A getaway in Charente Limousine
Located at the confluence of the Vienne and the Goire, Confolens is a Ville d'Art et d'Histoire (Town of Art and History) where you’ll find yourself seemingly drifting back in time. The Terra Aventura geocaching trail lets you explore its winding streets, private mansions and half-timbered houses in a fun way, smartphone in hand. This Petite Cité de Caractère (Small Town of Character) hosts one of the largest events in Charente. Every August, Danses et Musiques du Monde (the World Music and Dance Festival) invites visitors to watch dancers and musicians from all over the planet.
What to do in and around Confolens Why not get some exercise by taking the family for a rousing ride on the vélo-rail, unless you’d prefer to take the miniature train, which also lets you enjoy the patchwork landscape and forests of chestnut trees without all the pedalling. Nature lovers will be happy exploring Charente Limousine, whose name indicates the strong cultural and architectural influence of the surrounding Limousin region. The two large lakes designed to help the river Charente maintain its course will delight water sports enthusiasts and anyone who likes fresh water swimming. Keen bird watchers among you should head to Lac de Lavaud at dawn. Its banks are designed so you can quietly observe the grebes, cormorants, green-winged teals and so on. Cyclists will enjoy the short hilly tracks around the lakes and they’re bound to encounter some of the striking russet-coloured Limousin cattle in the meadows. Here, bikes rule, as evidenced by the "Ville et Territoire Vélotouristique" label awarded to Massignac, which is bisected by the La Scandibérique European cycle route.
Minutes away is Cassinomagus, which history buffs will appreciate for having some of the most important and best-preserved Gallo-Roman thermal baths in Europe. In addition to visits, activities and entertainment all year round, the ancient site presents an innovative filmic reconstruction entitled A Day at the Baths. If you want to go back even further in time, then head for Coriobona in Esse to see a reconstruction of a Gaul village from the 1st century BC, complete with fortifications, traditional houses, artisans and warriors, all very realistic!
