The best traffic-free bike rides around Le Tâtre

Even more beautiful after its restoration

Very nice view

Historic barn in the coastal lowland pastures along the Maubert channel

Great overlook at the end of the road across the Gironde estuary, and the opening of the little port into the bay. At low tide, the recreational boats are stuck on the tidal sides of the narrow channel.

Cute little coastal village at the mouth of a small canal, with a recreational port and a few restaurants as well as picnic spots for a break.

In the Middle Ages, Barbezieu served the surrounding villages and hamlets as a market, craft and court location. The area is still largely agricultural, with winegrowing playing a leading role: the small town lies in the south of the Cognac wine-growing region and is part of the Petite Champagne region; Pineau des Charentes, a type of liqueur wine, is also produced here. The Barbezieux breed of chicken (poule de Barbezieux) is known nationwide. Several small and medium-sized industrial companies (food packaging, furniture manufacturing, agricultural machinery) have settled in the industrial areas (zones industrielles) outside the town.

The Giraud d'Anqueville, lords of Bois-Charente, built the castle in the 16th century. The main building has a 16th century tower and extensions dating from the 19th century. In 1680, the castle passed through marriage to François Goulard, lord of La Faye, and it became the property of Jean Thioulet, gentleman of the king, at the beginning of the 18th century. Bois-Charente belonged in 1900, at the beginning of the 20th century, to Jean Fougerat known as Élie, a wealthy owner and benefactor for the development of the Cognac vineyard. The Charente pharmacist and winegrower Jean Fougerat (1863-1932) made a fortune by exploiting several pharmaceutical specialties, in particular the famous Rami syrup to treat the bronchi. This bachelor amassed a "considerable fortune", part of his income came from the exploitation of large vineyards that he had acquired around Graves-Saint-amant, his native land. Indeed, after the phylloxera, in 1897, he replanted 350 hectares of vines on his land acquired in the communes of Graves (logis de Bois Charente), Champmillon (domaine de la Chapelle), Saint-Preuil, in 1897 and Lignières-Sonneville between 1898 and 1901. In 1906, he harvested 22,000 hl of wine and produced 3,000 hl of brandy. He developed the logis de Bois Charente and enlarged its park. He planted more than 500 different species there. He set up a wine station where, with his colleagues, he prepared future plantations and improved the distillation processes. In the absence of immediate outlets, he distilled and aged the eau-de-vie and built numerous ageing cellars in Champmillon, Saint-Preuil and Bourg-Charente. When he died, Fougerat donated his estate and his Bois-Charente manor to the city of Angoulême, the universal legatee. She set up an "Institut de la viticulture charentaise" there (soon renamed the "Bureau interprofessionnel du cognac" and repatriated to Cognac in the 1980s). The Manor was active until the early 1980s, then between 2003 and 2016 it became an educational center for young people in judicial protection. The educational support was based on a high-end application restaurant, with the preparation of CAP and BEP certificates as a key. In his will, Jean Fougerat also had an imposing monument erected in Bois-Charente to the glory of Charente viticulture and cognac. Created by the sculptors R. Lamour de dieu and Émile Peyronnet, the work represents "six figures engaged in viticultural work, in bronze bas-relief; a distillery is engraved in marble". Jean Fougerat gave his name to a street in Angoulême and to his foundation, based in Graves-Saint-Amant. The latter supported the Institute of Viticultural Research in 1936, then currently supports the educational center with the CCAS.

Consider deviating from the cycle path for a few minutes. Church your real the detour