Exposed Charente stone walls and French windows to the balcony
Fireplace with cosy woodburning stove
Villefagnan lake beach just up the road
Road, rail & air access
Secluded patio area
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Whether you want an active holiday in town, or in lovely countryside, or whether you prefer peace & relaxation at home, Anam Cara & the Ruffec area offer you a very warm welcome & all you could need for a memorable & rejuvenating self-catering holiday in one of the sunniest regions of France.
Anam Cara (Celtic for"soul friend") is a place to restore & refresh the spirit. A chance for a real change of pace and an authentic experience of real French life.
THERE'S PLENTY TO DO AT HOME. You have a very large lawned garden with a grapevined suntrap patio dining area, as well as areas of shade under fig, olive, beech, cherry, magnolia & medlar trees. Children have space to explore & play safely & there are games for all and a covered sandpit for younger children.
You can play badminton & other games, laze in the hammock listening to birdsong , sunbathe on the loungers, or cool off in the private above-ground pool. ANAM CARA COTTAGE IS NOT A GITE AND NOT PART OF A GITE COMPLEX: you have private & exclusive use of all facilities.
In the evening, help yourself to some parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, chives, garlic, onions or tomatoes to add to your meal, start the barbecue, turn on the garden lights & relax in the warmth as you DINE OUTDOORS UNDER THE STARS. Or if you don't want to cook, just walk to the village bar and restaurant.
A VERY SHORT WALK takes you to the friendly (English-speaking)village bar-restaurant, tennis courts, the village vineyard or glorious sunny woods, fields & country lanes.
WELL-EQUIPPED AND WELL-FURNISHED ACCOMMODATION
WELL FURNISHED WELL EQUIPPED ACCOMMODATION blends ancient character with modern comforts.
There are two attractive, light & airy double bedrooms, both with clothes storage, bedside tables & reading lights. Household linen and towels are provided & your bed is made up before you arrive.
A large, chandeliered living room, with exposed Charente stone walls, beamed alcoves & fireplace with woodburning stove, looks via French windows onto a small breakfast balcony overlooking grapevines & mature gated gardens.
Well-equipped kitchen (including toaster, coffee maker, fridge-freezer, oven, microwave and all the crockery, cutlery, cookware you'll need) overlooks the patio dining area. The kitchen receives morning to early evening sunshine.
Pretty tiled bathroom with washbasin and shower. Separate WC.
THE IMMEDIATE AREA
[bold]Easy access to sunflower fields, vineyards, FUTUROSCOPE theme park, lively towns, river beach, lake beach, unmatched chateaux, bathing lakes, mills, boating, swimming, superb restaurants, friendly bars, picturesque & interesting villages & a region of rich cultural heritage.
Let us know what you like to do and we will email you information sheets to help you plan your holiday. The area is full of of attractions for both adults and young people.
A very short drive or bike ride takes you to indoor and outdoor pools, river bathing, horseriding, canoes, kayacs, picnic areas, a bathing lake with beach, a variety of interesting cafes, bars and excellent restaurants.
Or you can go: fishing, explore the forests of Ruffec, buy fresh farm produce at local markets, visit the cinema, clubs, outdoor concerts, artists' workshops, taste the incomparable food and wine at "Gourmet Days".
Or take a look at: the Chateau of Verteuil, the panoramic views at Barro, the medieval church of Ruffec, the silver mines of Melle, the 12th century abbey at St Amant de Boixe, the protected medieval village of Tusson with spectacular gardens and a museum of rural life, the aquatic labyrinth at St Fraigne, restored mills at Condac and Villefagnan, the frescoes in the Chapel of Courcome, the International Dance Festival at Mansle (don't miss the fuchsia gardens), the restored chateau of Bayer - or just explore: You will find beautiful places, local fetes and festivals and real French life.[/bold]
THE TOWN OF RUFFEC
Just five minutes away is the lovely bustling town of Ruffec. Here you will find large supermarkets, a cinema, friendly cafes, bars and restaurants, twice weekly fresh produce markets. Or visit the Ancient quarter for the Church of St Andre, the chateau, the old lavoir and park. Try the Bistrot Central for internet access.
A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD
[bold]As you are 5 minutes from the N10, (and the main Paris to Bordeaux fast train route) access further afield is quick and easy to: The fascinating town of Poitiers and the FUTUROSCOPE theme park, The Vallee Des Singes (monkey park), Angouleme with its ancient streets and National Comics and Images Centre or the Chateau de la Rochefoucauld (with its nearby chocolaterie.)
Or go east to the porcelain centre in Limoges and the International Folk Music Festival of Confolens; west to the beaches of La Rochelle and the Ile de Re; north-west to the "Green Venice" of Marais Poitevin or the Pescalis Fishing Centre; south-west to Cognac and Jarnac(for tours and brandy tasting) or the superb Roman amphitheatre and town of Saintes. Or take the TGV (fast train) from Ruffec to Bordeaux or Paris(just 2 hrs) for the day. Animal parks, children's parks, Romanesque architecture, fascinating museums are all within easy reach.
"There was too much to see and do in the area and unfortunately not enough time in one week." [/bold]
ANAM CARA INFORMATION SHEETS
[bold]We can send you information sheets on:
Travel Information (How to get here inexpensively by air, sea, road and rail), Nearby cafes and bars, Nearby Chateaux, Places to visit, Boats & Boat Trips, Boulangeries & Patisseries, Restaurants, Wine, Cognac & Pineau, Lakes, Nature & Wildlife Parks, Supermarkets, Activities for Children, Villages to visit,
Ruffec town, Days out to Angouleme, Cognac, Saintes, Poitiers, Confolens - and anything else you would like to know.[/bold]
ANAM CARA: THE BASICS IN A NUTSHELL
[bold]Property Type: Cottage
Nearest Airport: Poitiers - 50 kms/ Angouleme
Nearest restaurant: 4 minutes walk in the village
Location Type: Fishing Nearby, Horse Riding, Near the sea, Quiet, Riverside, Rural/Village, Town, Watersports
Bedrooms: 2 Double Bedrooms. Comfortable, airy bedrooms, both with sitting space and views of the orchard and an ancient church. Additional double sofabed in the lounge. Cot and high chair on request.
Bathrooms: 1 Shower, 1 Separate WC. The bathroom adjoins the main bedroom and has shower and sink, with a separate WC.
Kitchen: Cooker, Hob, Microwave, Fridge, Iron. Well-equipped kitchen (including toaster, coffee maker, etc) overlooks the patio dining area. The kitchen receives morning to early evening sunshine.
General: House Linen. Rental includes all utilities, heating, bed linen, towels and a welcome pack which gives you all you need to know about about where to go, what to see and how to get there. Bikes available.
Dining: Seating for 6. The house is equipped for indoor and outdoor dining. The dining area (to seat 6) in the living room looks out through French windows onto grapevines, lawn and beautiful trees.
Entertainment: TV for DVDs Radio, CD System, Board Games, Tennis Court. Lots of interesting books in French and English(including "Anam Cara" by John O'Donohue) , children's games, radio, tape and CD player, and music are available.
Outside: Private Pool, Terrace, Garden, BBQ, Parking, Balcony, Garden Furniture. Above-ground pool . Parking and drive space.Beautiful garden (floodlit for evening dining)and patio area with vines, honeysuckle. (Use the fresh herbs and vegetables if they are ready! )
Suitability: Children Welcome. [/bold]
SOME COMMENTS FROM PREVIOUS GUESTS
[bold]Anam Cara Cottage: Feedback
[bold][bold]BOOKING ARRANGEMENTS were very easy, and the information sheets that you mailed were terrific as they gave us a chance to think about what we might like to do before we even got there. The house and garden were very well put together, we enjoyed the thoughtful touches in the fridge, so much so, that we got addicted to that delicious chocolate amongst other things!
Your lovely, and patient neighbours (-listening to my mangled attempts at speaking french!), deserve a special mention as they were charming and welcoming, even providing us with delicious produce from their garden. Please let them know how much they were appreciated by us.
We had some lovely lazy days at 'home', Anam Cara is a very relaxing place to be and the kids loved the pool, while we thoroughly enjoyed some of your books when ours ran out! We also enjoyed the games; our seven year old is now proficient at backgammon, while our nine and twelve year olds have become bingo whizzes, making up their own very funny bingo calling!
We visited the interesting Chateau (-complete with spooky caves and dressing up room ...very good for a giggle!)) at Rochefoucauld one morning; which has a fantastic tea room in it's shadow, next to the river that sells fabulous ice creams and crepes. We followed this up by going about 20 minutes further to the lakes at Massignac (we went to the one signposted la Guerlie), which has a terrific beach complete with water volley ball, restaurants, pedalos, canoes and sailing. A practically perfect day out.
Another lovely day out was spent at Aubterre-sur-Dronne. Really pretty hill town, has a delightful square in the centre with a gaggle of pleasant parasol-shaded eating places ... we liked 'Sel et Sucre' All very lovely and 'artsy'; interesting shops, and terrific for pottery (pleasant and talented potter based along from the fascinating church sculpted from the rock, although the one opposite it had some good things too.) Definitely take your bathers as the river below was a good find with beach and safe play park, also cafe... in fact we particularly loved this about the whole area in general, that you can enjoy both culture and some outdoor fun mixed in together.
We had a great evening at the Confolens festival watching the parade on our last night which was a terrific way to end our fortnight. All in all a very memorable and enjoyable holiday, which we will remember fondly. Thanks for all your help, warm regards Sara & Mike and family. August 2006[/bold]
[/bold][bold][bold][bold]DEAR JOHN,
We had a wonderful time at 'Anam Cara'. Your card was very thoughtful. We felt everything was very efficiently arranged and the information you sent us very helpful. The house was lovely and the garden very beautiful. We thought the house was very well equipped. We made good use of the pool, the children enjoyed it tremendously. Our older child was very grateful for the DVDs! He actually put watching 'Popeye' as one of his holiday highlights,along with the pool! It was our most relaxing family holiday.
We thought the castle at La Rochefoucauld and the small town absolutely delightful.There is a restaurant/cafe opposite the castle, where you can sit on the terrace overlooking the river and the castle. It was very peaceful and the meal was lovely. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the restaurant but it's on the same side as the castle, you see the terrace when you cross the bridge. Confolens was lovely. We also went to La Rochelle, to the Maritime museum. Our French is sadly limited but this didn't affect our enjoyment. Aigre was a lovely village with a good market and all the shops were open on the Sunday morning.
There was too much to see and do in the area and unfortunately not enough time. The neighbours and the people in the village were very friendly and welcoming.
We very much hope to revisit 'Anam Cara' in 2008. Thank you for letting use your very pretty cottage. James Family. August 2006[/bold]
W[/bold]E DID [/bold]INDEED HAVE A GREAT TIME at Anam Cara - it was just the right place for us. We especially enjoyed Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, Sainte, Coulon, Melle (and the abbey in Celles is wonderful too), Nanteuil (have you discovered the arboretum?), Cognac (the Martell tour is really good), La Rochelle and the Ile de Re, the bakery van, Angouleme, Le Rejallant, the bike (bless you!!!!!), and the weekly Ruffec market. Wolfe Family April 2006
WE HAD A FANTASTIC TIME IN FRANCE. The weather ranged from 25 - 36 degrees throughout the two weeks. The neighbour, Jean-Claude was lovely and visited regularly to make sure all was well. When we first arrived we found a nest of blackbirds and it was wonderful to see them grow and finally fledge two days before we left. The birds there are lovely. The house was lovely, although we didn't spend much time inside, only for sleeping and washing. The house book was excellent and we visited a couple of the places listed - the trip to Martell in Cognac was exceptional. We are very happy that we found your house to stay in for this holiday. It was in a lovely setting and you have thought very well about what would make an enjoyable holiday for all. The welcome pack was a lovely idea and gratefully received after the long journey. Thanks again for allowing us to use your house as our holiday home.Kind Regards, Holland Family . June 2006
HEYA, YES THANK YOU WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME, its such a pretty little place. With regards to booking you were great, had no problems there at all. The information was also fine! We had a great day out at futuroscope, loved it! The house was neat and well kept, funiture was good too. Lots of really nice little touches that we ejoyed, from the games there to the postcards, we will be sending a few of those out for sure. We didnt eat out all that much, but there was a little pizzaria in ruffec that made rather tastey pizza, Ive eaten a few in my time and they were probably the best Ive had. Thanks again for a great holiday. Ben and Jo June 2006
[bold]HELLO JOHN, JUST TO SAY WE HAD A GREAT HOLIDAY at anam cara , sitting out in the garden and enjoying the swimming pool. le rejellant was a lovely spot. thanks neil
ps loches was 2 hours drive but what a lovely town shops . cafes, old cobbled streets and old castle Neil R. & Family July 2006[/bold]
[bold]HELLO JOHN,
We have just returned from France and have very much enjoyed our time at Anam Cara so big thanks. We had a great time and I wouldn't have any problem recommending the house or area to others. The children particularly enjoyed the lake at Villefagnan as well as the swimming pool, which they virtually lived in! The information you gave us was excellent in planning days out and we found everyone in the village very friendly. I also noted you have a studio apartment in Paris suitable for 2. Any further details would be appreciated. Tim W. & Family August 2006[/bold]
[bold]"HI JOHN,
Your communications, directions and help with all matters concerning booking/travelling/what to do were fantastic. You answered e-mails quickly, confirmed bookings and made arrangements very clear from the outset. Our travel arrangements to get to Anam Cara went very smoothly and we arrived without any hassles at all. Thank you so much for all your help with regards to this. Anam Cara is a beautiful idyllic place.
Thanks for an interesting stay in the lovely Anam Cara - all the books and DVD's in the house did indeed keep us entertained for hours on end - I don't think I have ever stayed somewhere which has so much local information/maps/places to visit. Thanks John. Best regards Sarah M. September 2006[/bold][/bold]
PICTURE GALLERY
Don't forget to click on the "PICTURE GALLERY" tab at the top of the page to see more photos of Anam Cara, its surroundings and great places to visit.
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