Poitou Charentes

The Atlantic Coast, Marais and mediaeval battlefields.

The seaboard extends from the northern bank of the Gironde estuary through beach resorts to the ancient port of la Rochelle. All the other Prefecture towns, Angoluleme, Niort and Poitiers played major parts in mediaeval history.

One of the most singular geographical features of the coast are the Marais Poitvin in the northern corner of the coastline. These are large areas of low lying land extending a considerable distance inland. They are drained by innumerable channels which teem with wildlife and are becoming an ever more important leisure area. The beaches near the costal towns have been well known for many years. More recently the road bridges to the two islands - Ile d'Oléron and Ile de Ré - (they stretch out like two long fingers to the Atlantic Ocean) have made their coastline easily accessible.

A new-build house in a very traditional style.

A temperate land for battles.

Inland too this area is low lying. The eastern border is more than a hundred miles from the sea yet the highest point in la Vienner is only 230m (750ft) above the sea. Essentially an agricultural area its gentle geography made it a battlefield during the Hundred Years War (14th and 15th century) when England and France (or at least their ruling families) battled for possession of the territory. Subsequently the Wars of Religion left a long shadow behind them. Generally the climate is temperate. In the north it is decidedly maritime - not much different to the British south coast but generally warmer and drier. It improves as one moves down the map and the southern areas certainly begin to exhibit more of a Mediterranean atmosphere.

Départements within the region of Poitou Charentes:

Charente

Charente - a river that does not reach the sea?
It does of course but this Département has no coastline and the river which provides the name has to go to the neighbouring maritime county to find its estuary. Indeed it seems reluctant ever to leave its native heath. It starts its journey not far from Confolens and from the first winds a tortuous way to visit neighbouring la Vienne. Unpleased by that it slithers back in twists and turns down to Angoulême. Then it makes giant bends on its way to Cognac and finally, resentfully, to the border. All those curves must hide countless treasures!

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Charente Maritime

Fashionable resorts, harbours and islands in the sea.
If you are in Charente Maritime it's not possible that you are much more than 40 miles from the sea. The Département hogs all the Poitou Charente coastline and is indeed the traditional holiday centre for the Region and places far beyond. Comparatively recent road bridges now make the two long islands Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oléron popular destinations. Inland too you'll find towns like St-Jean-d'Angely and Saintes that have found much favour among foreign buyers. In the south, on the northern bank of the Gironde estuary the tiny promontory village of Talmont is a jewel among the marshes.

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Deux-Sevres

Deux-Sèvres' own slogan is that it is a place to be discovered.
Indeed it has many corners to be discovered. In the north this is lush pastoral country with the river Thouet and its tributaries winding their way through wooded valleys. Parthenay - in the waist of this somewhat egg-timer shaped county - is a centre for livestock sales. The Prefecture town, Niort squeezes into the south western corner and one of the two river Sèvres passes by to feed the Marais Poitvin. This region of water channels, trees and flat meadows has become established on land formed by the silting up of a great bay which once reached in from the Atlantic. It is otherwise known and promoted as 'Venise Vert' (the Green Venice) and is becoming an increasingly popular leisure resource. It is also a habitat for eels and (they say) the most tasty of snails.

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Vienne

A bread basket for modern France - and so many battlefields of the past.
The great plain of Poitou is an extensive arable area in the north of this Département. Any consequent suggestion that it is featureless would be to miss its many small towns and villages not to mention the ever changing seasonal crops and colours. Poitiers, the Prefecture town together with Chatellerault, form a diagonal axis in the centre with the Futuroscope theme park adding a certain je-ne-sais-quoi in between. The area was a major player in the Wars of Religion and before that in the 100 years war. Unsurprisingly, then, many of the towns have grown around fortified positions on rocky outcrops or escarpments. Whether ruined, preserved or renovated they provide a happy hunting ground for architectural historians.

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