Getting here
Our gîtes are located between Chef-Boutonne and Sauzé-Vaussais in the Deux-Sevres, which is a department in the Poitou Charente region. Most visitors travel by car using either the ferry or the channel tunnel. You can also fly to one of the four local airports, and then hire a car to reach us.
My preference is sailing from Portsmouth to St Malo, an overnight crossing with lots to do on-board, so your holiday can begin immediately you set sail. This particular route also offers the least travelling to La Gaillochonnière once you get to France. You can also travel from Portsmouth to Caen or Le Havre (which is Brittany Ferries budget alternative).
Perhaps the cheapest option is to sail from Dover to Calais, but you can check out Newhaven to Dieppe too, it's also a good crossingand is usually very reasonably priced.
The gîtes are around 4 hours from St Malo, 5 hours from Caen and 6 hours from Dieppe or Cherbourg. When planning your journey don't forget to allow for tolls en-route.
Poitiers Biard Airport is the closest to us and is around 40 minutes from La Gaillochonnière; Limoges and La Rochelle are around 1.5 hours from here, and Bordeaux and Nantes around 2 hours away.
You could also fly into Paris and then get the train Poitiers/Ruffec as well - a two-centre holiday, perhaps?
Your SatNav, if you use one, will bring you to the door, and as a final landmark:- As you enter La Gaillochonnière, look for blue shutters on an old stone house which overlooks a very big & incredibly beautiful tree throwing shade over the Village Green. This is your prompt to make your turn into Rue du Tilleul - and after a further few yards, turnright into Chemin du Verger, you'll find us there on the left hand side!!