Le Foret de Troncais et Les Chamignoux

 So here's another chapter in the unplanned trip to France in 2002. We were cycling (cheapest way to live when unexpectedly on holidays) according to the TV news weather map - avoiding mountains!!  We ended up here - somewhere in Allier, near Montlucon. It was beautiful country, very french.

 Cycling through villages with amazing views in ancient streets.. we just couldn't believe how lucky we were.

 Constantly taking in the new and different... my partner was intrigued by the ancient architecture.

 Cycling meant having all our travel gear on the bikes... as this was an unplanned trip we had to do some sorting, rearranging and ended up with our little 'Bob' trailer. It worked a treat (as long as I wasn't towing it).

 When we decided to come to this part of the world, we booked a gite (local farm house for rent) and then started riding towards it. The gite was located in the village of Les Chamignoux near le Foret du Trancais. It was such a highlight of our trip.. we loved it!

 This was our Gite... white stone collage with red wines.

 

Time to play with fires in cozy corners... 

 

 And like any good French village - they had hunts!

Located near the Forest of Tronçais (Forêt de Tronçais) we enjoyed walks, rides & picnics. This is a French national forest, a forêt domaniale, comprising 10,600 hectares in the Allier, managed by the Office national des forêts. Its oaks, planted by order of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister of Louis XIV to supply the French navy, constitute one of the principal stands of oaks in Europe. The oaks of Tronçais, representing some 80% of production, are prized for the barrels coopered for cognac and the great wines of Bordeaux.

I will share another special story from this part of the world in next weeks edition.