It may not have the honey pot walled cities of Brittany or the iconic chateaux of the Loire, but its often empty villages and rolling fields of sunflowers remind any visitor that they have found quintessential France.
And it may not have the jet-set appeal of the Côte d’Azur, but the warm air and long summer days offer the first promises of the exciting but frustratingly busy south.
It seems as if the inhabitants of this quiet and unassuming western region have taken many of the best bits of the others and built them around the country’s prettiest river – the Charente – from which the area gets its name.
And this relatively undiscovered part of France is all within a four-hour drive of St Malo.
We spent one week in the tiny hamlet of Cravans in late June, perhaps one of the best times of the year to visit the region.
Although its climate is heavily influenced by the Atlantic the summer heat can be stifling.
The locals enjoy an average of 2,250 hours of sunshine per year, and temperatures during the height of the summer can often top 35°C.
But as we found out, even early summer can be baking hot. We enjoyed five straight days of wall-to-wall sunshine with the mercury rising to about 30°C every day before a big thundery breakdown two days before we left.
Finding our way to Cravans couldn’t have been easier. After hopping onto Condor’s newest ship, the Rapide, on the Friday evening we spent a night on the outskirts of St Malo before heading south.
Driving in France is often a pleasure, with none of the queues encountered on many British motorways. It therefore makes sense for Islanders to bring their car with them for the trip.
In an area that is famed for its rural charm, quaint and quirky accommodation is not hard to find.
After a short trawl through the pages of www.french-country-cottages.co.uk we booked seven nights at Le Moulin du Port – a converted mill complete with glass floor to enable you to watch the water trickle by in the stream which runs under the property.
The mill featured two bedrooms – one on a mezzanine floor above the living room and one in the mill tower – as well as a fully equipped kitchen, outside and inside dining area with a barbecue and a large pool.
And despite its rural setting, a large Super U supermarket is just a two minutes’ drive to the south.
It provided a great base to explore the rural Charente to the east, and the coastal towns to the west.
No holiday in the region is complete without a trip to Cognac, a town that will prosper for as long as the world has sorrows to drown. The town itself is unremarkable. For such a historic area, the town has a few more trendy bars and restaurants than it should, and its compact network of roads – many of which plough through the town centre, detract from its aged charm. But few visitors come to Cognac to marvel at the architecture, with most heading straight to the houses that produce its famous spirit.
All the major Cognac houses offer regular tours, ranging from about nine euros to more than 40 euros, depending on how much of their product you wish to sample.
The tours are generally excellent value for money, even for those who aren’t keen on the product. Our trip around the Hennessy factory along the banks of the Charente lasted for an hour and a quarter, during which we learnt about the life of the spirit from grape to bottling. It ended, as all good Cognac tours do, with a short sampling session.
There is very little else to do in Cognac, but those staying to the west of the city may want to stop by in the tiny village of Pons on their way home.
Again, the town has little to offer, but its magnificent castle is well worth a visit and offers spectacular views across the region.
Further west, nestled in the area’s 300-mile-long coastline, is the bustling town of La Rochelle. It is testament to the region that despite its popularity the town has retained its historic charm and is regarded as arguably the most unspoilt seaside town in the whole of France.
The town offers a wealth of bars and restaurants in its maze of small cobbled streets, as well as a busy, yet still attractive, harbour. But this is not the place for an unscheduled overnight stay. During the height of the season pretty much every hotel and bed and breakfast can be booked up. Even in what should be quieter times of the year, finding accommodation can be difficult.
Just south of La Rochelle is the busy and quite characterless town of Royan. Apparently, it used to be nice, but those days are sadly long gone. Despite its complete lack of personality, Royan could still offer pleasant day out for families looking for a day by the sea.
Those entering the city from the south should ignore the large, mucky beach in the main bay and head a few minutes further north for the smaller, but much more pleasant, beach in the suburb of Pontaillac.
Why visit the Charente? For the true rural charm of France.
How to get there: Take the Condor to St Malo. Then head south to Rennes and then Nantes on the N137. At Nantes, take the A83 and then A10 south to Saintes. Then follow sign for Gemozac, a small town about 2km from Cravans.
When to go: Spring or early autumn.
Star budget attraction: Day on the beach at Royan.
Star last-day blow-out attraction: The ‘Road to Paradise’ tour of the Hennessy cognac house. For 45 euros visitors get a full guided tour and tasting of some of Hennessy’s finest cognacs. Probably best to take the bus for this one.
Richard went to Cravans in June. He took the Condor ferry to St Malo and stayed at Le Moulin du Port with french-country-cottages.co.uk. A week’s stay at the villa cost £1089.25. For more information visit www.french-country-cottages.co.uk and www.condorferries.co.uk
