Angouleme (25 mins) – Our nearest commercial centre, with pedestrian shopping zone and shopping mall, variety of restaurants, golf course and National Comic-Book Museum;  The Nautilus Leisure Centre has several swimming pools, with outdoor slides and wave pool during the summer months.  It also houses a large ice-skating rink; A huge lake affords swimming and sailing, with adjacent crazy golf, swing park and go-karting for kids; Many festivals are held throughout the year and a vintage car rally is held annually in mid-September; Paris can be reached in 2hrs 30mins from the TGV train station.

 

Arcachon (140 mins) – discover Europe’s largest sand dune.

 

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (20 mins) – Officially  classed as one of France’s  most picturesque villages, with unique monolithic church carved out of the rock beneath the castle and scenic riverside beach with pontoon and diving boards. There are canoes for hire here and nearby riding stables. There are many bars and restaurants, with traditional music playing in the main square during summer evenings.​

 

Bordeaux (90 mins) – World famous for wine and architecture.  Visit medieval churches, cathedrals and museums or enjoy shopping in town centre boutiques.  Seasonal activities include the wine festival and river festival.

 

Brantome (45 mins) – ‘The Venice of the Perigord’, with shops and restaurants hewn out of the rockface.  Nearby you can visit the Chateau of Bourdeilles and the underground Caves of Lascaux, with Europe’s best-known prehistoric cave art.

 

Brossac (25 mins) – Lovely lake with beach and grassy shade.

 

Chalais (20 mins) – A busy Monday market is held, selling a variety of crafts and regional food/drink;  The Chateau, with dungeon restaurant, is an ideal venue for a special evening meal;  There is an annual international show-jumping competition.

 

Cognac (70 min) – Visit the world renowned brandy producers (Hennessy, Martell etc) who offer tours and tastings;  The Saint Gobain glassworks have tours during the summer months.  There is an annual jazz & blues festival.

 

La Rochelle (130 mins) - Visit the historical medieval houses and Renaissance architecture, including passageways covered by 17th-century arches.  Enjoy a seafood feast in the old harbour area or new marina.

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Oradour-sur-Glane (90 mins) – We highly recommend a visit to this 2nd World War memorial village, untouched since the 1944 massacre of 642 villagers.

 

Poitiers (105 mins) – Futuroscope science theme park makes a good day out for all the family.

 

Royan (100 mins) – Our closest seaside resort, with bustling harbour and over 2km of clean, sandy beaches.  A visit to nearby Palmyre Zoo, with over 16,000 animals and birds, is highly recommended.

 

Sarlat (120 mins) – A must for history buffs, with an exceptional number of historical buildings representing over 1000 years of architecture.

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Villebois-Lavalette (15 mins) – The picturesque 17thC chateau overlooks the town and is worth a visit.  It provides an impressive backdrop for the huge Bastille Day firework display on 14th July; ‘Les Halles’, in the town centre is the local market place, built with stone pillars and retaining its original medieval roof. A Saturday market is held here; The local tourist office is a valuable source of information on local festivals and activities.

 

 Activities

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Tennis – a free tennis court (with adjacent childrens play area) is within 10 minutes drive (free loan of our rackets and balls if required)

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Horse-riding – there are 5 riding stables within 30 minutes drive, catering for all abilities.

 

Canoeing – canoes on hire at Parcoul (20 mins) and Aubeterre (20 mins).

 

Archery - book a private goup lesson in the nearby village of Verteillac (25 mins).

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Tree climbing - the village of Poltrot (20 mins) offers 2 long tree climbing courses as well as river swimming, maze and children's play area

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Cycling – the surrounding country lanes have little traffic. Offroaders can enjoy the woodland bridleways and footpaths.

 

Walking – there are miles of footpaths in the local area.  

 

Golf – there are 2 golf courses within 20 minutes drive. 

 

Go-karting – there is a ‘man-size’ karting track on the outskirts of Angouleme (20 mins).

 

Ten-pin bowling - there is a large bowling alley in Angouleme (20mins).

 

Watersports – there is a base for sailing beside the large lake in Angouleme (20 mins).  Motor boats, fishing boats, canoes and pedalos can be hired in nearby Fleac.  There is a centre for jet-skiing (and quad-biking) within 15 minutes drive.

 

Fishing – Day permits can be bought for fishing in a variety of local lakes and rivers.

 

Wine-tasting -  take the wine trails around Bordeaux or St Emilion.  Sample the local speciality ‘Pineau de Charente’ and a variety of cognacs at regional vineyards.

 

Fetes and markets – All local villages host fetes throughout the summer, with various stalls and usually a set meal on offer.  As well as the numerous daytime markets, there are several evening markets for the sale of local produce.