A Morning in Mansle: Riverside Life in the Charente
Bonjour! Today we’re taking a peek at Mansle. This quaint riverside town is a rather understated little place, but it’s in a key position for anyone exploring the Charente. Just off the RN10 dual carriageway linking Ruffec and Angoulême, it’s an easy place to stop and explore.
Mansle really is one of those small Charente towns you could easily miss while heading south from Ruffec, but it’s well worth a look and full of sweet little surprises when you do.
The Heart of Mansle
The town centre has recently undergone a little facelift, which has really lifted the heart of Mansle. With its rather glamorous-looking Mairie at the centre, the beautiful Église Saint-Léger and little cobbled streets, this sweet little town is actually really lovely to wander around.
There are two weekly markets on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville: the traditional market on Friday mornings from 8am–12pm, followed by a smaller local producers’ market on Saturday mornings.
With several independent bars and a fantastic butcher and baker, the town has pretty much everything you need on foot. There are also a couple of larger supermarkets for the weekly shop if you don’t fancy the trip down to Angoulême.
If you arrive by camping-car or motorhome, check out the Camping Municipal Le Champion, right next door to the Mansle trotting track. If you happen to be here when the horses are racing, it’s a very French afternoon out and something you really should experience at least once!
Down by the Charente
This is really the star of the show!
If hiring a canoe or kayak is your thing, Mansle Canoë Kayak has its base right beside the river. You can explore the Charente by canoe, kayak or stand-up paddle, with various routes available depending on how adventurous you’re feeling.
If you’d rather enjoy the river on foot, take the steps down from the car park and you’ll find a lovely old wash house where you can stop and admire the ducks. That, together with the gorgeous weeping willows, makes for a very pretty photo for your travel journal indeed.
Then head back into town and have a coffee at Chez Riffaud, a lovely little épicerie and bar serving artisan coffee, beautiful wines and cocktails. Perhaps the perfect place to simply sit for a while and watch everyday life in this little corner of the Charente go by.
Stay a Little Longer…
While there are a number of reasonably priced chambres d’hôtes in and around Mansle, interestingly there’s also a proper little hotel.
Traditional hotels can be surprisingly thin on the ground in this rural part of the Charente, making Hôtel Beau Rivage something of a find.
Situated right on the banks of the River Charente, this well-regarded little hotel has 29 bedrooms, with rooms currently ranging from around €89 to €138, as well as half-board and full-board options.
There’s also a restaurant, with a lunchtime formule currently around €18, alongside an à la carte menu featuring French favourites and regional produce.
For anyone discovering Mansle or simply looking for an overnight stop on a longer journey through southwest France it promises a rather lovely overnight stay – an apéritif beside the river, settle down to dinner and wake the following morning with the Charente flowing just outside the hotel window.
Why Stop in Mansle?
Mansle isn’t somewhere I’d send you with a huge checklist of sights to tick off, it’s not overly touristy and that’s rather the point.
Come for a morning. Wander through the little streets, admire the Mairie and church, stroll beside the Charente, stop for a coffee and perhaps linger over lunch.
It’s an easy little taste of everyday life in rural France and another reminder that some of the loveliest discoveries in the Charente are often the places you weren’t particularly looking for.
À bientôt,
Katie x
