Location Information Travel to the Area & Places to visi t whilst here Location Information: Property Address: Moulin Rabier 16620 Montboyer France Department: Charente (south Charente close to the Dodogne border) Region: Pouitou Charente Closest towns: Aubeterre dur Dronne, Chalais, Montmoreau. Each 9km from the property. Travel to the Area: By car from the UK: UK Port French port Drive time in Ferry Operator(s) France Plymouth Roscoff 7 hours 11 mins Brittany Weymouth St Malo 5 hours 31 mins Condor Poole Cherbourg 7 hours Brittany Poole St Malo 5 hours 31 mins Condor Portsmouth Caen 5 hours 35 mins Brittany Portsmouth Le Harve 6 hours P&O Newhaven Dieppe 6 hours 20 mins Hoverspeed Dover Calais 7 hours 38 mins Hoverspeed, P&O Sea France Folkestone Calais 7 hours 38 mins Eurotunnel By flight from the UK: UK Airport French Airport Drive time in Flight operator (s) France Bristol Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair East Midlands Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair Exeter Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Leeds Bradford Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Leeds Bradford Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Jet2 Liverpool Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair London Stansted Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair London Gatwick Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Southampton Bergerac 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Dublin Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Aer Lingus Edinburgh Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair Birmingham Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Liverpool Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Easyjet London Gatwick Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins British Airways, Easyjet London Luton Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Easyjet Bristol Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Easyjet Southampton Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Flybe Manchester Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins bmibaby Cork Bordeaux 1 hour 37 mins Ryanair Southampton Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Flybe Bournemouth Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair Bristol Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair Nottingham-East Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair Midlands Edinburgh Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair Liverpool Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair London Luton Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair London Stansted Limoges 2 hours 9 mins Ryanair Birmingham La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Flybe Bristol La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Easyjet Cork La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Air Lingus / Ryanair Dublin La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Ryanair Edinburgh La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Jet2 Glasgow La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Flybe Leeds La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Jet2 London Gatwick La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Easyjet London Stansted La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Ryanair Manchester La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Flybe Southampton La Rochelle 2 hours 10 mins Flybe Places to visit whilst here: Whilst for many relaxing by the pool with a good book is holiday bliss, for others excursions are a holiday must. We suggest a variety of excursions below, however there are many more to suit every taste in the vicinity of the property and we provide tourism guides at the Gites to peruse at your leisure. There is also an excellent tourist office in Aubeterre with details of yet more opportunities for great days out. Given our rural location we do recommend guests have their own transport to make the most of their holiday. Suggested itinerary for a week in the Charente: Monday: in the morning there is a lively market in Chalais, well worth a visit (journey time 12 mins). There is also an excellent market in Riberac on Friday mornings (journey time 33 mins). Tuesday: Visit the city of La Rochelle with its Vieux Port , cathedral and museums including the impressive Aquarium La Rochelle www.aquarium-larochelle.com (journey time 2 hours 10 mins), or travel on across the bridge from La Rochelle to Ile de Ré with its charming villages and sandy beaches (a further 20 mins drive). Wednesday: A walk on local footpaths with a picnic lunch at the Moulin de Perdrigeau, formerly a windmill and now a viewing platform enabling far reaching views. 9 holes of golf at nearby Manoir de Longeveau www.longeveau.com (journey time 10 mins); horse riding at one of the many riding clubs in the area, for example L’idaldo in Condéon www.idalgo16.skyblog.fr (journey time 26 mins); or canoe and Kayak the River Dronne from Aubeterre-sur-Dronne (SNPA are open every day in July and August and weekends and bank holidays in May, June and September, they provide equipment hire and guidance for journeys on the river with or without guides, http://pagesperso- orange.fr/snpa.aubeterre/ ) (journey time 16 mins). Thursday: With children visit either the theme park Futuroscope, Poitiers www.futuroscope.com (journey time 2 hours 7 mins); the monkey park La vallee des Singes, Romagne www.la-vallee-des- singes.fr (journey time 1 hour 48 mins) or the adventure park lacs de haute Charente, Massignac www.aventure-parc.fr/lachautecharente (journey time 1 hour 19 mins). With or without children, chose from a visit to Chateau de la Rochefoucald www.chateau-la-rochefoucauld.com (journey time 1 hour 6 mins) or a wander around the gardens at the Jardins du Logis de Forge www.jardinsdulogisdeforge.com (journey time 31 mins). Friday : Visit the picturesque town of Brantome with its riverside setting (journey time 1 hour 4 mins), Bendedictine abbey, 11th century clock tower and troglodyte dwellings. Nearby attractions include the Chateau de Bordeilles www.semitour.com and la Grotte de Villars (caves with 17,000 year old painting) www.grotte-villars.com. Further afield, but spectacular to visit, is Lascaux II www.semitour.com, a painstaking recreation of the Grotte de Lascaux, a deep cavern decorated with animal paintings executed by Cro-Magnon people 17,000 years ago and believed to be amongst the finest examples of prehistoric art in existence. Sadly due to damage caused by warm, carbon dioxide exhaling tourists the original cave is closed to all but very privileged researchers. Journey time to Lascaux II is 2 hours, it is advised to book this attraction in advance as it is popular with limited capacity. Nearby is Le Thot, with a prehistory exhibition and wild animal park (details also at the semi-tour website). Saturday: Visit Cognac and one of the big Cognac houses of St Martell, Hennessy, Remy Martin or, in nearby Jarnac, Courvoisier www.visitesremymartin.fr www.tourism-cognac.com www.Courvoisier.com. The journey time from Moulin Rabier to Cognac is 1 hour 18 mins or to Jarnac 1 hour 6 minutes. Alternatively, visit a wine district such as St Emillion (a UNESCO World heritage site which has been described as France’s most beautiful wine town) (journey time 1 hour 10 mins) or Fronsac (with the Chateau de la Riviere and its 8.5 hectares of cellars) (journey time 1 hour 11 mins). For a Friday or Saturday night out try dinner at the Relais du Chateau in Chalais (a restaurant serving tradition and gastronomic French cuisine in the heart of the Chateau tel 0545982358) (journey time 12 mins). Sunday: A short drive to Aubeterre (16 mins) with its Sunday morning market held in the picturesque square and a visit to the incredible monolithic (underground) church of Saint Jean www.aubeterresurdronne.com. Follow with a tasty lunch on the square in Hotel de France www.hoteldefrance-aubeterre.com; a gourmet lunch at Hostelerie du Perigord www.hostellerie- perigord.com or a picnic lunch and swim at the sandy beach on the banks of the river Dronne where there is also a snack bar. .