The Merlin Castle: a fun and spellbinding stopover in Pierrefonds

 

Castles don’t come more fairytale-like than the Château de Pierrefonds, rebuilt by Viollet-le-Duc for Napoléon III, with a moat and drawbridge, arrowslits and eight soaring towers, each dedicated to a different knight. 

 

Kids happily scamper around this gorgeous edifice all day long, spotting sculptures of medieval monsters and grimacing gargoyles (come armed with paper, pens and Plasticine) and fighting off imaginary dragons in the grounds, dotted with life-size models of catapults. Fans of Merlin also love identifying rooms where key scenes were filmed. With older kids, the spooky display of old statues in the old dungeons is a must.

 

 

 

 

 

Pierrefonds is a classic little French town with swan-shaped pedaloes on its lake, mini-golf and relaxed places to eat as a family. Sample mâchicoulis (caramel with almonds) at the Boulanger Pâtissier Bigot, or grab fresh croissants and baguettes from one of several bakeries for picnics by the lake or in the forest. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s nowhere better to burn off energy – and excess calories! – than the Forêt de Compiègne, with bike hire for all the family (including trailers) from Picardie Forêt Verte (read an article about a family cycle route in the forest of Compiègne). Safe waymarked routes, one from Pierrefonds, take you past fishing lakes and to Grimp à L’Arb’ with its treetop adventure courses for various ages. Older children may like to cycle to the Clairière de l’Armistice, to see where World War I came to an end.