Civray and South Vienne. (an area in Poitou Charente, in the Vienne region of France)

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Chez Mairine - La Vallée des Cerfs. Farm Guest House.
Off the D28 between l'Isle-Jourdain and Mouterre-sur-Blourde.
86430 Luchapt
+33 (0)549 - 488965
Click to email us
Click to our web-site
Rooms and a gite in a Poitevin farmhouse deep in countryside and surrounded by the establishment's herds of deer and horses not to mention assorted other animals.

Promenade (la) - Hotel Restaurant.
'Valence',
On RN11 about 1km N of town.
86700 Couhé.
+33(0)549-592088
Inexpensive road-house type establishment with swimming pool. Closed Wed. & Sun eve. In winter.

Val de Vienne, Hotel; Restaurant La Grimolée.
Between l'Isle-Jourdain and Availles-Limouzine,
86150 Port de Salles,
+33(0)549482727
Click to our web-site
Motel type layout with swimming pool and separate picture-windowed restaurant in idyllic location near the banks of the Vienne.

Camping les Aulnes
86400 Civray.
+33(0)549-877241
Delightful well-shaded site on the banks of the Charente. Associated bar-restaurant. Chalets available for hire.

Charlemagne, Hostellerie. Hotel Restaurant.
7, rue de Rochemeaux,
86250 Charroux.
+33(0)549-875037
Inexpensive rooms at a hostelry built with stones from the adjacent ruined abbey. Closed Sun ecebings and Mon exept Jul & Aug.

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<p align="center"></p> <div class="mapdiv"><img src="img/map/map12.jpg" alt=""><br /> </div> <h1>Civray and South Vienne.</h1> <h2>Distinctive carved Romanesque portals.</h2> <p>By any standards the façade of the Church of St Nicolas at Civray is an astonishing piece of craftsmanship. It is certainly sufficiently remarkable to deserve the attention of those of us who are not architectural historians and who baulk at the endless descriptions of local churches in many guidebooks. It is even more mind-boggling that this monument was erected in a town (village?) which even today has hardly more than 2,500 inhabitants. It is not alone with its ecclesiastical stoneware (where is, in France?). There are those churches, of course, with their distinctive semi-circular, carved Romanesque portals and at nearby Charroux you'll find the remains of St Sauveur's 11th Century Abbey, commissioned apparently by Charlemagne and whose masonry was subsequently plundered for the building blocks of much of the present village.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div class="imgdivleft"><img src="img/map/mapdet17.jpg" alt=""><br />The Association Nouaillé 1356 hold annual events to commemorate the Battle of Poitiers. More details in right hand column. Photos courtesy of the Association.</div> <p class="pictcap">Fields and forest. </p> <p>Civray itself it is one of the largest of several small towns south of Poitiers. In this district the great Poitou plain continues ever onwards. In all its rolling acres stretch down the Département from the northern boundary to the south where it blends into a transition with the first of the chalk downs of Charente - a total distance of some 80 miles. But perhaps the change does begin to happen at the midway point when one starts finding more frequent areas of scrub and forest breaking up the great expanses. Today the bands of shelter make their contribution to the existence of the Belle floral park near Gencay although they did nothing to keep the armies of King Jean II (the Good) and the Black Prince apart. They met near Nouaillé-Maupertuis at the Battle of Poitiers and in consequence the king was taken prisoner to England. The battlefield can be visited and the nearby town (also with an ancient abbey in a lovely riverside setting) still commemorates the encounter with a festival each summer. </p> <div class="imgdivrt"><img src="img/map/mapdet20.jpg" alt=""><br />Couhé's main street once carried the traffic to Angouleme</div> <p class="pictcap">Livestock and accessible villages. </p> <p>Livestock becomes more in evidence as one makes ones' way south. There are a number of small towns generally along the major roads (and the motorway) that radiate from Poitiers on their way to Limoges, Angoulême and Bordeaux. They are mostly by-passed now and have largely reclaimed the rural tranquillity that never left the many villages and hamlets which sit, easily accessible, between the trunk routes. One such is Champagné-Saint-Hilaire who's resounding name (the 'champagne' referring to countryside rather than the beverage) provides the location for a famous stable and stud farm "L'Ecurie Saint-Hilaire" which is open to the public at week-ends in summer. </p> <div class="imgdivleft"><img src="img/map/mapdet21.jpg" alt=""><br />l'Isle Jourdain</div> <p class="pictcap">Racing cars among the meadows. </p> <p>To the east the middle reaches of the Vienne wind northwards from Availles-Limouzine to Lussac-les-Châteaux and forms the somewhat nebulous boundary with our area 'Chauvigny and East Vienne'. This is the most lovely section of the river's valley in the county that bears its name. Midway along it, somewhat incongruously in the midst of all this rolling countryside, one finds a Racing Car Circuit! But that's not the only somewhat foreign delight that you'll find among the fertile fields of south Vienne. At Romagne you'll find La-Vallée-des-Singes or, more prosaically, Monkey Valley, a Zoological Park that is, indeed, a tourist attraction with many species in extensive enclosures but which is also a major agency in the conservation of many types of endangered monkeys. </p> <br class="clearboth"> <p> </p> <p> </p> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td> </td> <td width="336"><script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script></td> <td> </td> </tr> </table></td><td width="185" valign="top" class="freeads"> <h2>Some further information...</h2> <p><img src="img/agent/po54.gif" alt="INTASURE"><br /> <strong>INTASURE</strong><br /> <a href="http://www.intasure.com?introducer=400103" target="_blank"><strong>Click to our web-site</strong></a><br /> Property insurance for principal residences and holiday homes in France by British company underwritten by Norwich Union. Also Travel Insurance for holiday home owners.<br> </p> <p><img src="img/agent/po77.gif" alt="Battle of Poitiers."><br /> <strong>Battle of Poitiers.</strong><br /> Association Nouaillé 1356<br />2, chemin de l'aumônerie,<br> 86340 Nouaillé Maupertuis<br> Tel: 0549-468500<br> <a href="mailto:info@nouaille-1356.org?subject=Enquiry from Dadani.co.uk"><strong>Click to email us</strong></a> <br /> <a href="http://www.nouaille-1356.org?id=dadani" target="_blank"><strong>Click to our web-site</strong></a><br /> Various 'mediaeval' events from banquets to costumed theme days and re-enactments commemorate the heroic 1356 battle between King Jean II (the Good) of France and the victorious Black Prince. One can visit the site of the action at any time of year but the Association's programme is mainly held during May and June.<br> </p> <p><img src="img/agent/po78.gif" alt="L'Ecurie St Hilaire,"><br /> <strong>L'Ecurie St Hilaire,</strong><br /> Trot 86,<br> 86160 Champagné-St-Hilaire.<br> Tel: 0549-373372<br> <a href="mailto:ecurie-st-hilaire@wanadoo.fr?subject=Enquiry from Dadani.co.uk"><strong>Click to email us</strong></a> <br /> <a href="http://www.ecurie-st-hilaire.com?id=dadani" target="_blank"><strong>Click to our web-site</strong></a><br /> Week-end guided tours of the stables, trotting track and activities of the only privately owned establishment of its kind in France (Sat. & Sun 14.30 in summer).<br> </p> <p> <strong>Parc Floral de la Belle,</strong><br /> 12bis route de Civray,<br> 86160 Gencay<br> Tel: 0549-360545<br> <a href="http://www.parcfloraldelabelle.com?id=dadani" target="_blank"><strong>Click to our web-site</strong></a><br /> Six hectares of horticultural paradise with flowers, rose garden, rare plants, water gardens, and arboretum. Open afternoons only from March to November. Two hours is recommended for a visit.<br> </p> <p><img src="img/agent/po80.gif" alt="La Vallée des Singes (Monkey Valley)."><br /> <strong>La Vallée des Singes (Monkey Valley).</strong><br /> Le Gareau,<br> 86700 Romagne<br> Tel: 0549-872020<br> <a href="mailto:info@la-vallee-des-singes.fr?subject=Enquiry from Dadani.co.uk"><strong>Click to email us</strong></a> <br /> <a href="http://www.la-vallee-des-singes.fr?id=dadani" target="_blank"><strong>Click to our web-site</strong></a><br /> Three hundred and fifty monkeys - many from endangered species - roam free across 37 hectares. Check web site for details of opening times, feeding times et al.<br> </p> <p>  <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?s=86998&v=1589&q=68815&r=75764"><img src="http://www.awin1.com/cshow.php?s=86998&v=1589&q=68815&r=75764" border="0"></a>  </p></td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"> <tr> <td class="box"> </td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div id="foot">  <a href="dadani-sitemap.lasso"><img src="img/imap.gif" alt="Dadani site map" width="29" height="18" border="0"></a><a href="index.lasso"><img src="img/ihome.gif" alt="Dadani home" width="29" height="18" border="0"></a><a href="mailto:website@dadanimail.co.uk?subject=Enquiry on Dadani web site"><img src="img/iemail.gif" alt="Email Dadani" width="29" height="18" border="0"></a></div> </body> </html>