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Location & Local Info
Nearest airport: Poitiers (60km).
Nearest train station: Argenton sur Creuse (25km) or Chateauroux (45km).
Nearest town: Ciron (village - 0.5km). Le Blanc (14km).
Ciron is located in a Regional Parc – La Brenne – South West of the Berry area, one of the regions of the Centre Val de Loire region. It is therefore at the corner of three different areas: Berry, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes. There are plenty of interesting places to visit. We just wanted to highlight a few places that are either really worth paying a one-day trip (The Loire Valley and Poitiers/Le Futuroscope) or more nearby places of interest. For other ideas, guests will find a few travel books in the cupboard close to the kitchen entrance door to guide their possible visits.
The Loire Valley is a fairly wide region – there are more than 200km between Angers and Orléans, so we don’t recommend trying to see all of it. However, it can be interesting to pay a visit to see a few places and get a taste of the region. In our mind, there are two possible one-day trips that can be done from the chateau: Valençay - Blois - Cheverny - Chambord or Blois - Amboise - Chenonceau - Loches. It would be extremely difficult to perform a full visit of all those places and, depending on the time they want to spend at each place, it is possible to visit between three and four places in a day. The total day-trip is between 300 and 400km. A shorter trip would be Valencay - Chenonceau - Loches (250km).
We recommend that you use the Michelin travel book “Châteaux de la Loire” to build your itinerary. It is difficult for us to make any recommendation since, after having spent quite a few visits to all these magnificent places, we prefer staying close to the swimming pool! If we had to recommend a few places based on our tastes, we would pick-up Loches (not too far and a good overview of what a castle is), Azay Le Rideau (the water makes it very special) and Villandry (for their gardens).
Poitiers is about 75km from the chateau. It is an interesting and attractive city that is worth a visit for Le Futuroscope alone. There are also a few medieval cities located on the road to Poitiers that may be of interest (Ingrandes, Saint-Savin Chauvigny). In Poitiers, visitors should concentrate on the old town which offers a few old churches and charming houses. Le Futuroscope was built in 1987 and is dedicated to technology, mainly cinema and video. Its architecture is somewhat interesting. Visitors will be particularly interested in various movie theatres (huge screens, 180°-360°). A full description of this theme park is provided in the Michelin travel book “Poitou-Vendée-Charentes”.
In the vicinity, the main area of interest is the Regional Parc, La Brenne, which includes 7500 hectares of lakes and ponds and a few villages that are worth paying a visit to (Le Blanc, Argenton sur Creuse, Gargilesse and Saint-Benoit du Sault) as well as Château-Guillaume, a lovely little village with an interesting castle. La Brenne is a marvellous place to walk and fish. Main areas of interest are the Etang de Bellebouche, le Château du Bouchet and l’Etang de la Mer Rouge. One of the most disappointing features of La Brenne is that a lot of its forests and 1300 lakes are private. A proper visit therefore needs to be prepared in order that you're not disappointed. This can be done at the Maison du Parc in Le Bouchet (Tel: 02 54 28 12 13) or at the Office du Tourisme in Le Blanc (Tel: 02 54 37 05 13). There is an interesting fair in Rosnay on August 25. Guests can use the Berry-Limousin Michelin travel book as well as the various flyers provided by the house to get more information on La Brenne.
Le Blanc (15km) is a charming little city located close to the river La Creuse. Main areas of interest are its bridge and its old city (“Ville Haute”), where visitors will find the Saint-Cyran church and Château-Naillac, a very interesting museum. Argenton sur Creuse (25km) is also a charming village located close to the river La Creuse. Main areas of interest are in the centre. Houses on the river are particularly pretty. It is also possible to visit Argentomagus, an old Gallo-Roman town. Gargilesse is a very charming village with an attractive church. From Ciron, it is worth a ½ day trip including other areas of interest such as Saint-Benoit-du-Sault, Argenton sur Creuse and Château-Guillaume. Saint-Benoit du Sault is also worth a visit. Visitors will enjoy a very good view over the valley. Château-Guillaume is an interesting village where visitors will find a castle that will provide them with a taste of the Loire Valley’s better known places.
One of our worst memories from Ciron dates from the day we bought it. We went out late in the evening and asked a few people in the street where we could find a good place to eat. We were very disappointed to hear “certainly not here”, “I do not go to the restaurant, my wife is a very good cook” or “at that time of the day, are you joking?!?” We were fortunate to later discover that there were quite a few decent places around Ciron to enjoy good food and wine. However, it is true that finding a table after 9pm in the surroundings is quite a challenge. Here is a short list of the restaurants we have experienced and enjoyed over the past few years.
- Le Cygne (8 avenue Gambetta - Le Blanc - 02 54 28 71 63) is a marvellous restaurant and the best value for money in the whole region. It proposes nice and innovative cooking at a very decent price. It is recommended to book.
- L’Ile d’Avant (69 avenue Pierre Mendès France - Le Blanc - 02 54 37 01 56) does not offer the most attractive setting but food is good and relatively inexpensive, particularly off-season.
- Le Cendrille (1 place de la Mairie - Rosnay - 02 54 28 64 94) is a small but charming restaurant located north of Ciron.
- Auberge de La Gabrière (2 rue de La Gabrière - 36220 Lingé - 02 54 37 80 97) is located close to a charming pond. There are lots of tourists during summer time but good food too. It is one of the restaurants which is open “late” in the surroundings.
- Hostellerie des Rives de la Creuse (28 route de Châteauroux - Scoury - 02 54 37 98 01) is the closest acceptable restaurant.
- La Source (9 rue Ledru Rollin – Argenton sur Creuse) is a very good traditional restaurant.
- L’Etape (route de Bélâbre - Le Blanc - 02 54 37 18 02) may be one the best in the surroundings. It is located in a very nice château. Food is good although the place is a bit difficult to find.
- The two pizzerias located in Argenton sur Creuse and Le Blanc are very decent and may be a good (if not the sole) solution for a late dinner in the surroundings.
Golf: There are 2 golf courses in the surroundings
- GOLF CLUB DU VAL DE L'INDRE – 18 holes – 50kms. Parc du Château - 36320 VILLEDIEU SUR INDRE. Tél: 02 54 26 59 44 Fax: 02 54 26 06 37. golf.valindre@wanadoo.fr
- GOLF CLUB LES DRYADES – 18 holes – 90kms. Hôtel des Dryades - 36160 POULIGNY NOTRE DAME. Tél: 02 54 06 60 67 Fax: 02 54 30 10 24. asgolf.dryades@wanadoo.fr
If you are a beginner of you just want to hit a few balls, there is a small and convenient small club in Ruffec, 10 kms from Ciron. It has a very simple practice and 5 holes. The practice is open from 14h30 to 18h30 everyday but Tuesday. The golf course is located close to the horse-back riding club.
Tennis: There is a tennis court 200m away from the property, across the road from the bakery. Guests can rent a weekly access card for 20€ from the guardians. You will receive a key in order to enable access to the courts.
Horse-back riding: A club for horse riding can be found 10 kms away: turn left upon entering the village Ruffec (on the road to Le Blanc) – 02 54 37 72 63. It is possible to rent horses and also ponies at very competetive prices. The horse-back riding club is located close to the golf course.
Biking: You can rent bikes at several places
• Base de Plein Air – Le Blanc – 02 54 37 36 85
• Le Cendrille – Rosnay – 02 54 28 64 94
• Office du Tourisme – Mézières en Brenne – 02 54 38 12 24
• Monsieur Franchot – Le Blanc – 02 54 37 19 21
Shooting: There is a shooting club, Le Club de Tir Brennou, in Saint-Michel en Brenne, about 25 km north of Ciron – 02 54 38 11 31. It is open between April 22 and October 22, on Saturdays between 14h00 and 18h00 and on Sundays between 9h00 and 10h00.