Poitou-Charente is on the western coast of France, facing the
Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay. It is made up of 4 department
regions, Deux-Sèvres to the north, Charente to the south, Vienne to the east
and Charente-Maritime to the west. Poitou-Charente has so much to offer
the visitor with so much to see, do and enjoy.
The Charente, where the Le Bois de l'Eglise is situated,
has a reputation of being a quiet area where you can explore the rural area far from
the crowds. Close by are the picturesque and historic villages of
Verteuil-sur-Charente and Nanteuil-en-Vallée with their excellent restaurants
and cafes. There are other great places to visit such as Angoulême with its
ramparts and its captivating city centre with a mix of old and new and the
unexpected, Cognac, with its
focus on the famous brandy, Confolens which is
home to the Festival de Folklore and Aubeterre-sur-Drone with its
fascinating underground church.
Vienne is where
the regional capital Poitiers is
situated. The centre of the city with its historic buildings, street
cafés and boulevards is a great place to explore and shop. If you are
into action rides, time machine and dancing robots then a trip to Futuroscope is a must for children of all ages.
Other recommended places to visit are the medieval market town of Chauvigny, with its five ruined castles and Anglles-sur-l'Anglin set on the river overlooked by a ruined castle
and officially one of the most beautiful villages in France.
Deux-Sevres
department is to the north east of Poitou-Charentes and is best known for the Marais-Poitevin, a large area of canals and
marshes. The most important town in the department is the former
medieval port of Niort on the
Sevre-Niortaise river. The town boasts a huge 12th-century castle built
by Henry II and Richard the Lionheart. Niort is a good
base from which to explore the Marais-Poitevin. The region is perfect for exploring
on foot, by bicycle or on horseback with hundreds of kilometers of
tracks. At Coulon you can
hire a traditional “pigouille” (punt) with a boatman to explore the canals and
marshes who will tell you about the marches and its plants and animals.
Moving on, the medieval centre of Parthenay is
worth visiting, with its cobbled streets leading to 13th century
ramparts and a drawbridge with twin towers.
Charente-Maritime is very
popular with both French and overseas visitors for it attractions such as ile-de-Ré and the port of La Rochelle. The island of ile-de-Ré attract many visitors with its beaches and
family friendly atmosphere. In La
Rochelle
the Vieux Port with its many places to eat and it's chic boutiques and vibrant
atmosphere is a great place to visit. South of La Rochelle is the sea
side resort Châtelaillon-Plage which
boasts a 2.5 km of fine sandy beach, esplanade, casino, water park, and
thalassotherapy centre. Continuing down the coast there are numerous
interesting places such as the 17th century new town of Rochefort built around the port and naval buildings.
Le Bois de l'Église is perfectly placed to visit
the attractions of Poitou-Charente. All the tourist sights and places to
visits described are between 40minutes and 2 hours of easy driving from Le Bois
de l'Église.