Walks in the south of Charente Maritime

This walk features stunning views over the Gironde estuary and it offers different lanscapes in the countryside. It requires substancial climbs but they are steady climbs. The views from the top repay the effort.

• Chez les Guilloux to St Seurin d'Uzet

• Starting point : Chez les Guilloux

• Distance : 20 kilometres


• Time : 3 and a half hours


• Going : Moderate


• Walking shoes or sneakers

The walk starts at the hamlet "Chez les Guilloux" opposite a former beautiful "maison de maître" in a derelict condition. The owners gather waste ( unbiodegradable waste and although some components have economical value and could be recycled they just keep piling them up. )This rural family is marginal , have no toilet , bathroom or modern equipment.They live the same way as farmers used to 60 years ago. Don't be repelled by their waste and keep the track , after a few minutes the path is unspoilt and nature has recovered its beauty. Then follow the trail down the hill until you reach a larger track. Turn right and continue walking along the bottom, alongside the forest and fields. There's a canal called "Le canal de Mocquesouris" but you can't see it from the path. Then follow the track up the hill to a junction then turn right to the direction of " Laborde". Follow the track leaving the hamlet of Laborde behind you. After a few minutes you get to the spring water supply called " la source de Chauvignac"

Water is treated for drinking water and it is said that it is the best drinking water. You can visit the spot by calling "the compagnie des eaux"Continue the path leaving behind the spring water of Chauvignac, turn right and walk along the marsh. In the distance you can see Barzan church. Then you come to the tarmac road called" la route verte"( If you turn right you get to the little port of "Les Monards" which is a nice place to have a rest. It is not included in the 20 kms!) Turn left and a little way on to the right stands a windmill. From the windmill, looking ahead the view is dominated by the estuary. Walk along the tarmac road which goes to Chenac ( (take care although not a busy road it does carry some traffic) and a little further on turn right through the vineyards, it rises steadily as the track approaches a "Charentaise house" overlooking the Gironde. Then keep on the obvious track ahead. At this point continue to descend, take care on this length. I recommend picking a bright day for this part of the walk because it can be a little muddy in winter or after heavy rain. Keep to the track and after a short way turn right. The path climbs gently and steadily as you approach the top of the hill and eventually reach the hamlet called" Le petit Chenac". It is worth taking in the view which is simply breathtaking. From there you can consider returning to the departure point or taking a detour to the village of St Seurin d'Uzet and have a rest or a picnic, the little port is worth seeing. After relaxing a bit take the same narrow tarmac road to return to "Le petit Chenac" . After passing the hamlet again turn right continuing uphill to the village of Chenac. Then go past the cemetery. At this point , as the road swings right, bear left and follow the signposted road" Les petites Dougnes" and " Les grandes Dougnes" . The narrow road emerges onto hamlets. After passing the hamlets keep going ahead uphill. You can see the houses on top of the hill ( the walk's starting point ). Follow the path and then you eventually join another tarmac narrow road leading to the hamlet of "Chez Carré" The walk finishes after passing the hamlet .

Country music festival 2009

Last Saturday and Sunday there was the annual country music festival in Cozes. Every year people gather to show their motorbikes and trikes and horses , ponies offered entertainment. This year the equestrian part was very interesting. The show consisted in a series of different performances in front of keen spectators. As usual we were all awed and amazed at the magical partnership of horse and rider, the elegance of dressage offering a great show.

There were also lots of line dancers all facing the same direction and executing the same steps at the same time . The weather on Saturday afternoon was quite good so lots of people enjoyed having beer around the tent bar. More stalls than last year selling country jackets, hats, belts , leather motorbike suits were displayed . And a couple of Indian musicians performed their native dances and songs.

This year a rock band was invited to entertain people. There were no people dancing. The country music band from last year was much better.

On Sunday morning we joined a group of walkers and enjoyed walking through fields and forests. We met the horse riders and have a sandwich and a glass of wine. The view overlooking the Gironde was breathtaking. But as it was cloudy we didn't take any photos. To come back to Cozes Phil drove us , we sat in the back of the van ( 10 people!! hiding like illegal immigrants)

Fortunately for us we didn't meet any "gendarmes" along the way!

On the whole we found that the 2009 festival wasn't as good as the previous ones but we all thank the organizers who involve themselves in such events to entertain people in the countryside.

Changing lives

We're in the process of moving out of Noisy le grand a Parisian suburd situated on the east side of Paris where we've lived for 30 years ,to a hamlet of about ten houses situated in the south of the Charente Maritime. Noisy le grand has changed a lot in 30 years lots of concrete buildings everywhere, our neighbourhood is still quiet but there are more and more people living on our street. Born and bred near Paris my husband and I wanted to change lives, escape the rat race, the stresses of the city for peace and especially slow down to village speed . We also have been suffering from the effects of air pollution for years and have become more sensitive to pollutants : irritation to the eyes, nose and throat. In 1999 we looked for a house or a farmhouse for sale in Brittany in order to restore it. Most Parisians look for a house to buy in Brittany because it's not far away from Paris! But after visiting expensive ruins we opted for a piece of building land and had the framework of our house built. We didn't want to ask our bank for a loan so we decided to complete the house ourselves : insulation, floors, partitions, electricity and plumbering. What an adventure for novices!

My husband bought a multitude of books about plumbering and building and collected a number of tips from various forums on the internet. Nine years later there's still some works to be done but they mainly consist in walls and ceilings decorations.For nine years we've been learning about living ( temporary) in the countryside, local habits and people. We were warmly welcome by the friendliness of some local people others were a bit suspicious and I must say that Parisians are not liked. They're being stereotyped as wearing wellies everywhere as soon as they leave the house and showing off driving expensive cars!The first year we didn't have a mower to cut the grass or I should say the weeds, a neighbour offered his help to cut the grass with his tractor, we paid Euros 135 instead of Euros 16. The following years we weren't ripped off !! Anyway it had to be done and we didn't know anyone at that time!In the summer we used to stay 3 weeks to build our house and to turn up to village functions as much as we could. You have to make the effort to involve yourself in local life. Personally I think that moving out to the countryside is similar to migrate to another country! What a change!

Living in the country means no pollution, noise, congestion and crime. Our breath is often taken away by a sunset or by stars at night. Some people say that the country is boring . There isn't as much entertainment as in a big city like Paris but entertainment also means "money" and living in a city is more costly. Yes there are better schools so bigger opportunities for young people in big cities. It is said that children are more skilled academically and more open-minded but on the other hand the kids in the country are closer to nature and more mature than the kids in the city.Our house is surrounded by vineyards so we can't complain about farmers'untimely activities. Some cut hay at midnight! and one of the best feature of the area is the proximity of the Atlantic ocean which offers a diversity of activities. Choosing a right place to live can be a tough choice. Some people are suited for village life others will never settle. While the city provides changes and enables people to keep up with breakthrough of technologies the countryside offers quiet life and now we enjoy having breakfast watching a hare running through our garden or some egrets having a rest. In France there are fewer and fewer places that are "out in the middle of nowhere" supermarkets or medical services can't be too far away. in addition the internet has also reached small villages in the countryside so we can take advantage of modern life living in the great outdoors It's great for relaxing one's soul. If you changed lives like my friend Brenda ( see her article about moving from Malborough to Brie sous Mortagne) and I , please don't hesitate to share your experience with us and write an article on epargnes@hotmail.fr I'll be happy to post it on to the blog. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Acknowledgements : Special thanks to Xavier and Marie France who lent us their van to move our furniture and for those who would like to get practical boat experience and eventually a boat licence , please feel free to contact Xavier on : 02 43 44 20 40

Photo of Noisy le grand provided by tempoworld under Creative Commons Licence via Flickr