Rent  A  Traditional  Country
Farmhouse  in  South-West  France

About the Region and What To Do

This house is on the Charente and Dordogne borders. Therefore we have divided the information into the Charente to the north and east, the Dordogne to the south and west, and the immediate locality.

The Charente

The Charente is probably best known for Cognac which takes its name from the town surrounded by the vineyards which have been producing this amber liquid since the 18th Century. Names like Martell arrived from Jersey and Hennessy from Ireland. The historic town of Cognac is entered via a 15th Century gateway with towers. The impressive Chateau de Valois where Francois 1st was born in 1494 still bears traces of the British prisoners who were incarcerated there towards the end of the 18th Century.

Scattered throughout the Charente are almost 400 Romanesque churches. Often modest and surrounded by fields, there are equally some impressive edifices as well as over 160 listed monuments including Châteaux ranging from the Gallo Roman period to the 19th century. The Chateau de Roche Foucauld, referred to as the ‘Perle d’Angoumois’ is perched on a rock overlooking the Tardoire and is an imposing sight. The town also has a very pretty Carmelite convent with a superb 14th century gothic cloister amongst other medieval buildings.

From April to November it is possible to visit cognac producers. Cognac is distilled from white wine and matured in oak casks for years to obtain its distinctive flavour. The area also produces the aperitif 'Pineau de Charente', said to have been developed to use up the surplus Cognac grapes, since the production is strictly controlled. This mixture of Charente grape juice and local cognac can be white, red or rosé. Besides these delightful temptations, the region grows the delicious Charentais Melons and the ubiquitous snail known in the Charente as ‘cagouilles' while elsewhere they may be called ‘lumas’.

The pretty medieval town of Confolens, with its half-timbered buildings is set on the banks of the River Vienne. Many of the roofs are black as a result of the fungus living on the Cognac casks. The Charente is a green and lush department which owes its vegetation to the Atlantic influence, and yet benefits from a sunny and temperate climate. The Charente River is navigable from Angouleme to Rochefort and offers boating enthusiasts 147 km's of waterways, without the need of a license, whilst 1,600 km's of rivers, lakes and ponds provide a vast choice for the fishing fraternity, whether they seek trout or carp.

Angoulême, the main town of the department has impressive ramparts with panoramic views of the town and the Charente Valley. Amongst the many buildings of architectural interest is the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, an exceptional example of a Romanesque cathedral. This is one of many churches in the region which featured in the route of the pilgrims heading for Santiago de Compostela. The west façade is famous for the carvings of seventy-five biblical figures illustrating the Ascension and the Last Judgement. Many old houses date from the 16 and 18th centuries and only two towers remain on the town hall, once the castle of the count. There are five museums, one of which is the only one of its kind in France engaged in the promotion of comics and there is an annual comic exhibition.