Do not come here looking for cheese. This Brie is a small village in the Charente, just north of Angoulême, a long way from the famous cheese country east of Paris. It is a quiet place of limestone houses, a church and fields, set in the gentle hills that roll toward the Cognac vineyards to the west and the wooded uplands of the Limousin to the east.
The village sits close to some surprising places. The Touvre, a few kilometres south, rises from one of the largest springs in France, a resurgence of water that has travelled underground through the limestone from the rivers of the plateau, emerging clear, cold and abundant into a short, wide river. At Ruelle-sur-Touvre, a naval foundry was set up in the eighteenth century to cast cannon for the French navy, using the river's power and the region's iron and wood, and the site is still connected with defence manufacturing today.
Angoulême, just to the south, stands on a high rocky promontory above the Charente, surrounded by ramparts that offer views over the valley. The city is famous for its comic strip festival every January, with murals and statues throughout the streets, and for the Circuit des Remparts, a vintage car race held on the streets around the old walls each September. Further west, the Cognac region produces the famous brandy, and the houses of Jarnac and Cognac welcome visitors.
The riding here is relaxed. The roads wind through low hills, woods and fields, with gentle curves, villages and little traffic, though the main roads around Angoulême can be busy at rush hour. The landscape is green and soft, with vineyards and sunflowers in summer and a warm, almost southern light. The roads east toward the Limousin, around La Rochefoucauld and its château, become hillier and more wooded.
For fuel and supplies, the commercial area of Champniers just north of Angoulême has everything, and Ruelle-sur-Touvre has shops too. A glass of Pineau des Charentes, the local aperitif made from grape juice and cognac, is a regional speciality, though best enjoyed once the riding is done. If you have time, take a walk to the springs of the Touvre, where the water wells up from the ground in a quiet, shaded pool.