Gémozac

The village Cravans has a bakery which is within walking distance, otherwise Gémozac is the nearest shopping town to Benèze. 4 kilometres away Gémozac has everything you need including a good sized supermarkets, bakers, butchers and a green grocer as well as a thriving local market outside the church on Friday mornings (left).

 

Gémozac has an excellent public swimming pool (right) with baby paddling area and water slide. The pool is surrounded by a grassed area for sunbathing and picnics.




Royan and Saint-Georges-de-Didonne

 

Saint-Georges and the adjoining town of Royan are the nearest seaside resorts to the cottage. Both towns are  thirty minutes' drive away and have large sandy beaches with supervised bathing, a sailing school and plenty of shops and restaurants. Bicyles can be hired for good cycle rides along the coastal path. Nearby Meschers-sur-Gironde has pleasant sandy coves.  
Further along the coast (about 40 minutes from Benèze) there are the more natural beaches of the Atlantic coast (see photo left). Again there are life-guards on hand during the summer season and when conditions are right bodyboarding and surfing are possible. At the tip of the estuary lies La Palmyre, set in a large pine forest is one of the fore-most zoological parks in Europe. 



Saintes

 

The historic roman city of  Saintes can be reached in under thirty minutes and hosts a busy market every day, the liveliest of which being on Saturday morning. Straddling the Charente river, Saintes has many interesting buildings including the cathedral, next to which the Saturday market is held. Saintes has a pleasant pedestrian shopping area and plenty of interesting little restaurants and bars. It is well worth a visit.

 


 

Cognac

 

Cognac is the local brandy and can only be produced in this region of France, the vines around the cottage are used for cognac production. The picture shows the copper cognac still  of the neighbouring farm. The town of Cognac is the location of several major cognac houses (Martel, Remy Martin, Camus etc.)  which offer guided tours of their facilities and the distillation process.


 

 

Bordeaux 

 

The city of Bordeaux has undergone significant renovation in recent years to become a lively cultural and economic centre. Bordeaux is also the name of the wine produced in a large area centred on the city. The chateaux of the Medoc or the picturesque town of St Emilion are within reach for a day trip.