Les Bulles de Fleury

To properly please horsey sorts, an equestrian centre is a short distance from base for handy horseback hacks, and over in Chantilly is the 18th-century horse museum – one of the most visited equestrian sites in the world – plus the town’s racecourse, which hosts the longest-trotting horse shows on French soil. Close by in Villers-Cotterêts there’s plenty of historic stuff to potter around among, like the 16th-century Noüe Castle, the Henry II Pavilion and Church of Saint Nicolas. For fans of 20th-century war history, there’s also a military cemetery for fallen French soldiers of World War I, and the Guard's Grave British Military Cemetery too. A wee bit over an hour’s drive away, tour the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region Reims, and wander in and out of its plentiful champagne houses for cellar tours and tastings. If you’ve managed to remain upright after all that fizzingly fab and fine French plonk, then take your tour further to explore the city’s fab art deco core, as well as its sixth-century Saint-Remi Abbey and the Palais du Tau.