Central Charente & the land of Oc.

An artery and a romantic stream.

This Area sits in a semi-circle of no more than about 20 miles to the north of Angoulême. It is bisected by the motorway standard N10 running rapidly north towards Poitiers and its airport. Less practically (but much more romantically) and only a little to the west of the main artery the Charente winds its way in the opposite direction through the small administrative centre of St-Amant-de-Boixe and a number of other riverside villages and hamlets. Before reaching the county town the stream will pass by Marsac - where it splits into a number of lazy channels - and Balzac. The latter has a small chateau and is linked to a historical figure who was an associate of Cardinal Richelieu but was not the better known novelist Honoré de Balzac.

Trivial information with great spirit.

As one moves to the west from the central spine of this Area one of the major cognac grapevine districts starts to assert itself. Rouillac is the centre for the class of spirit producing wine known as 'Fins Bois' - a particular (and superior) 'appelation' of fine brandy. In the area there are a number of dedicated and mostly fairly small producers who welcome visitors to see their premises, taste the product and depart with a bottle or two! Nearby, between Rouillac and Genac there are the ruins of the largest Roman amphitheatre in France. From an even earlier epoch the language of the southern part of the country was known as 'Oc'. This seemingly trivial bit of information is the clue to the 'ac' termination of so many place names in Charente (and elsewhere in the south of Gaul). All the names like Cognac, Hiersac, Fleurac and a myriad of others which seem particularly prevalent in this region declare that they were once in the land of the language of Oc.

Fun among the pits in the woods.

If one skirts back through Angoulême's northern suburbs Gond-Pontouvre and Rouelle-sur-Touvre are close to the junction between the N10, the city's by-pass and the N141 going eastwards towards Limoges. In this direction one is going progressively further from the major vineyard areas and the agriculture grows more varied. The smallish communities of Coulgens and St-Angeau are to the north of the Forest of Braconne which provides a wonderful environment for a range of leisure activities together with massive natural pits where underground chambers in the limestone strata have collapsed.

A market town and an ancient family chateau.

La Rochefoucauld is a small provincial town to the east of the woods and at the extremity of our Area. It's located on the banks of the River Tardoire and has a pleasant semi-pedestrianised commercial and shopping centre. Nearby the riverside Chateau is approached over an arched stone bridge and is reminiscent of some of the more famous Loire chateaux. This one is unique though in that it has been in the hands of the same family since its first building to the present day.

A time to smother the oaths.

With all this going for it, it is somewhat sad that many casual and foreign visitors turn the tongue-twisting name into an oath as the N141 - of motorway standard from Angoulême - dives into the fringes of the town and frequently into a traffic jam. But a by-pass is under construction and if the town has suffered from congestion in recent years relief is at hand. Properties once blighted by exhaust fumes will be returned to the more peaceful life of the Charantaise. The development could offer great opportunities for canny buyers.