NEARBY FACILITIES AND PLACES OF INTEREST
There is a nearby village with its church and general store, horse riding and cycle hire. 10 minutes away is a market town with a good supermarket, every shop you could need, an all season swimming pool, and tennis. 5 Kms down the road is the wide Gironde estuary and pleasure ports of Montagne, Port Maubert and St. Seurin. Beaches and caves at Meschers, and beaches at Royan and St Georges de Didonne are just 25 minutes away, and also within easy reach are Roman Saintes, Cognac, La Palmyre beaches and zoo, and pretty Talmont. The area is well served with good restaurants and there is a wine 'cave' at Meschers.
Gemozac - is a thriving market town a short drive away. Markets are held on Tuesday and Friday mornings, an extensive market or Foire being held every third Friday of the month, until midday. There is a good supermarket, Super-U just outside Gemozac. A second supermarket, Lidl, is cheap but used not to take payment by visa for amounts under 100 francs (approx. 15 Euros), only by cash or French cheque. On the Royan road out of Gemozac there is an all season swimming pool. The town also has the nearest banks (credit Agricole), and the Super U has a cash point inside the shop. There is also a tabac (newsagents) in the centre.
Meschers - 3 beaches and picturesque grottos. These curious caves where the inhabitants used to live - often because they were outlaws or refugees from persecution - are now restaurants. Guided tours are available. There is a market by the church at Meschers every morning in season, and a wine 'cave' opposite the church.
Royan- Adjacent to this, is Royan, with its more sheltered beaches. Today Royan is almost entirely a new town, because this was one of the places to which the German army in France retreated in 1944. The heavy bombardment almost entirely destroyed the place. Apart from the suburb of Pontaillac on the way in, we are in a completely different world to the rest of this coast. Royan has a large Leclerc hypermarket.
La Palmyre- Between Royan and La Palmyre are miles of golden beaches known as Le Grand Côte and certainly well worth a visit. Parking is along the side of the road and the beaches are reached through short pine woods. Well worth a visit is the magnificent zoo at La Palmyre.
Talmont 15 minutes by car. A popular and pretty village with shops displaying local crafts, and Romanesque church situated on a promontory overlooking the estuary, the latter incomplete as the nave subsided into the sea several years ago, but the remaining section has been underpinned.
Cognac 30 minutes by car. Well worth a visit are the world-famous Martell, Otard, Remy Martin, Hennessy and Camus distilleries. A tour of Remy Martin Estate and cellars lasts for about 1.5 hours, is extremely good value and over 60's free.
Saintes - 30 minutes by car. A Roman Town, built in the 1st century. The magnificent Roman amphitheatre, of which only the first level remains is still used for open air performances. The open air foire at Saintes is on the first Monday of the month, and runs the whole length of the main street and beyond.
La Rochelle - 50 - 60 minutes by car. Regarded by some as one of France's loveliest towns, with the second largest fishing harbour in the country. At the southern part of the port is the popular Aquarium. The Hotel de Ville, the most handsome building in La Rochelle, has an ornate flamboyant Gothic portal, of great artistic merit, leading into a courtyard containing an Henri IV gallery, an open-work arcaded façade and a Renaissance dwelling.
Bordeaux - 50 minutes south along the A10 motorway. It has an airport, with direct flights to Heathrow, also the beautiful Grand-Theatre, a cathedral, bustling covered markets, craft shops, studios, museums and galleries.
Mortagne-on-Gironde - about 10 minutes by car. It is a small fishing port with panoramic views of the Gironde estuary. The harbour is lined with restaurants.
