Surroundings:
Indre is certainly the unspoilt heart of France, with its stunning scenery and fine chateaux.
We are 30 kilometres from the capital of the region Chateauroux and 8 kilometres from the historical medieval town Argenton-sur-Creuse with its ancient houses almost sliding into the river Creuse.
Argenton-sur-Creuse has a lovely town square where you can sit and drink coffee, it has many shops for you to spend time looking in, or visit the market on Saturdays which is supported heavily by the locals as most of the meats, fruit and vegetables are organic, or visit the museum based at the archaeological dig at Argentomagus, the former Roman town.
Limoges is a wonderful city to explore, only an hours drive south and with many fine restaurants, excellent shopping facilities and a wealth of delightful galleries, museums and local outlets for the famous Limoges pottery.
Poitiers is an hour and a half's drive, it is a charming town which again, is well worth a visit, and famous for the fantastic cinematographically centre of Futuroscope, as is the new 'Vallee de Singes', which houses over 15 species of primates and 200 animals without cages. Futuroscope is a serious days outing and the facilities are marvellous. Also see the department of the Vienne for days out
La Brenne Natural Park with its thousand lakes is a vast conservation area dotted with lakes and criss-crossed with bridle paths. There are organised hikes or you can simply set out on your own with a map.
At the Maison de la Brenne, there is an interpretive centre where visitors can learn about the region, its ancient traditions of fish farming and nature conservation.
A visit to the vast lake ( Lac Chambon )at Eguzon is a must. The lake stretches for twenty-five kilometres and is the perfect place where you can learn to water-ski, sail and windsurf. There are several beaches for swimming and restaurants with a wonderful choice of menus.
La Chatre is famous for being the home town of George Sands , who was among others one of Chopi!
n's mist
resses, and Gargilesse, where George Sands had a small home, now home to an assortment of artists whose studios are open to the public.
Centre is also home to two of France's great cathedrals, at Bourges and Chartres. The latter contains some of the best examples of stained glass in France, fashioned by the same master-craftsmen who later constructed the magnificent windows of King Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
The valley of the Loire produces 22 fine wines, including Bourgueil, Sancerre, Valençay, Vouvray, Montlouis, and Menetou-Salon. Among the region's excellent cheeses are Crottin de Chavignol, Selles-sur-Cher, and Sainte-Maure de Touraine.
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