ABOVE: Child's Play

Family Fun In Poitou-Charentes

Pedalling for all he was worth, Sam turned his head to give me a huge grin; this was what we’d been waiting for – brilliant sunshine dappled the old railway line as we watched the glorious French countryside speed past. And the boys were doing all the work – perfect!

I was enjoying a day out in Charente with my family and we were on the vélorail – a flatbed truck which is pedalled along a railway line by two people on bikes. The bike saddles can be lowered so that children can do the pedalling, and Sam aged ten and Isaac (eight) took up the challenge with gusto. Each unit has five chairs, so other passengers can enjoy the ride. My husband and I took a back seat as we set out from the medieval cité of Confolens, heading nine kilometres along the old chemin de fer Charente-Limousine line to Manot.

With the children doing most of the pedalling, we got the chance to watch the pretty village of Ansac pass by, spotting lizards scuttling over the old railway sleepers and dragonflies flitting through the wild flowers. We glimpsed the cows grazing below us as we crossed the viaduc de Pontarand sur la Faye, and headed into Manot for a well-earned break. We could have gone on another eight kilometres to the medieval town of Roumazières on the River Charente, but instead turned and pedalled back. The line is being restored by a team of volunteers who hope to replace 5,000 sleepers along the route and launch a tourist train to run alongside the vélorail, as well as extending the line to Lessac.

Half-way down the eastern coast of France, the region of Poitou-Charentes is an ideal destination for a family holiday. We were staying near the pretty village of Saint-Claud, in a lovely gîte at Manoir La Betoulle, which is set in lovely grounds complete with swimming pool and tennis court.

Read the full article on pages 65-68 of this months issue.

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