Self Catering Holiday Gite in Chavenat, Charente - L'Hirondelle

Local Attractions

Whilst Le Grand Vignaud is situated in a rural location, several well-known towns and
villages are easily accessible including:-

Angouleme (20 mins) – Our nearest commercial centre, with pedestrian shopping zone and shopping mall, variety of restaurants, golf course and National Comic-Book Museum; The Nautilus Leisure Centre has several swimming pools, with outdoor slides and wave pool during the summer months. It also houses a large ice-skating rink; A huge lake affords swimming and sailing, with adjacent crazy golf, swing park and go-karting for kids; Many festivals are held throughout the year and a vintage car rally is held annually in mid-September; Paris can be reached in 2hrs 30mins from the TGV train station.

Arcachon (140 mins) – discover Europe’s largest sand dune.

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (15 mins) – Officially classed as one of France’s most picturesque villages, with unique monolithic church carved out of the rock beneath the castle and scenic riverside beach with pontoon and diving boards. There are canoes for hire here and nearby riding stables. There are many bars and restaurants, with traditional music playing in the main square during summer evenings.

Bordeaux (80 mins) – World famous for wine and architecture. Visit medieval churches, cathedrals and museums or enjoy shopping in town centre boutiques. Seasonal activities include the wine festival and river festival.

Brantome (40 mins) – ‘The Venice of the Perigord’, with shops and restaurants hewn out of the rockface. Nearby you can visit the Chateau of Bourdeilles and the underground Caves of Lascaux, with Europe’s best-known prehistoric cave art.

Brossac (20 mins) – Lovely lake with beach, grassy shade and rope swing for the daring. Canoes for hire, 18 hole crazy golf course and enclosed childrens play area (with trampoline, large connect4, swings etc).

Chalais (15 mins) – A busy Monday market is held, selling a variety of crafts and regional food/drink; The Chateau, with dungeon restaurant, is an ideal venue for a special evening meal; There is an annual international show-jumping competition.

Cognac (90 min) – Visit the world renowned brandy producers (Hennessy, Martell etc) who offer tours and tastings; The Saint Gobain glassworks have tours during the summer months. There is an annual jazz & blues festival.

Oradour-sur-Glane (80 mins) – We highly recommend a visit to this 2nd World War memorial village, untouched since the 1944 massacre of 642 villagers.

Perigeux (60 mins) - Beautiful old city to wander around. The 'Jardin des Arenes' is an ideal spot to keep younger children entertained.

Poitiers (90 mins) – Futuroscope science theme park makes a good day out for all the family.

Royan (120 mins) – Our closest seaside resort, with bustling harbour and over 2km of clean, sandy beaches. A visit to nearby Palmyre Zoo, with over 16,000 animals and birds, is highly recommended.

Sarlat (120 mins) – A must for history buffs, with an exceptional number of historical buildings representing over 1000 years of architecture.

Thenon (60 mins) - There is a huge adventure park with highwire walkways and swiwngs between the trees.

Villebois-Lavalette (10 mins) – The picturesque 17thC chateau overlooks the town and is worth a visit. It provides an impressive backdrop for the huge Bastille Day firework display on 14th July; ‘Les Halles’, in the town centre is the local market place, built with stone pillars and retaining its original medieval roof. A Saturday market is held here.