Locality & Days Out

Arbre de Cerise is situated in the hamlet of Grange on the outskirts of Linazay in the Vienne department of SouthWest France, midway between the historic towns of Poitiers and Angoulême (each about 35 minutes away) which both have superb shopping facilities and lots of archeology.

There are plentiful local villages around; weekly markets and historical sites to explore; fine bars and restaurants as well as of course an extensive range of local facilities and amenities within a short drive.

The local medieval towns of Civray, Melle and Ruffec all have excellent markets, restaurants and festivals during the Summer months and Melle hosts a fabulous Arboretum and Silver Mine. Ruffec meanwhile has the Rejallant with paddle boarding, pedalos to hire and a pretty walk. There is also a good restaurant there.

The river Charente winds its way through picturesque villages such as Verteuil (15 mins) which is dominated by a storybook-style chateau and offers riverside walks, kayaking and a good selection of restaurants.

Cognac with its brandy distilleries is an hour away if you would like to take a tour of one of them.

Marais Poitevin sometimes referred to as Green Venice is about 75 minutes away. Take a gondola trip down the peaceful canals and absorb the beautiful nature all around you.

La Terre de Dragons (Crocodile Park) is 35 minutes away but if monkey business is more your thing then La Vallée des Singes is only 20 minutes away. These are generally always big hits with the children as well as the adults of course. Also a hit is Futuroscope. This is France’s equivalent to Disney’s Epcot and it is Europe’s premier image-theme-park. We are fortunate that this is only 45 minutes.

There are two “Plan d’Eau” within a short distance of the gîtes. These offer fishing, lake swimming, pétanque, a children’s playground, somewhere to walk or cycle, a cafe and places to bbq and picnic.

Restaurants

Mad Hatter’s Kitchen: Open from Tuesday to Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes. Fresh ingredients using seasonal produce in a beautiful logis in the heart of the countryside. Regular music and bistro evenings. See their website for details. www.madhattersfrance.eu

Auberge du Noyer: Open 6 days a week offering excellent home-cooked food between Sauzé-Vaussais and Ruffec and only 15 minutes away. www.aubergedunoyer.com

Café Portebleue in Verteuil – Set at the foot of the fairytale castle in one of France’s prettiest villages, 15 minutes drive south of Ruffec. www.cafeportebleue.com

Beaches

La Rochelle at 90 minutes away is a lively and vibrant port with a rich historical heritage and wonderful museums. Here you can visit one of the most original maritime museums in the world and children will enjoy the Aquarium where they will see sharks, jelly fish, giant squid and turtles.

There are actually a lot of clean, sandy beaches along this coast and we can recommend Châtellion Plage which is south of La Rochelle or you might like to take a trip over the interesting bridge to Ile-de-Ré. Set off early to make the most of your day there.

Local Market Days

• Tuesday – Lezay, 20 mins (one of the largest markets in the area – food, clothes, livestock, hardware, cafes); Civray, 15 mins (food, clothes, cafes)
• Wednesday – Ruffec, 15 mins (food, clothes, cafes)
• Thursday – Sauzé-Vaussais, 10 mins (small, but with excellent local produce – find Sam in the pink stall for some excellent bacon, a rarity in France!)
• Friday – Melle, 30 mins (fairly large market – food, clothes, cafes); Civray, 15 mins
• Saturday – Chef-Boutonne, 20 mins (fairly large general market); Ruffec, 15 mins
• Sunday – Verteuil, 15 mins. Recently established market in the stunning chateau village