How to find Le Mas
Le Mas is located near the southern border of the department of Vienne, within the Poitou-Charentes region of France.
We like this part of France because it's an easy drive from the northern ports while benefiting from the good weather: Poitou Charentes is reputed to be the sunniest region in Western France, with the recorded hours of sunshine second only to the Mediterranean coast.
Our house is one of only half a dozen properties in the hamlet of Chez Pingault, which lies a few hundred metres outside the village of Surin. It is located off the D35a, which runs between Civray and Champagne-Mouton.
How to get there
By Car:
The French motorway network, which is such a pleasure to drive on compared to UK roads, connects all the northern ports with Poitiers.
Once you reach Poitiers, the dual lane N10 carries you south towards Angouleme. Half way between Poitiers and Angouleme you reach the Niort-Limoges road which crosses the N10 at right angles. Taking the road to Limoges brings you to Civray; our nearest market town.
By Air:
The two closest airports are at Poitiers-Biard (60 mins) and Limoges-Bellegarde. (80 mins) Flights arrive at Limoges from East Midlands, Liverpool, Stanstead and Southampton. There is also a regular service from Stanstead to Poitiers.
A little further away, La Rochelle (2 hrs 10 mins) receives flights from Birmingham and Stanstead, while the airport at Bordeaux (2 and a half hrs) has regular flights from Birmingham, Bristol, Luton, Manchester and Southampton.
All the airports offer the usual car rental services.