St Laurent des Combes and surrounding area

Situated on the sunny Charente/Dordogne border with its Romanesque church and rural way of life St Laurent des Combes is a typical south Charente village nestled between wooded hills and fields of sunflowers and maize. Here you can experience the long hot summer days and pastoral peace of south-west France. Either sit in the shade reading your book and occasionally dipping your toes in the pool or visit local market towns and pretty villages with their honey-coloured stone walls and roman-tiled roofs.

Enjoy trying some of the regional delicacies, fine Bordeaux wine, Pineau (local aperitif), cognac, foie gras and magret de canard. Also available are milk and eggs fresh from the neighbouring farm and depending on the time of year, cherries, tomatoes, cepes (wild mushrooms) and walnuts.

The 13th century Chateau de Talleyrand (incorporating a very popular restaurant) overlooks the nearest town of Chalais where you can enjoy the unique atmosphere of a bustling French market every Monday morning. The Chalais international horse show is held beneath the floodlit chateau for one weekend every year at the beginning of August.

Chalais also has all the basic amenities, supermarket, newsagent, doctor, café/bars, etc. There are also markets in the nearby towns of Montmoreau, Blanzac, Riberac and Aubeterre.

In the vicinity are several lakes (Brossac, Jemaye, Paradou) with sandy beaches, swimming, windsurfing, children’s play parks, nature walks and cafe/restaurants.

Further afield

Slightly further afield there are many day trips that can be enjoyed

• Bordeaux (1 hour) - all the boutiques, boulevards, grand buildings and restaurants you would expect of one of France’s largest cities. For real shopaholics an hours drive on good roads will get you to the park and ride for Bordeaux’s new and very swish tram system, it is then only a short hop on the tram to the boutiques and “grands magasins” of the Rue St.Catherine.
• Angouleme (45minutes) – the capital of the Charente, the old walled town with narrow streets, and grand administrative buildings sits high on a hill overlooking the River Charente and surrounding country. The Tour des Ramparts (racing new and old cars around the city walls) takes place at the beginning of September. Centre Nautique Nautilis – newly built olympic-size swimming pool and water park.
• Cognac (50 minutes) – world famous town on the banks of the River Charente, walk around the old quarter, visit the art museum, and of course go to one of the famous Cognac houses (Hennesey, Martell, Courvoisier, etc.).
• Perigeux (just over an hour) – capital of the Dordogne, beautiful old centre, byzantine cathedral, covered market, a great place for buying your épicerie.
• St.Emillion (50 minutes) – World Heritage Site famous for its many wine producing chateaux of the very highest quality.
• Brantome (50 minutes) – Picturesque town dissected by canals and waterways, sometimes called the Venice of the Perigord.
• Aubeterre (20 minutes) – One of the 100 prettiest towns in France, perched on a hillside with a delightful town square.
• Coast (55 –70 minutes) - The Atlantic is a little over an hours drive away, with a choice of either the many beach resorts around Royan or the more rugged Cote Sauvage with its long sandy beaches and Atlantic rollers. La Palmyre Zoo is almost on the beach, combine the two for a full day out. Quicker to get to are the coastal villages/towns of the Gironde estuary (Meschers, Talmont) where a plate of fresh oysters is always available.