Rochechouart / Confolens La Vélidéale

Between Rochechouart and Confolens, our cycle route takes you through an unusual area marked by the impact made by a meteorite smashing into Earth some 214 million years ago. This geological event is even reflected in the local architecture, which has made use down the centuries of the impact breccia, or fragments of rock fused together as a result of the cataclysmic event. The Vélidéale takes you close to Lac de Lavaud (where it also joins up with the Scandibérique cycle route), one of two lakes in the Haute Charente area where you can enjoy both bird-watching (notably at the Observatoire de Foucherie) and outdoor leisure activities. Note that a few kilometres away from the cycle route itself, at Chassenon, you can go and visit some of the largest and best-preserved vestiges of Gallo-Roman thermal baths in France. Next, you continue to ride along the charming Vienne Valley, crossing the river at Exideuil, a village whose little Romanesque church is a listed historic monument.