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| Le Moulin de Chazotte |
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Le Moulin de Chazotte is situated 7 kilometres due north of Cognac in the Charente department (Dept. 16) of France and is close to the border with the next department, which is the Charente Maritime (Dept. 17).
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The countryside around Le Moulin de Chazotte. We are the tiny white blob in the very centre of the shot! |
The house on a lovely misty summer morning showing the vineyard in the foreground and the woods behind. |
The area: Both the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments are characterised by gently rolling countryside with extensive agriculture and very little heavy industry, in fact very little industry of any description! As a result pollution is minimal and the air quality generally superb. This area is well-known in France as being second only to the Mediterranean for its glorious sunny climate and in winter a fall of snow is a so rare that it's a major event! There are large areas of woodland and forests and the agricultural land is used principally for growing grapes, sun-flowers, wheat and maize. Often there are vine-yards and sun-flower fields as far as the eye can see. The whole area is laced with streams and rivers all of which feed the main river, the placid and picturesque Charente.
Architecture: The traditional Charentais houses are built from the local soft creamy-coloured limestone under red pan-tiled roofs. The grander buildings and chateaux tend to have walls made from huge cut blocks of stone and, if they're really posh, expensive slate roofs. You will often see that the stonework on the older houses is discoloured. This is caused by the distillation bi-products of millions of litres of fermenting cognac!
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The Abbey at Saintes |
A Church
doorway |
Roman History: The Romans occupied this part of France for about 700 years. In those days a Roman villa would have it's own supporting community around it so that it was virtually self-sufficient. This community would provide man-power to run the villa and grow the crops to supply food and wine. Many of these villas would be named with a title ending in "ac". You only have to glance at a local map to see the hundreds of place names ending in these two letters. A prime example of course is Cognac itself and even our own local village is called Mesnac. As you might expect there are ample historic Roman remains in the area including some superb Roman buildings and ruins (notably at Saintes).
Cognac country: Most of us have heard of the alcoholic drink which takes it's name from the town of Cognac. In fact most of the grapes grown in the vineyards throughout the area are used in the making of this world-famous spirit. There are dozens of Cognac producers but the most well-known (Courvoisier, Martell, Hennessy etc.) all provide fascinating tours of their distilleries during the summer season. The apperitif, Pineau is a blend of cognac and grape juice for which this region is also famous. Many of the small, family-run Pineau producers offer organised tours with tastings.
Things to do at Le Moulin de Chazotte:
The swimming pool. The pool is without a doubt our biggest "attraction" for young and old alike but particularly for children. We are told regularly by our holiday makers that our adverts don't do the pool justice! Well, at 12 metres by 6 metres, it's larger than average and has fancy semi-circular roman steps at the shallow end. It has a toilet and changing room plus a solar shower. It has large sun-bathing terraces all around and sits in its own secure enclosure with a lockable gate. There are ample sun-loungers as well as tables and chairs. The pool is about 50 metres from the house. It is completely private and has a wonderful view to the south across the vineyards to the village of Cherves-Richemont on the hillside.
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Swimming: In addition to the pool, there is a large lake with a beach at Thors which is 10 minutes drive away. This is a superb site with safe-swimming area for children and pedaloes too. The facilities are free for all to use and there is an nice terraced restaurant offering excellent value for money.
Cycling: We have a number of bikes which we will gladly make available to our guests providing they are prepared to cover the cost of repairing any subsequent damage or punctures. The terrain around the mill is perfect for gentle cycling and the roads are usually virtually traffic free.
Rambling: From the mill you can explore up or downstream along the river. If you're adventurous you can boldly venture into the wild forests to the back of the property or, if not, take a leisurely stroll out of the front gate and along the lanes between the vineyards and sunflower fields.
Canoeing: We are looking after an excellent canadian canoe for our friends (thanks Pam and Royston) and it was very popular with our guests (especially the teenagers!) during the 2005 season. You can literally launch the canoe into our mill-pond and paddle upstream or downstream.
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Cognac, here we come!! Rob and Emma |
The poplar wood with swings and badminton |
Outdoor sports: Early morning jogging through our wood or into the village of Cherves is very popular with our more athletic guests. The huge play-field at the front can be used for kite-flying, football, cricket, rounders, frisbee, golfing etc. etc. In our shady poplar wood you can play badminton or boules (equipment provided) and there are both kiddies swings and a huge tree-swing.
Indoor activities: In our large open-fronted barn there is a table-tennis table and a table-football machine.
Photography and painting: Our ancient mill is extremely photogenic and because of our secluded location we are surrounded by a wonderful array of wild animals and birds. We regularly have deer and hares in our grounds and it is rare not to see kingfishers, egrets, redstarts, buzzards, kites, herons, hoopoes and even parakeets around the place.
Local activities:
Restaurants: There is a superb restaurant serving real French cuisine at our local Chateau de Mesnac. It's about 3 minutes away by car. In Cognac and other local towns there are numerous excellent restaurants of all types and pavement cafés where you can soak up the atmosphere and watch the world go by.
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Chateau de Mesnac
- Geese on watch! |
Delicious Charentais Cuisine |
One of the restaurants in the Alambic Still at the Chateau de Mesnac |
For excellent value meals there is a good restaurant at Thors which is only 10 minutes drive away. The restaurant is situated at the edge of a lake so you can have a swim beforehand if you want to work up an appetite.
Our local village of Cherves-Richemont will shortly have a brand new bar and restaurant which is being built right next to the shady boules arena.
Cognac tours: The town of Cognac is only 7 km away, and is world-famous for its distilleries. There are organised tours of the Cognac houses, including Hennessey, Remy Martin, Martell and Courvoisier (at Jarnac). During the guided tours you can sample the genuine article and buy some Cognac to take home...or enjoy later on the terrace at your gite! Our neighbouring chateau the "Chateau Chesnel" also offers guided tours and sells it's own delicious Cognac.
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Chateau Chesnel
- Our neighbour! |
Other attractions:
Cognac Blues Festival : From July 26th to 29th July 2006, Cognac hosts a huge Blues Festival with artists from all over the world. No less a giant bluesman than BB King was top billing a couple of years ago. Last year's festival was superb with Joe Cocker and Mavis Staples as the star performers but also many, many other great acts from France, the USA and the UK. Well worth a visit, especially for old jazz and blues-addicts like me! This year's acts will be announced on the official website www.bluespassions.com during February.
Futuroscope: This technology theme park is France's second largest (after Disney at Paris). Poitiers is about two hours drive from here.
The Paleosite: Only a few kilometres away at St. Cesaire is this recently opened 'interactive' attraction which is a fascinating look into the origin of man.
The velorail: At Confolens the whole family can help to power a specially adapted rail-buggy along a disused railway line. This is a very popular day out and great fun.
La Palmyre zoo: This zoo is rated as one of the best in europe. It's about an hour away by car.
The valley of the monkeys: Half an hour away from Poitiers is La vallée des singes which has more than 350 gorillas and monkeys in a theme park.
The Cognac riding centre: (Their website is being reworked at the moment) Only ten minutes away is the principal riding school in the Cognac area. The prices are very reasonable at about 15 euros per hour.
Steam train excursions: A steam train runs between La Tremblade and Saujon. There is also two small scale railways on L'Ile d'Oleron www.le-ptit-train.com and www.petit-train-oleron.com
The caverns at Matata: The estuarine caves at Matata have always been inhabited by man. A historical day out to the seaside with a museum trip included.
Les Antilles: (No website currently available) Is an huge indoor swimming and activity pool complex at Jonzac.
The Royal Corderie : Rochefort is an ancient fortified town which was the centre for rope making in the era of sailing ships. You can visit the museums of maritime history and see the reconstruction of the sailing ship l'Hermione in progress.
Throughout the area there are many fascinating examples of Roman architecture, particularly at the nearby town of Saintes where you can visit the "arc de triomphe" and a spectacular amphitheatre. The history of the Charente region can also be discovered in local museums, potteries, churches and abbeys. The towns of Pons, Angouleme and Rochefort are also well worth a visit for their historical sites. In neighbouring villages during the Summer, there are weekly markets, fetes and "brocantes" (bric-a-brac fairs), which are a great way to experience the French way of life. You can of course, try the delicious local cuisine at numerous restaurants dotted throughout the area.
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