Charron is situated on Charente Maritimes
'cote sauvage' and is famous in the area for its mussels.
Surprisingly, this small village has a lot to offer. Within
walking distance of the house is the village bakery, a grocers,
butchers, bar, post office, bank, pharmacy and restaurant.
You can buy fresh mussels, oysters and honey, all produced
in the village. Charron was the first stop on chef Rick
Steins' televised culinary tour of France, where he made
an 'eclade' using the local 'moules du bouchot'. You can
visit the two small ports at Charron to see the mussels
being collected, and look out over the bay to the beaches
at Aiguillion sur Mer. There is also a
municipal tennis court and football pitch, plus, 'La Charronaise'
is only 10 minutes from the magnificent links golf course
at Marsilly.
From the neighbouring village of Esnandes
begins a cycle track giving magnificent views of the Atlantic
coast and the bridge leading to the Ile de Re, which you
can then cross over to the island. We have a selection of
bikes for hire, and storage facilities if you prefer to
bring your own.La Rochelle lives up to its reputation for
being the most beautiful town on the west coast of France.
It's most famous landmarks are the two towers which guard
the entrance to the old port. Once they together with a
third, the lantern tower, were used as prisons. During the
summertime, there are always things to see in the evening
around the old port : craft stalls, portrait painters, music
and entertainers.
Les Minimes is now the new port area,
with a massive marina housing thousands of boats and a small
beach. The aquarium is near to the old port with it's wonderful
displays of fish, sharks and turtles. The old port offers
boats trips one of which takes you around the famous Fort
Boyard, built as a prison by Napoleon.
There are several cinemas, museums and art galleries, including
the maritime museum and museum of mechanical toys. There
is a market six mornings a week, and an excellent selection
of chic boutiques and shops. Nestling between are countless
quaint bars and cafes. There is an enormous variety of restaurants
serving from fresh local seafood to Vietnamese, or north
African couscous.
La Rochelle (photo below right is the
Hotel de Ville at la Rochelle) is definitely a place worth
visiting.
To the north of Charron, about 35 minutes
drive, you will find the beautiful sandy beaches of the
south Vendee. Beginning at La Faute sur Mer,
stretching for miles along the Vendeen coast, these are
some of Frances best beaches (a Vendee beach photo below),
and with the sunny microclimate for which this area is famous,
you will no doubt want to make good use of them.
