Watermill in Charente, France

Self Catering Gite details

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Le Moulin de Gouge

The beautiful garden

Enjoy a pleasant walk in the grounds

The approach to the property

The garden

The garden

The property

The pool

The resident chickens

Relax by the pool

The property backs onto a pretty poppy field

Plenty of parking

All the grounds are well maintained

The river runs through the grounds

Plenty of good hiding places

Relax on the terrace

More chickens!

Home description

Imagine - relaxing in the waterside gardens of a 700 year old Charentaise water mill. The only sounds to break the tranquility are those of birdsong, flowing water, and the occasional tractor wending its way home. This is a place to de-stress and recharge the batteries. Combine this with the warm hospitality of the owners of this unique French style Chambre d'hote and you have an ideal setting to either break your journey, or to stay for a few nights longer and explore this exquisite rural area of France.

In addition to the established Chambre D’Hote rooms, the Moulin de Gouge can now offer a recently completed 'Gite' style self catering apartment, refurbished to the highest standard and available to sleep up to 4 adults and 3 children. As much as possible of the original charm of the original building has been retained, with a wealth of exposed beams and oak studwork, and traditionally pointed Charentaise stone walls on view in most of the rooms.

The mill itself sits in its own grounds with a natural spring rising in the garden and an extensive river frontage.

Guest have full use of the owners swimming pool and an extensive garden, terraces front and rear of the mill, and a gas barbecue for eating 'al fresco' on those warm summer evenings. The recently built swimming pool is salt water, so less nasty chlorine to irritate eyes.

Your children will be 'supervised' most of the time by our border collie, but he will appreciate your help as not only does the mill have a pool, but also a river and a natural spring in the garden. As a family home, dogs and cats are also in residence and 'part of the family', as such they are friendly and not normally intrusive. We are not big on 'house rules', but would ask that the interior of the Gite and the house remain 'no smoking' areas.

The property itself is not overlooked, but is still within easy reach of  both the picturesque town of Aigre, offering a bit of local flavour with several bars and restaurants to explore, and the historic medieval village of Tusson with its ancient forest marvellous old buildings and charming atmosphere. The Moulin de Gouge welcomes families, the mill is a beautiful place, but parents with particularly young children might want to consider the inherent danger posed by the presence of rivers, streams and a deep natural spring.

Accommodation detail

Lounge area

Kitchen

Double bedroom

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The Gite comprises the first floor of what was the old barn attached to the Mill, and has its own private entrance. Overlooking the pool, the gardens and the river, it can be rented either with one adult double bedroom and one bunk-bedded room that can sleep up to three children, or with an additional bedroom and en-suite bathroom for two additional guests if required.

• Kitchen - fully equipped with dishwasher, microwave, oven/hob and freezer
• Lounge area - with colour TV, CD/MP3 music system and DVD player
• Bedroom two - with two bunk beds
• Bedroom three - has a double bed and en-suite bathroom
• Shower room

The accommodation is fully equipped with towels and linen, iron, hair dryer, cutlery crockery and all the kitchen utensils you could need, so there is less to bring with you to make your holiday complete.

Although the accommodation is essentially self-catering, Jackie will be delighted to serve a home cooked traditional evening meal in the mill, using mainly local or home grown ingredients, at a very reasonable price - all you have to do is to let us know in the morning that you would like to eat with us and our other guests.

As we only have one Gite, the pool is normally for your exclusive use, but as we also offer B&B, we and other guests may use it from time to time.

About the location

Nautilus Water park, on the outskirts of Angouleme is always a big hit with the kids, and for the adults the town of Cognac with tours of its famous distilleries and plenty of free tasting makes an interesting if somewhat alcoholic morning excursion. We can also take you to some of the smaller local distillers for a more individual experience, this is great fun as some of them are real showmen!

Also guided tours of the world renowned brandy making establishments of Cognac and Jarnac, home to the famous spirit and around 40 minutes away by car, can be taken, along of course with the customary 'degustations' of the finished product. Closer to home, local producers of wine, Pineau (the local aperitif), brandy and a multitude of regional cheeses regularly open their doors for guided tours and sales.

The seaside town of Royan and the picturesque port of La Rochelle can both be reached within an hour or so by car.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and facilities.

Activities near by

Walking, Cycling, Fishing, Wine tasting, Golf, Theme parks

See Activities and attractions for more information on nearby activities and places of interest.

How to get here

The major cities of Poitiers and La Rochelle can both be reached within the hour, offering easy access by plane or train, and we are happy arrange collection from the Airport or the TGV station if required.

For full directions please contact the owner.

See Local guide and map for information on nearby towns and airports.