Chef-Boutonne

The Vélidéale cycle route guides you from the département (French county) of Charente into that of Deux-Sèvres to enter the Mellois area, riding along bucolic little country roads. Dotted along the way are little gems that will pique your interest: in Raix, the Romanesque church of Saint-Barthélemy; in Paizay-Naudouin-Embourie, the 14th-century Château de Saveilles, displaying an intriguing mix of medieval fort and later, Renaissance style; and in Chef-Boutonne, the Château de Javarzay, one of the earliest Renaissance châteaux to be built in the old region of Poitou. Chef-Boutonne was also the birthplace of a pioneering 19th-century French industrialist, Jean-François Cail, who built metallic structures and an industrial farm as well as advocating social responsibility. All told, this unexpected local heritage will satisfy the curiosity of cyclists who like to learn as they ride along!

Between Rochechouart and Confolens, our cycle route takes you through an unusual area marked by the impact made by a meteorite smashing into Earth some 214 million years ago. This geological event is even reflected in the local architecture, which has made use down the centuries of the impact breccia, or fragments of rock fused together as a result of the cataclysmic event. The Vélidéale takes you close to Lac de Lavaud (where it also joins up with the Scandibérique cycle route), one of two lakes in the Haute Charente area where you can enjoy both bird-watching (notably at the Observatoire de Foucherie) and outdoor leisure activities. Note that a few kilometres away from the cycle route itself, at Chassenon, you can go and visit some of the largest and best-preserved vestiges of Gallo-Roman thermal baths in France. Next, you continue to ride along the charming Vienne Valley, crossing the river at Exideuil, a village whose little Romanesque church is a listed historic monument.