The swimming lake of Vieure, with a small beach, sunbathing area and a restaurant is a 10-minutes’ drive away. Also in the ‘Forêt de Troncais’ you find two nice swimming lakes.

The rolling Bocage Bourbonnais is ideal for quiet cycling and walking holidays. In Bourbon l’Archambault (5 minute-drive by car) you find a bike hire facility. They also hire e-bikes.

Ygrande has a Country Pony Range where you can enjoy riding in the wild.

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Le Pal, a nice amusement park in the Allier, is situated east of Moulins. It is a spacious and beautiful park, a combination of Zoo and rides. They also give shows with among others seals and parrots. There are several rides like a wild water rapids and a roller coaster.

Bourbon l’Archambault is 5 km from our Domaine and is the cradle of the Bourbon dynasty. It is also a famous spa resort with thermal baths. These were built in the 17th century by the Duke of Orleans, a brother of Louis XIII.

t a 30-minutes’ drive from La Madeleine lies a 10,000 acres oak forest, Europe’s largest, called Forêt de Troncais. Well maintained paths lead you to the tree trunks which are more than 300 years old with beautiful names like ‘La Sentinelle’ and ‘Le Chêne Carré’. These trees are quite large and can have a circumference of more than 6 metres. Apart from wild boars and deer there are also many red deer in this forest. You can also find two nice swimming lakes.

Our region is famous for its royal past. From the 12th till the 14th century many castles were built here, updated and rebuilt. Only when the Renaissance starts these castles are devoted to pleasure and beauty. The buildings were redecorated in order to improve the daily comfort of their inhabitants. This happened at first in the vicinity of Moulins and the Bourbon family played a leading role in this.
The district with the largest castle density in France is Agonges, a 10-minutes’ drive from La Madeleine. Agonges has no less than thirteen castles. An example where the old fortification building is well maintained and which is later redecorated to the standards of the Renaissance is Château Ainay-le-Vieil, at a 30-minutes’ drive from La Madeleine. Ainay has been in possession of the current inhabitants’ family since 1467 and they have opened the castle and gardens to the public.

At a 5-minutes’ distance from Domaine de la Madeleine is Bourbon l’Archambault. It is a medieval town with an old fortress which can be visited daily in the high season. There are also various small shops and restaurants. There is an open-air pool and sports centre as well.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Use this space to focus on the thing which make you great.