A few kilometres from Alençon in Lower Normandy's Orne department, on the north side of the Forest of Ecouves, lie the town and Château of Carrouges.

Unusually, the château is sited below the town, this being a position where the river could form part of its natural defences. It was constructed between the XIV and XVII centuries, and its development can be clearly seen from the original medieval fortified keep to the final Renaissance apartments. The history of the château includes both the Hundred Years War and the Wars of Religion.

The château was originally owned by the Carrouges family before it was passed through marriage to the Blosset and Le Veneur families, eventually becoming property of the State in 1935.

The entrance to the château grounds is via a red brick gatehouse with steep roofs, behind which you will discover the castle surrounded by a moat. Take a walk around the grounds then cross the drawbridge over the moat into the courtyard.

A guided tour of the interior takes 45 minutes to explore the furnished rooms, apartments and kitchens.

There is a shop housed in the nearby chapel, with a good selection of locally produced produce and crafts, as well as a small gift shop in the château courtyard.

A hunting and fishing festival also attracts tens of thousands of people to the château in August.

The chateau is open to the public all year round except Christmas and New Year's days. It closes for lunch from 12.00 to 2.00pm.