You, your children and your pets are very welcome to this quiet rural French backwater. There are lovely country walks (and bike rides) starting from the gîtes. Just up the road is a tree-top adventure where all ages can climb nets, walk pathways from tree to tree and whizz down ropes (all securely attach to safety ropes!) But if you feel less energetic then just laze round the natural swimming pool and have a quiet game of boules. Even if it rains there are lots of things to do in the barn: snooker or pool, table tennis, darts, table football, board games, jigsaws..... The outdoor sandy play area has the usual equipment for balancing, swinging and sliding and the field has lots of fruit trees free for you to pick. The kitchen is fully equipped and there is a fridge-freezer and a dishwasher as well as the usual cooker, microwave and so on. The air-conditioning is more and more needed. The unit serves only this gîte and so you can decide the temperature you would like. It can also provide heating in the winter, to supplement the radiator. The main bedroom has plenty of light with two windows but there are shutters on both, for those who dislike being woken at dawn by the sun! The second bedroom is small and ideal for youngsters with its bunk beds. The terrace is sunny in the mornings as it faces East, ideal for breakfast out of doors. But if it gets too hot there is a parasol for shade. There is a roomy kennel with a grass run for when you will be away all day. Otherwise your pets are welcome in the gîtes as long as you clean well before you leave. My dog gets on well with other dogs and is always happy to have a new playmate!

I belong to an association which has its own currency (Gâtinelles) in order to promote local producers, artists and small businesses. So the welcome baskets I provide for visitors who come for a week or more, are full of local produce. Some visitors have been so taken with the beer, the chocolate, the biscuits or the apple juice that they have bought more to take home with them! I enjoy having people staying here (the gîtes are at the end of my house) and am usually available for advice about places to go and things to do. (Although I am English I have lived here for many years) I take the local newspaper in order to find out what is happening in Deux Sèvres and chatting to my neighbours keeps me up to date on community activities. You will find the locals very friendly and pleased to meet new people!

It is only 40 minutes to Puy du Fou (a must) or the Marais Poitevin (shady boat rides), 80 minutes to Futuroscope (virtual rides and lots more) or 90 minutes to the nearest beach, so quite possible as a day out. There are leaflets in the gîte for a wide range of attractions: castles, museums, amusement parks (Parc de la Vallée is always a hit) zoos and activities (ride in a hot air balloon maybe) and every week from Easter to late September there are festivals and parades and competitions galore. Jazz is popular as are street theatre and clowns. There really is something for everyone. For 2 weeks every July there is FLIP (festival ludique internationale de Parthenay) where you can try every game ever thought of and some that have yet to be finalised! Or learn circus skills, or joust in the mediaeval area, or bounce up and down in bungees... There are restaurants of all sorts but none within walking distance. They are listed in the welcome book with comments.