Places to go and things to do...
Montmorillon
The cottage is just 6 kms from Montmorillon - a delightful medieval town with lots of restaurants, cafés, a market and plenty of activities for adults and children. There's a 12th century church, Octagon, and the famous 'Macarons de Montmorillon' (macaroon shop and museum). In the recently renovated old quarter of the town, there are bookshops, cafés, pizzeria, crêperie...
More Historic Towns and Villages
The old towns of Saint Savin (20 kms) with its famous abbey, Chauvigny (30 kms) with its hilltop chateau and 'Giants of the Sky' falconry center, Le Blanc (25kms) and Le Dorat (30 kms) are not far away, with lots to explore and discover. Poitiers (55kms) and Limoges (95kms) have lots of great cafes, restaurants, museums and shops. Antique and bric-a-brac markets are a regular feature of weekends from Easter to All Saints day on the first of November.
The towns and villages in this area are all full of history, picturesque and very peaceful. The battle of Poitiers in 1356 was a victory for the English forces, led by Edward the Black Prince, even if it was relatively short-lived.
Activities and Attractions
There are several lakes with nice beaches in the area. Lake St Pardoux is about an hour away towards Limoges and Lake Saint Cyr is about an hour in the opposite direction, near Poitiers. Both have lovely sandy beaches, safe swimming and lots of water sports. There are also smaller lake beaches within closer reach. On the local rivers, the Gartempe and the Vienne, there are several canoeing/kayaking centres. And, if that's not enough action, try the tree-top adventure centre at Dienné.
The famous 'Futuroscope' - a 21st Century attraction park devoted to films and images - is less than an hour away; so is Monkey Valley (with a maize maze!) and a Reptile Centre. The monthly market at Les Herolles is the largest in the region and well worth a visit, as is the velo-rail at Chauvigny where you 'cycle' along an old railway track 8km into the countryside and back. A half hour's drive away is Civaux, which has a leisure centre with pool, ten pin bowling alley, diving pool, indoor balneo centre with saunas and hammams, and (though not in the same building), Crocodile World. And only 15 minutes away is the fascinating 'Snakes Island' reptile center at La Trimouille.
There is an excellent outdoor pursuits centre at Lathus (15kms), which also has a free visitor farm and walks set in lovely countryside near the river Gartempe. A pleasant riverside restaurant ('La Voulzie') is also nearby. Micro-lighting, bungee jumping, motor racing, 4x4 off-roading and golf are also all available within an hour's radius.
Events in France and the Local Area
- 21st June - 'Fête de la musique' (the French national music day), where you will hear street performers and bands in or outside cafés in true festival spirit.
- 14th July - Bastille Day - this important national festival is marked in Montmorillon, as in all French towns by a very elaborate (and free) firework display. Smaller towns and villages give displays on other dates, which means each weekend you can find a display over the summer.
- 15th August - this is a public holiday in France and the bookshops and cafés open by candlelight until midnight.
- 3rd weekend of August – Montmorillon hosts a giant market of shop sales, antiques, and many other stalls.
- Second week August – watch out for the shooting stars in the sky!
- Although Montmorillon is not a town for those looking for night clubs etc there is usually live music in the streets or cafés on summer weekends and often a Sunday street market as well as the regular Wednesday market.
