Some local towns to visit & things to do in our area...

Futuroscope (76km) – quite simply a tremendous day out for all the family, with a spectacular range of rides, incredible buildings, geographical & historical cinematic shows, gardens, restaurants and so much more….a real day out and full of fun for all ages, finished off by the evening/night-time spectacular.

Golf – local 18 hole courses are at La Roche Posay & St Cyr near Chatellerault and a 9 hole course at Verneuil.

Vineyards & Wine Tasting – local ones open to the public are in Bossay sur Claise or travel further north to visit the famous Vouvray, Chinon, Saumur and so many others along the Loire

Local Markets – there are just so many to see but Loches is always worth a visit on Saturday, Wednesday & Thursday. The markets become a must for an excellent range of goods manufactured or grown in the area including local wines, fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, meats and fish. There is also a charming market at La Roche Posay twice a week & another at Chatellerault on Thursday & Saturdays.

Zoos – Le Haute Touche at Azay Le Ferron is famous for its specialisation of protecting some endangered species, you can hire bikes and take a picnic or there is Beauval Zoo at St Aignan, a tremendous day out for all the family.

Go-Karting – Outdoor Karting in Chatillon or indoor Karting at Joue les Tours. The course at Chatillon is superb and offers some tremendous thrills for those of us with aggressive driving habits.

Cycling & walking - the lay of the land here makes it simply superb for those of you who wish to explore the area by bike or walking, with so many communal paths and roads that take you off the beaten-track. Bikes are available at both of our gites


Local towns & Chateaux of interest

La Roche Posay: Roche Posay is a 5 minute drive from La Forge and is one of the cutest little towns you will ever find. It is a beautiful, busy spa town founded by the Romans in the 15th century. Many people visit the town for its so called 'healing' waters. People travel worldwide for their spa 'cures' and you can book in to the day spa to enjoy a relaxing massage facial or many other beauty treatments. There is both a 9 and 18 hole golf course, a casino, and horse racing.

Roche Posay is also a world renowned producer of beauty products. They are some of the most natural & amazing beauty ranges that you can find on the market and are available at all the chemists throughout the area. They have also just started to be sold in the UK due to high demand. Bag yourself some gorgeous shampoos, moisturisers, face masks & make- up out there!
Loches: The town is very picturesque and is dominated by a fortified medieval city. Louis XI created a state prison here which can still be visited. An ancient house nearby contains the Lansyer Museum, dedicated to this famous 19th century landscape painter and two of his famous friends. The royal residence here, was lived in by Charles VII, Louis XI, Charles VIII and Louis XII, and was visited by Joan of Arc.

Tours: Capital city of Touraine founded in Gallo-Roman times. Tours is the home of the tomb of St. Martin. A town full of Art and History, with numerous museums, and a flower market. Narrow streets with many stalls that cluster round the famous Place Plumereau. A square surrounded by half timbered houses dating to the 15th and 16th century.

Angles sur L'Anglin: 15 minutes from La Forge, the French Tourist Board have declared that this is one of the prettiest French villages. It has a 15th century castle ruin and a millwith spectacular river views. The ladies here still carry out traditional needlework.

Rigny Ussy: The inspiration for 'Sleeping Beauty' is said to have been found here. A real fairy tale atmosphere here with many towers, spires and chimneys with the forest of Chinon as a beautiful back ground. Built by the Loire river this is a very 'dreamy' setting.

Chenonceau: By far one of the most famous of the Loire Chateaux. The castle is built across the Cher on neatly designed arches. This is an elegant castle which is reached by an avenue of trees, surrounded by dykes.

Chinon: This was the first stop for Joan of Arc on her path of liberation. The town of Chinon with it's cobbled streets and medieval buildings is towered by the half ruined castle. Acres of vineyards stretch across this area. A stop in this region is a must for all wine lovers.

Villandry: The Castle was built in 1530 and is well known for its exceptionally kept gardens. Vegetable garden planned in squares. Ornamental garden with a maze full of right angles and a water garden that is planned around a pool 90 metres long and 75 metres wide.

Langeais: This is a much celebrated and much visited castle, that dominates Langeais itself. There is folk history, but no proof, that Francois Rabelais lived in a house standing between the huge grey towers of the main facade. If you cross the river here you will do so by a suspension bridge of the 19th and 20th century, that has been disguised as a medieval one.

Valencay: All the period furniture has been retained in this beautiful Chateau. The gardens which include an English one are enlivened by the many parrots, peacocks and other animals. Historic animations take place throughout the season. A 'son et lumière' is also a special event.

Azay-le-Rideau: Built on an island in the middle of the Indre. This Castle is a good example of French Renaissance. It is bordered by trees on the outskirts of a small pretty town. A 'son et lumière' is shown throughout the season.

Amboise: One of the first truly 'royal' residence. It is here that Leonardo da Vinci is laid to rest. Charles VIII had two enormous towers built, guarding the front entrance, allowing mounted horsemen and carriages direct access to the terrace. The castle dominates the entire town, and gives one of the best views to the Val. Five minutes away you can find 'Le Clos Lucé', a museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci.

Chateaux de la Loire

The Brenne Nature Reserve, France

The Brenne Nature Park is a world recognised nature park made up of a beautiful fragile living area, arising from a local desire to work for the protection of the areas natural and cultural heritage whilst at the same time helping to develop the economy. The Brenne is of international importance or its wildlife.

Covering some 10,000 hectares and with over 1200 etangs, man-made lakes, the Brenne has reedbeds, meadows, rough pasture, cereal production and woodland, also two river valleys and some calcareous zones. Bird species number over 280, at least 98 butterfly species and 60+ odonata species have been recorded here; orchid species number over 40. Amongst the birds, 300+ Common Cranes winter here, Whiskered Terns (c1000 pairs) and Black-necked Grebes (150+ pairs) nest, as do Purple Heron, Cattle Egret, Night Heron, Black-winged Stilt, a few pairs of Short-toed Eagle, and 30+ pairs of Bee-eaterThere are two good visitor centres, one at Cherine Nature Reserve (Maison de la Nature), and one at Le Bouchet (Maison du Parc), with a total of 10 hides throughout the park, 3 of which are at Cherine reserve.

Go the The Brenne Website for more information


There are also man made beaches at The Brenne which make for a great day out for the kids, many walks to go on in the area and some lovely restaraunts such as Le Gabriere which looks out over one of the many lakes and boasts a very full menu of French food- very well cooked with many local dishes as well as some fantastic fish. One can sit outside under the sun umbrellas during the summer sun and have a drink or an ice cream on a hot day. A simply gorgeous setting.

One of the bigger lakes is the Etang de Bellebouche - Mézières-en-Brenne, of the largest and most attractive lakes in Brenne (100 ha). Known primarily for its beach and swimming, it is also a site for natural history observation. Its reedbed and the surrounding heaths and woodland make for a great diversity of wildlife. Hides open to the public with guided visits.

There are also various nature trails and walks within some of the most picturesque landscapes of Brenne, the Beauregard (Saint-Michel-en-Brenne) and Blizon (Rosnay) nature trails mix walking with leaning thanks to the presence of interesting information boards along the length of the trails. They provide information on the wildlife and landscape.

Visit to the Chateau at Azay le Ferron, a few miles from the gites at Yzeures,

The Chateau at Azay le Ferron is not the biggest Chateau in the region, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in charm. It is in great condition and it is possible to do a tour throughout the Chateau's interior which is extremely well preserved. It also has much of the original furniture & features. Azay le Ferron's castle has an extremely interesting history.

The Chateau is bang smack in the middle of the village of Azay le Ferron. It is an exquisite building with a rich architecture from the XV to the XVIII century. Visiting this building is like travelling through history. From the outside you can easily see all the different types of architecture that make up the present building. Each owner added something to this Chateau, a tower (built during the 15th century), a garden, an entire wing, or just internal corridors.

The history of the Chateau dates back to 1250 with the name of its first owner, Le Chevalier Banneret, Nicolas de Turpin de Crisse. The successive owners remained Barons until 1789. After that, the Chateau was bought by a businessman and later by a banker for Napoleon. In 1833, the Chateau was bought by the Luzarche family; master blacksmiths who had to donate the Chateau to the village of Toursin 1951 because they had run out of inheritors

The Chateau has 1000 Hectares of woods. There are around 20 hectares of gardens made up into various "scenes", like the French style garden, the English style garden, the vegetable garden, the rose garden (with roses going back as far as the XIX century), topiaries, vineyards, orchards and so on.

Nearby attractions:
Espace animalier de la Haute-Touche (AZAY-le-FERRON) You'll discover more than 1,000 animals from five continents in a 500 hectarea wooded park.

Maison du Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne (Le Bouchet). The tourist information centre for The Brenne which also sells local produce like honey, goat's cheese with quality control labels and other specialities of the area like lentils and carp products.

The Anglin and Creuse Rivers, both slow moving rivers are a paradise for anglers and canoeists. There are many itineraries that allow for a safe descent going past castles, picturesque villages and watermills.

Etang de Bellebouche - Mézières-en-Brenne One of the largest and most attractive lakes in Brenne (100 ha). Known primarily for its beach and swimming, it is also a site for natural history observation.

The Brenne Nature Park A fragile, living area, arising from a local desire to work for the protection of the areas natural and cultural heritage whilst at the same time helping to develop the economy. The Brenne is of international importance or its wildlife.

Fighting hoopoes at La Forge

These are two male hoopoes fighting over a female, in the Spring.

Vintage Car Fair, Lesigny, Indre et Loire 2009

There are many vintage car rallies around our area of France, this is one at Lesigny a village near La Forge. I was especially interested in the TR3 and TR4's.

Summer Wedding at La Forge

Our neighbour's daughter at La Forge got married this summer, she looked beautiful, it was an amazing summer day and the bride was picked up in a horse and cart to take her to the church- a truly magical wedding day.