Capital of the Charente-Limousin
Confolens is the capital of the Charente-Limousin. It is located a mere 30 minutes from Limoges and an hour from Poitiers. The name Confolens comes from the word confluence and that is exactly where it is situated between the River Vienne and the River Goire.

A Popular Place for a Long time
Confolens is an ancient town with it routes extending far earlier than the arrival of the Romans. There are a number of ancient sites in the vicinity filled with prehistoric standing stones. The Romans went on to use the town as a garrison for its army. It has now developed into a typical French, bustling market town.

Split by the Vienne
The broad River Vienne splits the town into two and provides perfect opportunities for watersports enthusiasts. The variation in depth across the Vienne means that it suits a wide variety of river traffic from Kayaks to motorboats. If you'd rather stay on dry land then rest assured. Tennis, bowls and archery are also popular.

A Good Place for Fish
If you're into your fishing then you'll be interested to know that Confolens is classed in the French national category 2. For those of you who don't know the first thing about fishing then this broadly means that zander, pike, trout and carp are all to be found lurking in both the town's rivers and menus.

And a Good Place for Leisure
Confolens is famous for its folk festival called "Danses et Musiques du Monde". It is held every August and attracts a large number of visitors. The area in which Confolens is situated is perfect for those with a love of the outdoors. Hiking, walking, rambling, cycling and horse riding are all well catered for with a number of clearly marked paths and tracks. If you need to give your feet a rest, however, don’t worry. The town's unique Velo Railway makes travelling around the town considerably easier.

Travelling there is easy as both Limoges and Poitiers have their own airports and are frequently serviced by RyanAir and easyjet

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DRIVING IN FRANCE

France has a wonderful motorway network (called autoroutes) which are a real pleasure to drive on and often provide sweeping views of the countryside.  Because of the size of the country compared to the UK the roads are much less congested. Of course there is congestion at times and dates to avoid if you can would be the begining and end of the month long holiday in August which the French seem to take en massse. Other weeks to avoid if possible at the ones nearest July 14th and August 15th.

The autoroutes are toll roads but you can use your credit card to pay the fees. There are frequent rest areas or service stations along the way so there is no excuse for not taking a break.

Seatbelts are compulsory for all passengers. Children must be properly protected up to the age of ten (car cots for small babies, and baby or child seats.) Crash helmets must be worn for all forms of motorbike travel.

Unless otherwise indicated the speed limit in urban areas is 50 kph in built up areas, 90 kph on other roads, (80 in the rain) and 130 kph on autoroutes (110 in the rain).

It is an offence to drive with more than 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood. (About two glasses of wine).

The Bison futé system has been set up to try to prevent traffic jams. The maps which are available free from garages shows alternative routes indicated by green and yellow panels and the word bis.

Carry your insurance, car log book - original not a photocopy, (or a letter from the car hire company if it is a company car), and your driving license with you at all times whilst driving. It is an offence to not to do so

The relaxing place to fish in France

Etang De Brillac