Divided into 4 departments, Deux Sèvres, Vienne, Charente and Charente-Maritime, it is also the home of the world’s best-known brandy, and Cognac.

 Inland the region has woods and fields, and the Marais Poitevin marshes.  Poitou-Charentes is a leading holiday destination, claiming to be one of the sunniest regions in France, and is popular with the British.

 Style of Property

Traditional Charentaise houses are large with a cellar and garden and tend to be laid out in a symmetrical pattern.  Half-timbered properties can be found in towns such as Niort, Cognac, and Parthenay.  There are also lots of stone farmhouses with sloping roofs.

 What you can get for your money

 As would be expected, properties are more expensive on the coast than inland.  A two bedroom Townhouse with an attic (that could be converted into 2 bedrooms) cellar and garden costs €115,000.

 A large 4 bedroom Charentaise house with gardens in the region of €265,000.

 Travel

 The region is 4 – 6 hours drive from the channel ports and has motorway connections to Paris (4 hours).  The TGV from Paris is 2.5 hours; the main airports are at La Rochelle, Poitiers, and Angoulème.

St. Nicholas and La Chaine towers at the entrance to the ancient port of La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, France, Europe

Eurostar has a useful page on its website detailing how to get to La Rochelle from London’s St Pancras International Train Station – ‘for the smoothest, most stress-free route’.  It’s easy to reach La Rochelle with Eurostar; simply change at Paris and travel on to La Rochelle with  TGV.

Visit Eurostar’s page http://destinationsen.eurostar.com/sisp/?fx=location&loc_id=133202