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