La Rochefoucauld (km 0)

The castle

Built on the karst, it overlooks the valley and the town. It is reached through a humpbacked bridge across the Tardoire. It has been a stronghold of the La Rochefoucaulds for over a thousand years and its walls are a witness to seven centuries of French history and architecture : from the medieval fortress to the Renaissance buildings constructed by François l to the extensions of the 17th century.

Things to be seen : the arcaded Renaissance galleries of the inner courtyard, the 108 steps of the monumental staircase, the panelled boudoir of Marguerite de Valois, the library of François, Duke of La Rochefoucauld and author of the famous Maximes, the vast kitchens carved out of the karst.

The town

Fine town houses and buildings from the Renaissance to the 18th century have been preserved.
In the centre, the Gothic cloister of the Carmelites (14th century) contains a beautiful ambulatory, a chapel and a chapter-house. The hospital is also to be seen to discover the apothecary's museum with a splendid collection of pharmacy jars from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Slip into something more comfortable ? : La Rochefoucauld is the centre for the manufacture of slippers called charentaise, a good opportunity to slip on the real thing, unique and soft, at the Rondinaud shop.

Saint-Sornin (km 10)

Wine grower !

Vines have been grown on the stony slopes of the village since the Middle Ages. A vin de pays from the Charente, which is making a comeback and is ready for tasting in moderation at the cooperative wine store.
Info : +33 5 45 23 92 22

Rancogne (km 13)

Rancogne

Walnut oil and corn flour at the Moulin de la Forge.
Standing on the banks of the Tardoire, the hamlet of the Forge was a cannon factory in the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, the mill is still in operation.
People bring their own produce to have them turned into walnut oil and corn flour.
They are also on sale.

Things to be seen : the splendid machinery which relates the activities of the millers in the 19th century.
Info : +33 5 45 23 10 32

Chazelles (km 19)

The Quéroy caves

On the edge of the Bois Blanc forest, in a huge block of karst gullied by underground water, the Quéroy caves have provided man with shelter from Neolithic times. About 12 metres deep, a series of fine chambers studded with stalactites form a labyrinth 600 metres long.
Make sure you have a sweater for the visit !
Info : +33 5 45 70 38 14

Pranzac (km 21)

The Graveyard Lantern

In the Middle Ages, it reminded man of their mortality and encouraged them to honour the dead.
In the middle of the cemetery (the present village square) it kept the lookout. Dating from the 13th century, it is surmounted by a cone with tiny windows where candles used to glow.

Saint-Florent (km 23)

A perennial garden

This is an enclosed garden on the banks of the Tardoire. Over 700 varieties of perennial plants and roses thrive in the gardens set out according to different themes and separated by boxwood hedges and yew trees.
Plants on sale.
Info : +33 5 45 23 94 30

Rivières (km 30)

The petit manslois

This fromage frais, made with cow's milk, has retained the name of the town where its was created : Mansle. It is made au torchon and can be eaten on its own or with fresh herbs (chives, parsley). When brushed onto a roast, the meat will be more moist.

To see it being made, telephone beforehand : +33 5 45 62 13 82

Braconne Forest (km 35)

The forest covers large karst plateaux cracked by the work of the underground streams. The Bandiat and the Tardoire plunge underground and pass through the massif where they have caused spectacular subsidence : the Grande Fosse (pit), the Fosse Mobile, the Fosse Limousine.

This unusual geology has encouraged the development of very particular flora and fauna. Part of the forest has been classified as a natural area of environmental interest (ZNIEFF). Oaks grow side by side with beech, hornbeam, maple, the preferred species of the vole, dormouse, hare, deer and wild boar. It belonged to the counts of Angoulême in the Middle Ages, then in the 18th century to the count of Artois, it became the property of the state during the Revolution and has remained so to this day.

Chasms, smoking pits, deep woods the Braconne has always stimulated man's imagination. Legend has it that the Devil roams here.
Explore it on foot.

More details : Braconne et Charente website

La Rochette (km 44)

Church of Saint-Sébastien, where the Romanesque meets the lauze

In the village, the 12th century church of Saint-Sébastien with its roof of lauze (flat stones) stands on a grass-covered square lined with fine trees. On the outside, the cornice contains numerous modillions which are crude or striking, to say the least. On the façade, the portal is flanked by two enigmatic sculptures.

Coulgens (km 53)

Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste

It stands in a hamlet to one side of the present village. Its lines are very austere and it still has its square bell tower and an apse covered with lauze flat stone scales. When you stand on the small square set with low walls, raise your eyes : 3 fine heads of mischievous animals are gambolling on the cornice.

To be seen inside : the capitals of the false transept crossing (11th century) and the wall paintings from the end of the Middle Ages.

Return to La Rochefoucauld (km 62)