Berry is the historic name for the area covering the south of departments Indre (36) and Cher (18) and the north of departments Allier (03) and Creuse (23). For centuries the area formed a disputed border between the Kingdom of France and English held Aquitaine; the many picturesque chateaux bear witness to the turbulent history.
The Flag of the Berry
The landscape, on the edge of the Massif Central, is of gently rolling hills, streams and verdant wooded pasture. The land is agricultural and famous for the Limousine and Charolais cattle that abound. The pace of life is slow but you are never far from modern facilities; schools, hospitals, shops and recreational centres. Each weekend from March to October there is a festival of one sort or another in local towns and villages. Local reservoirs offer water-sports and fishing and the area makes the most of its historic artistic connections with, for example, the famous female author George Sand (see picture below) who based many of her novels around the area. The annual music festival at Saint Chartier is world renowned and draws in thousands of visitors over a 3 day period. The Tour de France passes through the area not once but three times in July 2008.
Berry is the geographic centre of France. Four hours from the Atlantic coast, less than a day to the Med or the Alps and a couple of hours from the ski resorts of the Auvergne. Limoges airport is a short drive away while Paris can be reached by car or train in three hours. From Berry to the Channel Ports is an easy day’s drive. Our favourite route to Boulogne costs only 16€ in toll charges.