La Pagerie is located on a very quiet rural road in the commune of Sompt in the department of Deux-Sevres which during the summer months is the heart of the sunflower region of Poitou-Charentes.
The area is well known for it's agriculture and the open fields, hedgerows, woodlands, lakes and wildlife makes one feel at home immediately you arrive.
The Poitou-Charentes is the second sunniest region of France with over 2,400 hours of sunshine a year. The region is renowned for having one of the most pleasant climates in France where the winters are really mild and thanks to the oceanic climate the summers are hot but not muggy.
The market towns of Melle and Chef Boutonne are within a few minutes drive and each has a selection of shops, supermarkets, restaurants and bars and of course their weekly markets.
We like to take the EuroTunnel to Calais and then drive to La Pagerie. If you shop at Tesco and collect their points then these can be used against the cost of the crossing which usually brings the price lower than other options. The drive from Calais is mostly on the Péage so is easy with little traffic.
There are many ports in the north of France which can be used from England and Ireland and all of these have direct and main routes through to La Pagerie. These are serviced by P&O Ferries, Brittany Ferries and also a Price Comparison site at Ferry Online.
Update June 2014 - This article is very useful for selecting the best route and how to get the best fares when travelling via Ferry.French-Property.com
The region of Poitou-Charentes is accessed by international airports at Poitiers, La Rochelle, Limoges, Tours, Nantes and Bordeaux. These airports are used by British Airways, Ryan Air and EasyJet with car hire available at each of the airports.
The motorways in France are mostly quiet and makes driving a pleasure. They are controlled by a number of toll charges which can be paid either by cash (Euros) or simply insert your debit card at the paying station (no need to enter your pin number).
Fancy zipping through the French tolling stations and arriving at La Pagerie quicker? Sign up for a Liber-t tag and receive €5 off the sign up fee. The tag system is really very easy and means that you get to use the priority lanes at the tolling stations and do not have to use cash or cards to pay for the tolls. All payments then come out of your UK bank account at the end of the month.
If you are new to driving in France or simply want to check the current regulations and requirements then I would recommend the Drive France website and especially the checklist section.
