Local information and amenities:

With a mild climate and rolling hills the Charente is the perfect place to relax. You can enjoy walking, cycling, fishing or painting on the banks of a river, or for the more energetic canoeing, mountain biking and horse riding are all available locally. Steeped in history and rich in architecture, you can explore the famous chatêaux and Romanesque churches or visit the gourmet markets and local restaurants around Ruffec & Confolens to soak up the atmosphere of this charming, unspoilt region.

 Champagne Mouton itself is a busy market town in itself with about 5000 inhabitants, there are places to eat and drink and a very comprehensive supermarket aswell as the obligatory ‘boulangerie’  making superb local bread and pastries. Champagne Mouton is situated 17km. from the busy market town of Ruffec where you will find all life's essentials - excellent bakers, a number of bars and restaurants, supermarkets and on Wednesday and Saturday there are local produce markets. Saturday is a full French open market selling everything from local sausage to live eels and trout, this market also has fresh seafood bought in from the Atlantic coast. 

 Main Towns in the Region

Angoulême – (45 mins drive) A major town situated on the Charente river. The town has two main two parts - le Plateau surrounded by the ancient ramparts and the lower town, basically the old town and the new town, here there are a good variety of shops, restaurants and cafes..  Every January Angoulême is crowned the Capital of "Bande Dessinee" (comic strips) and several large depictions of famous cartoon characters can be seen in the town and there’s even a cartoon museum to visit. http://www.bdangouleme.com/index.ideal?langue=en .

In September each year the ‘ramparts race’ brings motoring enthusiasts from around the World - all entrants driving vintage cars???. http://www.grandstandmotorsports.co.uk/circuit-des-ramparts-historic-car-race.html

 La Rochefoucauld (20 mins drive) – A pretty local town with shops restaurants and a huge chateau - between Chasseneuil and Angouleme. A visit to the famous chateau is a must.....one of the oldest and best in France...

http://www.chateau-la-rochefoucauld.com

 Confolens ( 20 mins drive) – A beautifully picturesque town situated where the Goire and Vienne rivers meet and famous for its annual International Folklore Festival and just 20 minutes drive. Lots of restaurants and shops.  http://www.festivaldeconfolens.com

 Poitiers ( 1 hour drive) – This thriving university town is within an hours drive and offers visitors fine architecture, a medieval district and good selection of restaurants, cafes and shops plus the Futuroscope park an amazing combination of entertainment, hi-tech industry and education situated just outside Poitiers with architecture that gives the skyline a dramatic modern look and offering a fantastic and inspiring day out for all ages. .  http://uk.futuroscope.com

Cognac (1 hour drive) – A small town but the centre of a huge international trade in this famous spirit. Most of the well known names in the Cognac industry will be pleased to welcome you to their premises, show you the method of production and let you taste their wonderful products. Hennessy, Martell, Remy-Martin and Camus to name but a few, all run pre-bookable guided tours and there's even a museum of Cognac.

 Limoges (1 hr drive) – World famous for its porcelain, this regional centre is a pleasure to explore with interesting shops, restaurants and monuments.