This is an outstandingly beautiful part of France with plenty to enjoy. You can visit chateaux and vineyards, and there are antique markets and food markets for fresh local produce; you can go canoeing, fishing, play golf, go cycling or riding. You can go to the races or the Casino in Vichy: and there's tennis, parachuting, all water-sports, childrens parks, and of course walking in the hills, the countryside and the mountains.

Street Market, LAPALISSE

Walking is unparalleled. 400 kms of marked walks surround our houses, with vantage points from which you can discover traditional hamlets, forests, magnificent Romanesque churches, ruins from the Middle Ages, superb rivers and lakes, ancient mills, fauna and flora.

Cascade	Walkers

Swimming in Lakes at St Clement and Villerest and in rivers is excellent.

St. Clement Lake All watersports. Forest adventures for children and adults. Quad Bikes. Picnic Tables Snack Bar

Riding at Le Breuil is only 5 km from Arfeuilles. Ponies for children, and riding out in the hills for the more experienced rider.

Skiing. Cross Country (36 pistes) and some downhill skiing (5 pistes) at 3 stations, La Loge des Gardes, Lavoine and Saint-Nicolas-des-Biefs. Good Downhill skiing within 2 hrs at Le Mont Dore and Super Besse.

In July there is a Classical Music Festival (Nuits Musicales en Bourbonnais) in the churches.

We are only 1.1/2 hrs from the Vinyards of Beaujolais and Macon and the interesting Roanaisse Vineyards in the Upper Loire Valley are nearby, producing very palatable red and rose wine where you can taste and buy the wine.

The Volcanoes of the Auvergne and the snow capped peaks of the Puy de Sancy and Puy de Dome can be seen locally, and make an unforgettable day trip. The Sioule Gorges stretch from the Sioule Valley to the foot of the Volcanoes and are excellent for canoeing and bathing.

Some towns to visit in the Volcanoes are Besse, La Bourboule, and Le Mont Dore which hosts a Jazz Festival in the streets, bars and cafes for a week in the middle of February.

Le Mont Dore & surrounding Area

Vichy, France's most famous spa, is an elegant town whose architecture has been largely untouched since the late 19th century_ It combines the qualities of a health farm with all the attractions of a sophisticated French town. There is a Golf Club, and the beautiful Racecourse beside the Allier river has floodlit night meetings.

There is a wide range of places to eat out, from the good value local cafes, the top class restaurants in Vichy to the internationally renowned Michelin *** Restaurant Les Troisgros, at Roanne.