Château de Chazeuil
Reserve
Aerial view of a long two-storey house clad in timber, its lawn and drive, surrounded by trees

Forest walks

The Tronçais forest: walking among the great oaks of the Allier

Around 11,000 hectares of oak, among the most celebrated in France, with lakes to walk around.

About 80 km by road, around 80 minutes from the estate

The Forêt de Tronçais covers around 11,000 hectares in the west of the Allier, most of it oak. Its management goes back to Colbert's order of 1670, when it was kept for the timber of the French navy. Today its oak also goes into wine barrels.

The Étang de Saint-Bonnet, about 45 hectares of water at Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais, is the usual place to begin, with paths around it and through the trees.

What to do

  • Walk the waymarked loops around the Étang de Saint-Bonnet
  • Spend a full day under the oaks, ideally in autumn when the colour turns

Questions

How big is the Tronçais forest?
Around 11,000 hectares, most of it oak, in the west of the Allier department.
How long does it take to reach Tronçais from Varennes-sur-Allier?
About 80 minutes by road for about 80 km, as far as the Étang de Saint-Bonnet.

Where to stay

Come back to the park

Holiday homes for 3 to 7 guests in the 35-hectare park of the Château de Chazeuil, with a pool and a wood-fired sauna on the estate. The season runs from May to the end of November.

See the houses

Life on the estateThe château

Sources

Road distances and times were calculated from the estate's coordinates with OpenStreetMap data, and are a guide only.