Le Coeur Du Moulin

Find your way to the fab Le Coeur Du Moulin for a brill break close to the geographic centre of France. This top-notch place is set around the ruins of an 18th-century watermill on a vast fishing lake, so it’s very much easy on the eye.

The surrounding area is also scenic – head out on the nearby walking paths and country roads to get a load of the landscape before retreating to the park for a splash about in the pool. Follow up a dip with a glass of wine in the large, green garden and perhaps a bit of grub grilled on the barbecue.

For more meal options, make your way to nearby settlements in the Allier department. The region is scattered with plenty of pretty villages, flea markets and cheese farms, as well as a whopping 500 castles. It’s also home to the Saint Pourçain wine region – so there’s no excuse not to schedule a tasting at a vineyard.

Bring a bottle of vin back to the park to stuff in your suitcase as a souvenir, then expend any energy you've got left during a session in the games room, on the tennis courts or at the pétanque pitch. Fishing’s also fantastic at the lake and bikes are available to hire on site for riding off into the countryside.

Once you’re back again and dusk starts setting in, don’t forget to look up at the night’s sky. Because of the lack of light pollution in the area, the Milky Way sparkles overhead on clear evenings.