Rocking Horse House, Bouqueville
Our nearest village is Juillac le Coq where there is a bar, boulangerie, small grocery store and a garage. During the summer the bar will often organise live music events at the weekends.
Segonzac is a small town which is around 5 minutes away by car. Here you will find a supermarket – Intermarché and two boulangeries, a florist, newsagents, chemist and a bank all in the main square. The tourist information office is also in the square.
Cognac can be reached within around 15 minutes and is, of course, renowned for the brandy maturing in cellars on the banks of the Charente and produced by the vineyards which dominate the surrounding rolling countryside. There are a good selection of restaurants in the town, our favourites being ‘La Courtine’ but for a special occasion the area boasts a Michelin starred restaurant, La Ribaudière
http://www.laribaudiere.com/accueil.html , set on the banks of the Charente in Bourg Charente, between Cognac and Jarnac.
There are organised trips available around many of the Cognac houses. One of the most popular is the Hennessey visit which can be organised at the visitor centre located at the quayside by the Charente in Cognac. Another favourite is the Otard tour of the Chateau Francois Premier – the 15th century fortified chateau situated by the river in Cognac and the birthplace of King Francois 1st.
Boats can be hired in Cognac or, for a relaxing 90 minute discovery of the Charente we recommend the ‘Dame Jeanne’, a traditional flat bottomed wooden barge which departs regularly from the quayside in Cognac. Naturally for a town of its size, Cognac has a selection of large supermarkets and hypermarkets, the largest of which is Auchan located on the ring road around Cognac towards Saintes. There is also a large covered market in the centre of town which is open every morning except Monday.
Further afield, but within 30 minutes, you will find Saintes which is the ancient Roman capital of the area. Saintes has a wealth of historic sites to visit including the arc de triomphe and amphitheatre, both nearly 2000 years old. The cathedral is also worth seeing and leading from this sector there are a number of cobbled pedestrianised shopping streets and cosy bistros.
The coast is about an hour away with a selection of wide sandy beaches. Our favourites are St Georges de Didonne and Meschers which is close to Talmont-sur-Gironde, one of the prettiest villages in France. The beaches at Royan and La Tremblade are also excellent being both wide and long.
Well worth a day trip are the islands of Oléron and the more illustrious Ile de Ré. Here there are numerous pretty fishing ports with narrow streets to stroll and potter around the shops. Restaurants abound with oysters, fresh fish and delicious artisanal ice cream all to be savoured. Likewise, La Rochelle, is a great day out and the Saturday morning market is a wonderful experience.
For golfers there is an excellent course and driving range at Saint Brice, just outside Cognac. Day membership is reasonably priced and there is an excellent restaurant in which to relax after the highs and lows of a round of golf.
Within half a mile of the property there are public tennis courts and a pretty picnic area and in Segonzac there are three excellent, high quality clay courts. We leave two raquets and some tennis balls in the house for our guests to use.
The large public park in Cognac by the banks of the river has tennis courts, volleyball, inflatable slides, paddling pools, swings, slides, canoes and pedalos for hire. There is a bar on site which also serves snacks and at weekends many locals will bring a picnic and spend the day at the park.
All in all this is a glorious undiscovered part of France with empty roads and fields of sunflowers and vineyards. A hidden jewel.