Area

Where is Charente?

Charente is a département in the west of France, about halfway down. It lies in the region called Poitou-Charentes, south of the Loire and north of the Dordogne. The area enjoys the second warmest climate in France, after the Mediterranean.

Ryan Air flies to Poitiers, La Rochelle and Limoges, and there is a TGV rail service to Poitiers from Paris or Lille.

Our house lies in the north of Charente, roughly midway between the medieval cities of Poitiers and Angoulême, in the centre of a hamlet called Grosbout within the commune of La Forêt de Tessé. It is roughly an hour and a half from the sea at La Rochelle and about the same distance from the foothills of the Massif Centrale at Limoges.

See some photos of the area around the house here.




		Google Earth KMZ file here

What is the region like?

The area around our house is pleasantly undulating, with small lanes lined with chestnut trees winding between fields of maize and sunflowers or through small woods. There is virtually no traffic on the roads and the area is ideal for cycling. The villages and hamlets have limestone buildings with painted shutters and pantile roofs.

It is a wonderful place to relax as well as an excellent base for exploring. Day trips can be made to the Atlantic coast between La Rochelle and the beach resort of Royan. Angoulême is to the south and the University town of Poitiers to the north. Futuroscope, the technological adventure theme park of the moving image, lies just beyond. Visits to distilleries can be made in Cognac. Romanesque Saintes is a further distance to the south-west.

Cycling along a track between the chestnut trees in nearby woods.

See more cycling photos here


	The village is surrounded by undulating countryside with quiet lanes winding between fields.


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