Vines, Church and Chateau at Oiron
The choice of things to do in the area is wide and varied with many different tastes catered for.
Being in a rural setting you’re not going to find the bright lights of a major city, like Paris, as a result the pace of life here is slower, giving you the chance to relax and unwind.
Take a walk through the countryside along the river Thouet valley, the range of flora and fauna is exceptional (the RSPB highlights the river valley as a particularly good spot for ornothologists, we have a couple of breeding pairs of Black Redstarts in our barn, it’s common to see Kingfishers by the river) In late Spring you can see a multitude of wild Orchids growing along the footpaths.
Being on the edge of both the Anjou and Haut Poitou wine regions, vines are a common site. Whilst the wines here are not as well known as say Bordeaux or Burgundy, visit to one of the local vineyards allows you to talk to the producers, sample their wines and obviously buy direct without being rushed by the next coach party looking to tick vineyard visit off their bucket list.
The Chateau of Oiron, a few Km from here, was acquired by the Countess de Montespan, long time mistress of Louis XIV. The Kings bedroom, whilst small, to this day shows the opulance of the time with it’s gilt ornate ceiling. Bought by the state in 20c the chateau is now an Art Gallery and events space
The neighbouring village of St Loup, 6Km from us, with it’s historic chateau including the Keep where Edward the Black Prince held King John II the Good of France captive following the battle of Poitiers. The gardens designed in 17c by some of the most eminent garden designers of the time, restored to their former glory in late 20c.
The Church at the opposite end of the main cobbled street houses one of the finest organs in the country and it’s quite common to have recitals played by leading organists from the world over.
There are bars and restaurants with outdoor terraces where you can enjoy a leisurely meal or drink and watch the world go by.
The village also hosts the largest Christmas market in the area during the first weekend of December and an Art fair in the summer
If theme parks are more your thing, within an hour or so drive there are several options.
Puy du Fou, France’s third most popular theme park, with over 2 million visitors per year. The attraction freatures a combination of fixed attractions and shows, some of which are immersive and others with performances of 30-40 minutes in length featuring such as Falconry, the Vikings, the Musketeers and a night time spectacular.
Futuroscope, near Poitiers is a virtual reality theme park using cutting edge motion and visual technology with over 40 rides which transport you all over the world, back into the past and forward into the future all without leaving the park.
New to the Futuroscope site is Aquascope a 6000m2 indoor water park with 8 water slides, suitable for all ages.
Parc de la Vallée, 36Km from us, a more gentle and traditional theme park than the above, suitable for all ages featuring a traditional roller coaster, not quite Disney, in fact nowhere near, but fun none the less, log flume, bumper cars, Pirate Ship, mechanical bull riding along with more than 25 other rides.
Terra Botanica, a nature based theme park about an hour away, suitable for all ages but aimed really at the younger market (children) with immersive activities like a tree top ride, see how plants adapt to different climatic conditions, plant curiosities and a look at the explosive vegetable garden, not surprisingly this one involves fire! But it is safe for all ages.