The countryside is ideal for walking, cycling and horse-riding. The nearby River Charente can provide swimming, canoeing, pleasant walks and picnic sites. There is an open-air swimming pool in Civray during the high season.

Further afield (1 hours drive) are Poitiers and Futuroscope, Angoulême, Niort and Limoges. La Rochelle, Cognac and the Dordogne are also within easy reach.

This is a farming area, where cereals, sunflowers and maize are the main crops. There are many wooded areas, mainly walnuts, chestnuts and oaks, which abound with wild flowers and birds. We frequently see many birds of prey from the garden, including buzzards and hen harriers.