| Cycle
Touring in Charente from La Giraudière, Brossac, South West France |
The Knight's Templar Route
This
is the longest and one of the
best routes that I have discovered in Sud-Charente. The views
this side of Brossac are something else. Also, it is
nicely split up, with places to stop along the way, and with some
fascinating historical material to sample. There is much evidence in
South West France of pilgrims stopping on their way to Santiago de
Compostela, and this is one of the only chapels officially
attributed to the Knight's Templar that still
remains in France.
Things to See: La Chapelle des Templiers; Blanzac; Pineau Distillery and Church at Berneuil
Circuit Difficulty: Medium/Hard, hilly in parts
Things to See: La Chapelle des Templiers; Blanzac; Pineau Distillery and Church at Berneuil
Circuit Difficulty: Medium/Hard, hilly in parts
 Take a left out of La Giraudiere and follow the road into Brossac.
Continue past the Marie (Town Hall) on the left, through Brossac Gare
and down to a small roundabout. Take the second exit, sign-posted
Chatignac on the D70. You will encounter a long but fairly steady hill
which should get the legs warm!  Pass through
Chatignac, and down the hill on the other side, which has
a stunning view of the surrounding countryside. Take a left when you
come to the second set of crossroads,
signposted St Felix on the D20.
As you are approaching St Felix, there is a left turn onto the D7. Take
this, and then a right when signposted to St Souline. Continue through St Souline and Poullignac (there is a nice old church here..), which takes you through an orchard before getting to the D24. Cross over this road onto the D128 to Deviat, where there also a nice church and a good place to stop. Once in Deviat, you need to take a left in the town centre onto the D7 to Cressac (the signpost is on the wrong side of the road..!) The Knight's Templar chapel is actually not in Cressac itself. You  have to bypass the main town, and continue up a
fairly tough hill , forking right twice before discovering a left turn
to the chapel, which is
clearly visible. You will find it a minute or
so down the hill. For a
spot of lunch/a coffee, continue on this road into Blanzac (about
1k), and follow directions to the centre
ville. Then take the D5 out of Blanzac, direction Barbezieux,
and continue for about 10/15 mins before reaching D130 to St Aulais.
This is a fantastic scenic route, taking you through numerous vinyards
and endless countryside. Have
a look at the église de Conzac (clearly sign posted) if you fancy it.
At the
T-Junction,  take
the D46 to Bessac where there
is a short hill, and then follow the D58
sign to Brie sous Barbezieux. At the crossroads, go straight over
(direction Chatignac and Berneuil), and then bear right on the D142 to
Berneuil. At the next crossroads, take a right to Berneuil, which takes you up a steep hill (if you  dont fancy this,
go straight at the
crossroads and follow signs for Passirac D195), into a
delightful
town with a Pineau distillery and a lovely church. Good for a stop.
Once back on the road, do a left out of Berneuil towards Chillac on the
D68, and take the next left, the D198 to Chatignac. When you see a sign
to Passirac, take this and continue on the same road, taking up a
steady hill, through Passirac
(go over the main road), past a large chateau on the left
and down a
steep hill until you reach a T-Junction. Take the left to get you back
to Brossac... "Thank you to Tom Quayle who put together both the cycle route and the web page whilst staying at La Giraudiere as part of the working group of 2009." |