The Abbey at Saintes
A
Church doorway
| Gites
Cognac - Cognac Gites. Chambres d'hôtes (B&B) and self-catering holiday accommodation Cognac, Charente, Poitou Charentes, France |
Le
Moulin de Chazotte |
A
magnificent French watermill dating back to the 15th century with four
exclusive self-catering holiday gites available to let all year round
and five chambres d'hôtes (bed & breakfast). |
THINGS
TO DO IN THE COGNAC AREA Sight seeing - energetic outings - historical buildings and sites - the beauty of nature - the arts....his area of France has got it all! Please click on the high-lighted topics below for informative websites (some of which are in French only so far!) You will find leaflets on most of these activities, and many others, in a folder in your gite. |
Futuroscope:
Except for Disneyland at Paris,
this theme park at Poitiers is probably the largest of it's kind in France. Paleosite: A theme park at Saint Césaire which is only a short drive away. This is an educational and entertaining outing based on the discovery of the remains of a Neolithic female skeleton. Les Antilles: A water-based outing near Jonzac for active holidaymakers and well worth combining with vists to the fortress at Pons or the picturesque chateau in the heart of Jonzac itself. Adventure Parc: A high-level adventure outing amongst the trees for energetic folk! Hermione: Located in Rochefort this is a must for anyone interested in maritime history. For the past few years the new "Hermione" has been under construction in a covered dry-dock in Rochefort. The first Hermione was a 17th century frigate and the traditional techniques and original plans are now being used to reconstruct a fully sail-rigged frigate which will eventually reneact the journey by Lafayette to America. La Palmyre Zoo: A very well respected zoo regarded as one of the best in Europe. La Rochelle Aquarium: A very nice aquarium with a good restaurant and makes a great day out when combined with a shopping trip to bustling La Rochelle. Oradour: Scene of the horrific massacre of virtually an entire town's inhabitants by the Gestapo during the war. This town has been preserved as it was on that fateful day. Many of our visiting families have reported that it is both educational for youngsters and a genuinely moving reminder of the terrible price the French paid during the war. Velo-rail: Here's a chance to work off some calories and then put them back on again with a picnic! At the Velo-rail you pedal aong a section of railway line on special carriages to a nice picnic spot before pedalling back again! The Velo-rail is near Confolens which is also a very interesting town with Roman historical sites. La Vallée des singes: This is a theme park where you can get close to many types of monkey, including gorillas. The dune of Pyla: At around 107 metres high, this is the biggest sand-dune in Europe. You can climb to the top to enjoy panoramic views before sand-surfing down again (if you're young enough!). There are cafes and souvenir shops on the approach to the dune from the carpark (paying). Chateau des Enigmes: An interesting day out for the family. Aqualand Theme Park: You'll need a full day to travel to and then wear out the kids for this one. Atlantic Toboggan Theme Park: Another full day required at this exciting water activities site. Cognac
Blues Festival :Every
third weekend in July, Cognac hosts a huge Blues Festival with artists
from all over the world. No less a giant bluesman than BB King was top
billing last year and previuosly we've had Status Quo, Massive Attack
and Joe Cocker. 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 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 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 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. Beaches: The popular beaches of the Atlantic coast, at La Rochelle and Royan, are an hour away by car. The Dordogne, Limoges potteries and Bordeaux wine chateaux all within 2hrs drive Architecture: 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 areaThe 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. |
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