Poitou-Charentes is primarily an agricultural region, renowned for its Cognac, Pineau, oysters and regional cheeses, and has one of the best sunshine records in France. 

The region is crossed by many rivers, large and small, including the Sèvre Niortaise and the Sèvre Nantaise, after which the department is named. The River Charente is 360 km long, and is navigable for over half of its length, lending itself to pleasure cruising as well as fishing. The historic towns and cities of the region are many and varied, with attractions including the Roman Silver Mines at Melle, the old town of Poitiers – former capital of the region – with architectural gems from the 11th to the 14th centuries, the Musée des Beaux Arts in Niort, the flower-decked, pedestrianised streets of Angoulême with its famous National Centre of Comic Books and tradition of papermaking etc, as if the tranquillity of the countryside, the weather and the good food and wine were not enough!

Since summer 2009, our guests have enjoyed a new local restaurant, a short drive or 25 minute stroll from the gîtes. This should be booked in advance.

The Mad Hatter’s Kitchen, Le Logis, Le Breuillac, 79190, Caunay. Tel: 05 49 27 67 29 (Charlotte Chubb)

Lezay, Sauzé-Vaussais and Ruffec are the towns nearest to the gîtes, with their traditional shops, supermarkets, banks and restaurants and busy weekly markets.

With a large, well-stocked fishing lake 400m away from the front door, anglers do not have far to go to indulge their passion!  With many more fishing venues in the region, they will be spoilt for choice. Horse riding, tennis and golf are all within reach, and there are many lakes or ‘Plans d’Eau’ in the area offering boating and picnicking facilities.

Châtaigne Cottages are well placed for visits to Futuroscope, an astonishing virtual reality theme park just north of Poitiers, which has to be seen to be believed!  For the younger children there is Zoodyssée at Chizé, in the middle of the Chizé forest, housing six hundred animals from Europe in relative freedom, and the ever-popular eight hectare Vallée des Singes in Romagne, where you can see all kinds of marmosets, lemurs, gorillas etc. living in something approaching their natural habitat.

The region is dotted with nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, especially in the marshy Marais Poitevin or ‘Green Venice’. Here you can hire boats and paddle around the eerie canals with their mysterious green pondweed and overhanging trees.  Or hire bikes to explore the canal paths and charming villages of the area. If that all sounds too energetic, you can hire a boat plus an oarsman to do all the hard work and navigation for you, while you float away from all the cares of the world!

The Cognac Country is just to the south.  In Cognac itself, or Jarnac or Rouillac, the leading cognac producers (Camus, Hennessy, Courvoisier etc.) offer guided tours explaining the production process, culminating in tasting sessions.

La Rochelle is about an hour and a half away to the West. Here you can stroll around the beautiful harbour, skirted with countless seafood restaurants, as well as plenty of chic boutiques and shops in the streets behind the seafront. The Aquarium is also worth a visit. 

On the Atlantic Coast are the celebrated resorts of Royan, with the watersports centre, Châtelaillon, Rochefort, Île de Ré – to name but a few. You can also take boat trips to the famous Fort Boyard.

From the Atlantic coast resorts, to the plentiful Romanesque architecture of the main towns, from the busy harbour of La Rochelle, to the canals and wildlife of the Marais Poitevin, from the amazing virtual images of Futuroscope to the historic River Charente, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Of course, you could just relax by the pool with a good book, and maybe a bottle of the local red...!