Within two minutes’ drive of the house is the village of St Severin, providing a full range of shops to include a bank, supermarket, post office, pharmacy, baker, café, bar, grocer, hotel and restaurant.   A doctor and dentist are also located in St Severin.  A nearer boulangerie/patisserie is located in Petit Bersac, not to mention a pub called ‘Le Vin Doux’.  There are restaurants nearby in Aubeterre and many of the villages around.

The nearest town with larger supermarkets, a large Friday market and full selection of shops is Riberac, twenty minutes away to the south.  Generally, shops are closed on Mondays and Bank Holidays although food shops and markets are open on Sunday mornings.

Golf and tennis are available at Le Manoir de Longeveau, just a ten minute drive away.  Booking is advised.

Visitors to this area of rural France will quickly appreciate the attractions the region has to offer.    Whether you want a holiday with tranquility and total relaxation in a peaceful hamlet offering superb countryside views or to tour a new area of south west France, La Brousse provides an ideal base for you.

Summer in the Charente is perhaps the best of the seasons with fabulous, long, sunny days, swaying sunflowers, golden maize and sweetcorn.  Temperatures can sizzle so come prepared!  The sunsets at La Brousse are really very special – particularly on those summer evenings when it is still light at 10.30 pm and when outdoor living becomes the norm!

Wildlife is to be spotted at every turn in the road, in every copse or on the farmland beyond whilst swallows, redstarts, hoopoes, buzzards etc may be identified everywhere.   Red squirrels are a treat to see, as are the early morning hares and deer leaping across the fields.  Locally produced food is delicious: Charentais melons, cheeses, tomatoes, salad, figs, bread and every variety of fruit - with simply exceptional flavours - are there to relish.

Activities and visits are many and varied and some ideas for days out are suggested below.  You will find some leaflets and maps in the Helpfile at the property to help your choice even further.

Canoeing is great fun at several locations – as advertised nearby on the river Dronne or further afield on the Dordogne.

Beautiful villages:  

Angouleme – approximately 40 minutes to the north.  Museums, cathedral, paper-making, la bande Dessine exhibitions in February, ‘tour des ramparts’ in September.

Aubeterre – the local, famous ‘plus belle village’, red roofed, hillside location with underground monolithic church.  In the valley, the River Dronne provides a beach for the children and canoes may be hired.  Pleasant location for a wander or to have a meal.

Bergerac – home to Cyrano de Bergerac, although he never actually lived here.  Famous area for wine growing and tobacco.  Picturesque town on the Dordogne river.   

Bordeaux – the largest city of the south west sitting at the mouth of the Garonne in the Gironde departement. 

Brantome – Also known as the ‘Venice of the Perigord but a slightly exaggerated description!  The Benedictine Abbey sits on the banks of the river Dronne.  Mix of Renaissance and medieval architecture to be viewed.  Canoe hire available.

Perigueux – although on the River Isle, Perigueux is known as the capital town of the Dordogne area.  It is famous for the foie gras found in the Perigord region, its museums and cathedrals spanning the years from Roman times.

See the cave paintings and exhibitions of Neolithic man at Les Eyzies en route to...

Sarlat on the Dordogne river – a medieval town on the banks of the Dordogne.   Take a tour of the chateaux seen from a canoe or a boat trip on the Dordogne.

St Emilion – a visit is highly recommended to this famous town in the middle of the Bordeaux wine area, producing top quality red wine. Vineyards abound for the discerning wine lover.  Take a tour out to one of these for a tasting, on the little train boarded outside the church just behind the tourist office where tickets can be purchased.

Further afield, you will find:

Cognac – area producing brandy with famous names of Courvoisier, Remy Martin, Hennessey and Martel are based.  Pineau is also made in the town, distilled into oak casks.   Cognac is only produced in western France – by distilling wine to make brandy or cognac as it is known.

Coast - The varied, stunning coastline of western France can be reached in 75 minutes.  There is a full selection of resorts, from the quiet, little, seaside village of Talmont sitting on the cliffs above the Gironde estuary to the extensive selection of beaches at Royan and those edged by pine forests north and beyond at La Tremblade and Soulac.  South of Bordeaux is the biggest sand dune in Europe, known as Pyla, and resorts of Archachon and Cap Ferret.  Further south are the popular resorts of Biscarrosse, Port d’Albret and Biarritz.  There are plenty of beautiful beaches for bathing and surfing as well as inland lakes in the area known as Les Landes.