......where to go

 

You will see around the local villages, signs for the ‘Circuit Roman’ this is a circuit of Romanesque churches, which includes Chenaud, St Aulaye and Aubeterre. One of the prettiest is at St Privat-des-Pres (off the road to Ribérac). One of the main pilgrim routes went through Aubeterre and in the church (up the hill out of the square) you will see crusader reliefs and other pilgrim buildings immediately surrounding it.
 
Chalais - Locally you can visit the chateau in Chalais. Supermarket, Monday market, Swimming Pool
 
Bourdeilles - A really nice trip is to go via Ribérac to Bourdeilles, where there is a fine castle and chateau, charmingly set by the river Dronne. The journey takes you along the banks of the river and you can drive along either bank. Beyond Bourdeilles is Brantome, which is equally beautiful with the river Dronne surrounding the town.
 
Villebois-Lavalette - On the D17, Saturday ancient covered market where you can eat oysters and drink a glass of wine at 10:00. Beautiful position and Chateau.
 
St Émilion - If you’re a wine lover, this is a must. The town is very picturesque and you can visit wine warehouses and shops to buy your favourites. Or simply wander around the pretty restored town. The drive down (around 45 minutes) is nice too. If you get to St Emilion after 17:00 you will have the place to yourselves.
 
Aubeterre - The beautiful and historic town of Aubeterre is roughly 10kms away - straight from central casting - and has been nominated as one of the 100 most beautiful villages in France. Don’t miss the world famous rock hewn cathedral, much better than the one advertised in St Émilion. Various types of music evenings are held in the town square and cathedral throughout the summer. There are many restaurants in the square offering a diverse range of food for all tastes.
 
Saint Christophe de Double - There is a lake here with some sports available but best of all is the Cave Cooperative Vinicole. You can buy wine by the vrac (any old plastic container) or by the case direct from the producers. The local vinyards are at the eastern extreme of the Appelation Bordeaux region. The wines are young, fruity, full bodied and well worth the €3 (roughly) per bottle. They do red, white, rose and sparkling which can rival a good champagne. Well worth a visit. It is only open Tuesday and Friday 08h00 - 12h00 & 14h00 - 18h00 and on Saturday mornings 08h00 - 12h00. You can stock up here for taking home - much better value than anything at the ports. Follow the signs fro St. Christophe and then leave the small town centre towards the lake and keep going. The Cooperative is a large dull cream building on your left - go in - it's an experience and they may just be bottling at the same time. they take all forms of payment of course. About 30 mins drive.
 
Ribérac - Great market on Friday mornings. Musical evenings in the summer. Busy.
 
Cognac -About 50mins drive. Here you can take tours of the brandy making firms, famous names such as Martel, Rémy Martin, Hennessey are all there. The cognac industry is facing hard times at the moment. (The world is turning to whisky, seemingly). The tours are interesting and you get a free drink (or 6) afterwards! Not expensive.
 
Jonzac - About 45 minutes away you can find Jonzac. Here they have an indoor all weather swimming pool, slides and gymnasium and bar etc at a new Microclimate Centre called Les Antilles de Jonzac. Great fun if it is raining. You MUST take proper swimming trunks (not shorts). If not you will have to buy them there at outrageous prices - Visit the website or tel: 08 20 82 51 75 for prices and opening times.
 
Bordeaux - The grand city of Bordeaux is roughly one hour away. It has everything to offer, with museums, shops, restaurants, parks etc. It’s easy to park there, but as a good starting point, you can park in the Esplanade des Quinconces that will deposit you in the middle of the city.
 

Ice lunch in a Bordeaux Café in winter!
 
Poitiers - About 2 hours drive north. Here you find the extraordinary theme park of Futuroscope (05.49.49.30.80). Lots of rides, entertainment, education and fun to be had. The kids will see architecture the British planners won’t allow. It is a full day trip and food is available of course. Impressive space-age structures - prisms, domes, cubes, offering a range of cinematic experiences. Fly on a magic carpet, take part in a car chase without leaving your seat. Admission is around €33 per adult and €24 per child for a full day. Take towels
 

Making music with dance & cooling off in the dancing fountains of Futuroscope
 
Further afield -You can drive deeper into the Dordogne (and the crowds) and go down towards Sarlat le Canéda (restored town), Domme (amazing bastide town) and Les Éyzies (caves, rock paintings & scenery). It can be a hot drive but the countryside is lovely with lots of places to stop for picnics or a walk. The best route is via Périgueux (capital of the Dordogne). To Sarlat it takes about 2 - 3 hours. If you would like to visit the Haut-Médoc, a good day trip is to go to Blaye, on the banks of the Gironde, and take the ferry across to Lamarque (good fish restaurants by the ferry dock). This gives you easy access to Pauillac and its surrounding area, which is the only interesting bit of the peninsula - the rest is flat and isolated. Blaye itself is worth a look as it has a very impressive fort with the village inside. Lots of craft and wine shops. You can return either by the ferry or via Bordeaux.