| If you dream of a quaint, historic town with a fairytale | | | | around Rochechouart. You can dine in smart, lake-side |
| castle set in a landscape of rolling, green hills, with | | | | restaurants, ancient town-centre hotels, small, |
| tranquil lakes, clean rivers full of fish, and miles and | | | | family-run restaurants offering home-grown |
| miles of wild flower meadows and oak and sweet | | | | vegetables, and in the resaurants of farms and |
| chestnut forests, then Rochechouart is your dream | | | | chateaux. There you can sample the world-famous |
| come true. | | | | Limousin beef from the tan-coloured cattle you will see |
| Rochechouart is a picturesque, medieval fortified town | | | | grazing everywhere, or try the sausages made with |
| dating from 965 situated on the western border of | | | | local sweet chestnuts. There are many small |
| Limousin, South West France. On the borders of the | | | | producers of duck and goose paté de foies gras, |
| Dordogne and the Charente, it is almost exactly half | | | | cow, sheep and goat cheeses. Limousin produces a |
| way between the popular cities of Limoges and | | | | superb chestnut liqueur and only half an hour's drive |
| Angouleme. Rochechouart forms the ideal base for a | | | | away you will be able to enjoy local wines of the |
| holiday packed with things to please all the family, and | | | | Charente. |
| for people from all walks of life. | | | | Festivals and celebrations are part of the culture! The |
| The town derives its name, (pronounces | | | | town celebrates its history in a week-long medieval |
| Rosh-esh-wah) from the rock (roche in French) on | | | | festival in the summer, where whole pigs are spit-roast |
| which it is built. The castle, now doubling as a centre | | | | in the street for the evening banquet, you can see |
| for modern art with a special focus on the work of | | | | jousting, singing, dancing and wolves and ancient |
| Raoul Haussman, dominates the town, and from the | | | | breeds of hunting dog in the streets. There is also a |
| highest point of the rock it overlooks the pretty Graine | | | | huge 'vide grenier' (empty your attic) where the local |
| valley. The other key building in the town is the | | | | population sells a range of unwanted goods for only |
| Romanesque and Gothic church famous for its | | | | pennies. This is the place to pick up all manner of |
| unusual twisted spire. | | | | interesting bits and pieces that have been lurking in |
| Amongst the quaint, narrow streets and stone and | | | | barns for many a year. All summer the towns and |
| half-timber houses and their window boxes full of | | | | villages around hold outdoor lunches and dinners where |
| flowers, you will find the Meteorite museum. This is | | | | you can join the locals for a four course meal, and at |
| dedicated to the six billion ton meteorite, one of the | | | | Christmas you can visit the spectacular night markets |
| largest ever to hit the earth, which fell in this area 214 | | | | and do your Christmas shopping. There are food and |
| million years ago. Many of the buildings are constructed | | | | craft festivals all year round but autumn is especially |
| with stone from the meteorite, the locals call it | | | | rich when the fungi, most notably the ceps, apples, |
| 'moonstone', and this gives 'the countryside of the | | | | pears and chestnuts are harvested and you can buy |
| meteorite' a very distinctive and unique character. | | | | fresh apple juice, local cider or chestnuts roasted over |
| Enjoy the freedom of the countryside. Once here, you | | | | open fires. |
| will find a wide range of things to do and see. There | | | | These local delicacies and many others are on sale at |
| are three swimming lakes with beaches, play areas | | | | the markets held in all the towns and villages. The |
| and cafés within 15 minutes drive. The largest one, | | | | most notable of these is at Piegut, every Wednesday |
| Videix lake, has a nautical centre with sailing boats, | | | | morning. Here the whole of the town centre is devoted |
| wind surfs, kayaks, pedalos and canoes for hire at | | | | to an enormous, colourful and bustling market selling |
| very reasonable rates. There is nothing so peaceful as | | | | everything from antique French furniture to live chicks |
| enjoying a glass of wine or eating a pleasant meal and | | | | and ducklings. |
| watching the sun set over a still lake surrounded by | | | | Day trips from Rochechouart will allow you to see the |
| gently rising fields and woods. The area is ideal for | | | | many chateaux of the area. If you follow the Route of |
| walking, riding and cycling with many short and long | | | | Richard the Lion Heart, you will pass the chateaux of |
| footpaths and bridleways. The by-roads are almost | | | | Brie, chalus, Lastours, and Montbrun among many |
| empty and you can enjoy a largely traffic free holiday | | | | others. La Rochefoucauld, another pretty historic town |
| where parking is easy. If you enjoy fishing, then this is | | | | with an imposing and beautiful castle, St Junien and |
| the area for you. There are also two golf courses with | | | | Nontron are only a short ride away, and within the hour |
| half an hour of Rochechouart and an outdoor activity | | | | you can be at the major historical cities of Limoges, |
| centre at Massignac. | | | | Angouleme and Perigueux. |
| Stunning historical monuments abound. If the history of | | | | Transport to this area is easier and cheaper than ever. |
| Rochechouart has left you keen for more, you will find | | | | There are many low cost flights available by flying |
| two places of European importance just ten and | | | | Ryanair to Limoges from Paris, Nice, Lyon, London, |
| twenty minutes drive from the town, the Roman baths | | | | Edinburgh, Bournemouth, Leeds, Luton, Liverpool, |
| at Chassenon, and the frescoes in the church at Les | | | | Southampton and other towns in the UK. You can also |
| Salles Lavauguyon. The third most important | | | | fly to Bordeaux, Angouleme or Poitiers. The Eurostar |
| monument, and most moving of all, is the village of | | | | runs to Limoges from the UK, and there are good train |
| Oradour sur Glane; a village destroyed by the | | | | services to Angouleme and Limoges. From there you |
| occupying Germans in the second world war and | | | | can easily hire a car through many internationally |
| preserved exactly as it was left. The astonishing visitor | | | | known firms. |
| centre tells the story which is so powerful, you will | | | | Accommodation ranges from 5 star hotels to cosy |
| never forget. | | | | guest houses, and spacious, well-equipped gites |
| Food is the business of Limousin, the bread-basket of | | | | (self-catering holiday homes) in the Limousin region; and |
| France and there is a rich regional cuisine which you | | | | I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised by the prices |
| can sample at the many excellent restaurants in and | | | | in this undiscovered and unspoilt corner of France! |