The best traffic-free bike rides around Gourville

Château Saint-Martial de Jarnac is an elegant neo-Renaissance-style residence, built between 1882 and 1884 for Maurice Laporte-Bisquit, a cognac merchant and mayor of Jarnac. Its main façade is organized around two polygonal towers and a central H-shaped plan; the facades are decorated with ceramic panels, a tribute to the founding family. The château boasts a majestic stone staircase with a wrought iron railing, large reception rooms adorned with woodwork and gilded stucco, and a landscaped park. The building served as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War and later became a home for art collections. Listed as a historic monument in 2014, the château now houses guest rooms and remains a testament to the prestige of cognac houses during the Belle Époque.

The Château des Chabannes in Jarnac was built at the end of the 19th century for Baptiste Vert, then a cognac company manager. It is distinguished by its vast terrace offering a panoramic view of the Charente River and a garden featuring a pond and a rockery pierced by grottoes. The château's architecture, composed of a central building, two rectangular wings, and pavilions with round towers, reflects the tastes of the time and the importance of the local cognac houses. The architectural details are particularly elaborate: stone balustrades, a south-facing gallery, sculpted friezes, and a prominent winter garden that accentuates the refinement of the ensemble. This residence, surrounded by a park sloping down to the river, bears witness to the prestige of the region's cognac merchants during the Belle Époque.

There are e-bike chargers here

Covered washhouse at the exit of St-Cybardeaux, dating from 1877. Rectangular with three sloping edges, two wash tables were installed there at the time, to allow for a more comfortable break.

Washhouse with two sloping stone curbstones. It is located along the road, 1.5 km from St-Cybardeaux, sheltered by trees. The washhouse's water comes from a small circular stone fountain, while the water flows on the other side under a bridge once crossed by the Petit Rouillac.

Small section of the Douzat greenway, a bit of D+ at the start (from the N-E), but very clean and under cover of vegetation.

In fact, this building is a small square with a stone table and coping stones, at the entrance to the village of Grillauds, on a stretch of the Nouère at the Grillauds mill, just under the bridge spanning this stretch.

HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF HINE In 1791, Thomas Hine (1775-1822), then aged 16, left his native land on the south coast of England to go to France… in the middle of the French Revolution. He went to Jarnac, Charente, where he was hired as a clerk in the Ranson et Delamain trading house, which produced his father’s favourite cognac. James Delamain (1738-1800), a Huguenot who had emigrated from Ireland, founded the trading house in 1763 with his father-in-law Jean-Isaac Ranson. On 3 October 1797 (13 Brumaire Year VI), Thomas Hine married Françoise Élisabeth Delamain, daughter of James Delamain and Marie Ranson. In 1817, the Ranson et Delamain house was liquidated, the heirs having been unable to agree on the succession. The eponymous son-in-law founded Thomas Hine & Co, and his cousins Paul Roullet and Henri Delamain (James' grandson) founded the Maison Roullet et Delamain seven years later, which would become Delamain et Cie. The links between the two Protestant Jarnac families remained close, and Thomas Hine's great-granddaughter, Adrienne Hine (1850-1922) married Philippe Delamain (1847-1902) - they had sons Jacques and Robert Delamain. Today, as in Thomas Hine's time, the Hine establishments line the banks of the Charente in Jarnac. The logo is inspired by Hine's speaking arms, hind meaning doe in Old English. He is lying down, his head turned backwards, symbolically looking towards England2. In 1962, Hine was granted the Royal Warrant of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and became the official supplier of cognac to the Court of England. In 1987, the company was bought by Moët Hennessy. In 2003, it became the property of the CL Financial group, which emerged from the Angostura group. The House was bought in 2013 by the Edv company. TYPOLOGY OF HINE EAUX DE VIE The House of HINE is located on the banks of the Charente, in the heart of the Cognac region. In the cellars, which ensure the protection of the precious vintages under seal, little has changed in more than 260 years. From the neighboring quays once began the journey of HINE cognacs around the world. This house is one of the oldest in Jarnac. Cognacs exclusively from the Grande and Petite Champagne vintages, a distillation with the lees, and an aging in fine grains with a light to moderate heating. Here, every manufacturing detail will be revealed to you. > To find out more: - https://hine.com/fr - Address: 16 quai Orangerie 16200 Jarnac - 05 45 35 59 59 - Visits, Tasting and Purchases possible - Opening periods: From 01/04 to 31/12 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Excluding public holidays. Full price: from €20. Free for children under 18. (Subject to change)