MONTGUYON AND SURROUNDING VILLAGES OF THE HAUTE SAINTONGE - (MONTGUYON 7 kilometers)

Montguyon was originally a small medieval town dominated by a (now) ruined 13 century castle. It offers restaurants, bars, supermarkets, shops, bakers, butchers and banks. It hosts a small market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Five minutes away by car, or 30 minutes walk from Le Logis des Quatre Puits, on the outskirts of Montguyon, there is a recreational lake with sandy beaches called Beau-Vallon. Ideal for children and families, it has free parking, swimming and boating, a paddling area, childrens' playground, and a café / bar.

 

The Dolmen de la Pierre-Folle, on the edge of Montguyon is a rare pre-historic burial chamber. Many villages in the area have Roman churches which are well worth a visit.

There are numerous local markets selling fresh local produce and brocantes (flea markets) nearby; there is a market somewhere in the locality on most days of the week, the biggest being in Chalais (Mondays), Montendre (Thursdays) and Riberac (Fridays).

MARTRON  (3 kilometers)

This is the nearest hamlet, a short distance from which is the Circuit de Haute Saintonge - the newly built racetrack for motorbikes, Formula 3 and karting.

WALKING, CYCLING AND KAYAKING

There are some lovely walks both on Le Logis des Quatre Puits estate and nearby. There are several places offering canoe and kayak hire including Parcoul - about 15 minutes away. We have several bicycles (adults and kids) available to borrow, and you are welcome to borrow our local maps.

HORSE AND PONY RIDING

There are several horse and pony riding centres nearby offering lessons and treks. We particularly recommend la Ferme Equestre du Taillan which caters for all ages and abilities.

LOCAL PRODUCE AND WINE

The Bordeaux region is the largest and oldest wine producing region in the world, covering 113, 000 hectares of vineyards. We are happy to arrange  tastings and visits to local chateaux.

Charente is famous for an aperitif called Pineau, a delightful combination of young cognac and grape juice, which is made in many of the local farms where you can have a tasting.

Le Chateau de la Magdeleine nearby is especially worth a visit. The charming owners will be happy to offer you a tasting and a visit to their museum of hundreds of prams. They produce excellent wines, cognac, pineau and a lovely sparkling grape juice.

 

 Le Chateau de la Magdeleine

René Carré, also nearby, is a farm producing wine and pineau. On Wednesday afternoons in the summer you can ride on a tractor-driven train through their vineyards.

CHALAIS  - (about 15 minutes away by car)

This is the nearest medium sized market town with the usual shops and facilities and an all year Monday morning market. The Château de Talleyrand has an excellent restaurant within it, and there are lots of other restaurants and cafés, including Le Perroquet Vert, a café and gallery with books in English for sale.  Nearby there is the Paradou water park, with a boating lake and café / bar.

AUBETERRE SUR DRONNE - (about 30 minutes away by car)

 

This stunningly beautiful village, voted one of the prettiest villages in France, is steeped in history. It is famous for having the largest monolithic church in the whole of Europe, carved and built into the rock by early Christians. Explore the village square and the quiet streets and alleys which offer antique and craft shops, bars and restaurants. There is a little market in the village square on Sundays. The river Dronne is ideal for kayaking.

ST. EMILION - (about 50 minutes away by car)

The name is familiar to most of us for its brilliant crimson wines. These come from the splendid vineyards that surround the medieval UNESCO World Heritage town. Guided tours of the wine cellars and vineyards can be booked through the Tourist Information Office.  Meanwhile, the town is like an open-air museum. It has narrow winding cobbled streets, with cafés and restaurants galore. Its history has literally been dug into the ground; we recommend a visit to the catacombs and the monolithic church of St. Emilion, which was dug out of limestone galleries over 150 acres.

 

The vineyards of St Emilion

BORDEAUX - (about 55 minutes away by car)

Bordeaux is the capital city of Aquitaine and is also an UNESCO world heritage site, primarily because of its stunning architecture and boulevards. As a major city in France it offers all that you would expect - and more. In a delightful setting on the banks of the Garonne, it boasts the longest pedestrian shopping street in Europe, la Rue Sainte Catherine, and is home to many museums, significant buildings and the Opera National de Bordeaux. It is the historic epicentre of a huge wine making industry producing not only many of Europe's fine table wines but some of the most expensive wines in the world such as Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Margaux and Château Latour. The whole area around Bordeaux is dedicated to producing wines the names of which all wine lovers will be familiar. Not surprisingly the city offers many wine tasting tours, courses and combined gastronomy / oenology courses.

THE GIRONDE COAST - (about 60 minutes away by car)

The Gironde is the huge estuary on the south west coast which has been of strategic importance throughout history. Lining the cost are several ports and villages with beaches and plenty of places to visit. There are some excellent boat trips either from Port Vitrezay, Meschers or St Fort sur Gironde across the estuary to the Medoc, up to Royan or the Lighthouse at Cordouan.

Talmont sur Gironde - One of the most beautiful villages in France - situated on a peninsula jutting out onto the estuary, this stunning walled village is full of narrow walkways with boutiques, museums and cafes.

Meschers sur Gironde - Famous for its beaches and troglodyte caves.  The tunnels and caves carved from the cliffs are open to the public and well worth a visit to learn about the ecology, battles and smuggling relating to the Gironde.  The beaches are the nearest beaches to Le Logis des Quatre Puits.

ANGOULÈME - (about 60 minutes away by car)

This is the regional capital of Charente. The old town is perched high above the surrounding landscape and is fabulously lit at night. It is well known for its festivals among which figure the Strip Cartoon Festival in January, the vintage car rally the Circuit des Ramparts in September, and Gastronomades Gourmet Food and Wine Festival in November.

COGNAC - (about 60 minutes away by car)

Famous for, and synonymous with, the world's best brandy, Cognac is a medieval town that has been making cognac since the 17th century. 

The town has the names you will recognize everywhere, Camus, Martel, Hennessy, Rémy-Martin and Courvoisier and you can visit the distilleries and taste the products. The grapes grown for the Cognac come from a 20 mile golden circle around the town and the slow flowing Charente river. In the town itself, you can smell "la part des anges" - the angel's share; that part of the cognac that is allowed to evaporate. Happy angels!

BRANTOME - (about 90 minutes away by car)

This is an attractive town on the northern edge of the Dordogne. It is built on a loop on the river Dronne that makes it practically an island. The town and its impressive riverside Abbey (built by Charlemagne in 769) sheltered under crescent shaped cliffs pierced with caves which belonged to the Abbey or were used as Troglodyte homes. It has an excellent outdoor market on Fridays and is a good spot for watching the world go by or gentle canoeing.

SAINTES - (about 80 minutes away by car)

Saintes is a Roman town, which has a magnificent arena or Roman amphitheatre, the arch of Germanicus, an archaeological museum and a lovely old town centre.

ROYAN - (about 80 minutes away by car)

This is a delightful seaside town on the mouth of the Gironde. It was badly bombed during WW2 but has been rebuilt as a popular resort. The Grande Conche is the main beach where you can sunbathe, swim and do water sports. You can also hire classic striped beach tents. If you follow the shore up to Grande Côbe, you will find quieter sandy bays and coves. A popular boat trip is to the Cordouan lighthouse some 7 miles out. You can also take the ferry over to Point Grave on the other side of the Gironde from which there is a cycle route down the Atlantic coast all the way to the Bay of Arcachon.

ARCACHON (for La Dune du Pilat) - (about 90 minutes away by car)

At the edge of the Arcachon basin lies the biggest natural sand dune in Europe and it is well worth a visit - not only because it is spectacular in itself but also because it marks the start of the famous sandy Atlantic surf  beaches whose hinterland is acres of pine forests running down this coast all the way to Biarritz. Visit for a full day and spend time on the beach and swim in the Atlantic surf. For bird watchers there is also nearby the Parc Ornothologique du Teich - a huge basin of interest because the river waters meet salt water and hence attract a wide variety of birds.

LA ROCHELLE  - (about 120 minutes away by car)

This is the capital city of Charente-Maritime and apparently the most visited town in France by French people.  It is not difficult to understand why. It is an attractive, unspoiled, lively, historic seaside town - a mixture of the old and new. The old port, with its towers, is home to numerous seafood restaurants and you can promenade on the city walls. It hosts a huge music festival every summer - the Franco Folies. From La Rochelle you can take the land bridge to the Ile de Ré with its beautiful beaches.

MONTIGNAC (for the Lascaux caves)  - (about 120 minutes away by car)

Situated close to Montignac are the stunning Lascaux caves with their famous cave paintings. Schoolboy Marcel Ravidat with his dog, Robo, discovered them in 1940. He came back to explore them (how Enid Blyton is that!) with some friends and they reported what they saw to their teacher who actually became the caves' first curator. What you see now is a reproduction but don't be put off as it is superbly done (the actual caves had to be closed to the public when they started to show signs of deterioration). The mind boggling prehistoric paintings show bulls, deer, horses, cows, a woolly rhinoceros, bison and a man.

ILE D'OLÊRON - (about 135 minutes away by car))

Accessible from Saintes, Rochefort or Royan, this much-visited island is notable for its beaches, oyster bays and forests of pine, tamarisk and evergreen oaks.