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Location

We're situated in the department of Charente Maritime, about four-and-a-half hours' drive from St Malo, with ferry sailings from Portsmouth, Poole and Weymouth. There are also regular budget flights from Stansted and other UK airports to La Rochelle and Bordeaux, either of which can be reached from here in just over an hour.  Many people find the best option is to arrange a "fly-drive" holiday from their local airport.

The cottage is just off the "Route Verte", which follows the Gironde Estuary.
Gently sloping hills, with sweeping vistas of farmland and coast, make it ideal country for walking and cycling, much of it off-road. 

Days can be spent exploring the sleepy villages and fishing ports along this coast, which was on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and is sprinkled with lovely Romanesque churches.  Earlier still, the Romans used to come for mud baths at nearby Barzan, where a large site is currently being excavated at the Moulin du Fâ - just a bike ride away.   

The mixed terrain of fields, hills and marshland is home to a wide variety of birds and animals... wild boar lurk in the salt marshes; buzzards and kites can be glimpsed regularly swooping over fields; hares cavort in the vineyards, whilst tiny tree frogs and lizards provide daily entertainment in the garden. 

In addition to birdlife, the Gironde is a rich source of fish, eels, shellfish and shrimp - all of which feature on restaurant menus.  It's the widest estuary in Europe and boat trips are available along the coast in summer.

Twenty minutes drive up the shore is the lively resort town of Royan, offering a fine selection of bars, beaches and restaurants, as well as the usual shops and an excellent daily market.  In fact, most of the surrounding towns have good markets at least once a week - there's a file of information in the cottage, together with maps to point you in the right direction.