- The “Pineau”, a succulent mixture of grape juice & Cognac, is “The local” aperitif not to be missed. All of the major Cognac distilleries propose organised visits.
- The department is doted with many beautiful chateaux, for example : Rochefoucauld (Still belonging to the same family for over a thousand years), Valois situated in Cognac (Birthplace of François 1st ) , and Talleyrand-Périgord in Chalais.
At fixed dates during the year :
- The comic book fayre, the world music festival & the walled city run at Angoulême,
- The detective film festival & the « Blues Passion » music festival at Cognac,
- The mime festival at Périgueux,
- The international horse jumping festival at Chalais,
- The Hot air balloon European cup at Maintfonds,
- And many more.
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Distract yourself
1000s of activities to guarantee pure distraction !
It’s hot : salty or non-salty water?
- Aubeterre sur Dronne (6km), petite plage de sable fin,
- Brossac, en étang au milieu des bois,
- L’océan sur les plages de la Côte sauvage.
Water-side activities :
- Canoe-kayak on the river Dronne
- Gabarre or canal boat on the river Charente from Angoulême to the Atlantic ocean.
- Fishing on the river Dronne or the Tude (5-6 km)
For the brave
- Walking : 16 km circuit around Aubeterre, (amongst many other circuits),
- Climbing : in the « Eaux Claires » Valley (tel. 05 45 95 52 41)
- Mountain biking : 370 km sign posted around Aubeterre – Bleu circuit(1), green(2), red(4) et black(3)
- Bicycle-rail between Confolens and Roumazières
- Horse riding : several horse riding centres within & radius of 6-7km
- Golf : Aubeterre-Pillac, 9 holes (Short but good technique needed)
- Tennis : courts at Saint-Romain (3 km), Aubeterre, Chalais
...and why not collect some “cagouilles” (snails) after a shower or even local « Cèpe » mushrooms by the full moon?Return to top
Indulge yourself
by gourmandise...
Local specialities are numerous, here are just some, in the order that you might find them in a good meal
- Pineau des Charentes (An aperitif, a mix of grape juice & Cognac)
- Foies gras (Delicately cooked duck livers)
- Marennes d’Oléron oysters
- Charentais Melons
- Snails (locally referred to as « cagouilles »)
- Barbezieux chicken
- Chalais Veal (soon to be officially labelled « AOC »)
- Confit de canard (Deep fried duck)
- Cèpes (local mushroom)
- White beans (locally called « mongettes »)
- Strawberries
- Chestnuts
- Walnuts
- Cognac
The region is also rich in quality restaurants, ranging from local village restaurants specialising in traditional cooking, to highly recompensed restaurants :
Useful to know : The "foires au gras" (Fat markets), specialising in food products made from duck & goose, start from the end of November.
You can buy on-line these local produce from fermiers-gastronomes
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