A few recommendations for places to go

(There are a huge number of leaflets and brochures in your gîte and this is only a sample)

Just up the road:

• Forêt de L’Aventure  (4Km) A treetop adventure on ropes and walkways. Exciting but safe as everyone has a safety harness, so if you let go you don’t crash to the ground. A lower, smaller course available for younger children. Picnic area. Mini golf.
• Karting (4.5Km) Go-karts for the speed freaks amongst you.
• Bungee jumping (4Km) At Breuil-Barret. Saturday and Sunday afternoons every 3-4 weeks. Reservations 05 65 60 00 45
• Pescalis (11Km) Fishing village with public ponds for carp or private (fee-paying) ones for more exotic fish. Has shop for hiring tackle, restaurants, bar, boat hire, children’s play area, mini golf.
• Les Noues de Puy Jean (11Km) Farm visit with walks, cart-rides (pulled by tractor or donkey) aromatic garden, rare breeds. Picnic area or buy your meal at the farm. Pleasant, inexpensive, low-key outing.

A little further away:

• Ostrich farm (17Km) with maize maze, wagon rides, a quiz and a close up look at the birds.
• Mervent (20Km) Has a zoo with petting area, beach with picnic area, canoes and bar, Parc de Pierre Brun for amusements.
• Mouton Village (25Km) A good day out. Everything you ever wanted to know about sheep! Petting area, tastings, displays. Info 05 49 69 12 12

Still within a reasonable drive:

• The coast (75Km) La Tranche/La Faute sur Mer for beaches and sand dunes, La Rochelle for boat trips, a million harbourside cafes, interesting history and architecture. Rochefort for coastal walks, naval history, ropeworks and much more.
• Puy du Fou (45Km) Huge park with stunning staged spectaculars from gladiators to vikings to musketeers. A very full day trip but not to be missed. D949BIS to La Chataigneraie, D39 to Cheffois, turn right on to the D752 to Pouzauges. Follow signs for Puy du Fou around the ring road, through St Michel Mont Mercure (look out for the amazing statue of Mercury on top of the church spire!) where you turn right to Les Epesses. Well signposted all the way.
• Marais Poitevin (40Km) Coulon is a pretty town on this network of canals. Hire a boat and find your way around the backwaters, or do it in style with a boatman who will tell you all the history of the marshes. Take the D744 from L’Absie. At Coulonges take the D1 to St Pompain, Benet and Coulon.
• Poitiers (80Km) An interesting town, good shopping, pretty parks, lots of history and when you’ve had enough go out to St Benoit (just south of the ring road) for a picnic by the water.
• Futuroscope (90Km) just north of Poitiers. Opens at 10am, and the evening show ends at 10pm. You can’t go on everything in the 12 hours because there is so much to do. Educational stuff, rooms full of computer games, screens the size of 2 tennis courts, 3D effects, robots which take you for a dance (that one is really good!) If you like scary rides, this is the place for you. But you have to be 1.2 metres tall to go on the best ones so perhaps not for families with small children. Plenty of benches by the water, cafes and restaurants. Take the D949BIS from L’Absie to Parthenay, then the N149 to Poitiers. Outside Poitiers join the N147 which takes you round the north. Turn left onto the N10 and it’s well signposted along that road.