Location

Saint Benoit du Sault is a small medieval village in central France, just north of the Limousin region, and 300km south of Paris. It is within easy reach of Limoges and Poitiers, which are both served by Ryanair, or by Eurostar and TGV to Poitiers. The village lies to the west of the A20 motorway between Argenton sur Creuse and Limoges.

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The Village

The old cité is built on a promontory overlooking the valley of the Portefeuille. The Benedictine Priory (hence Saint Benoit) dates from the 11th Century; beside it is the Romanesque church, which is still used. The character of the village, with its ancient buildings and narrow twisting streets, is little changed. There are good local shops, including two boulangeries, an excellent butcher, patisserie, and Maison de la Presse, and two restaurants. A weekly market brings colour to the village, and highlights of the year include the big sheep fair in August and impressive fireworks for major fetes like Bastille Day. From time to time during the summer, touring choirs and orchestras give concerts in the church.

The House

The house is a three-storey restored coach house on the edge of the old town. Behind it a sun terrace leads on to a small garden of wild flowers and chamomile, bounded by the line of the old town wall. Beyond is the river valley with orchards and gardens. A large attic fills the top storey. Lit by four skylights, it provides comfortable mattress accommodation for two or three young people.

The middle floor has two double bedrooms, one with double bed and wash basin, one with twin beds. On the landing there is an open area that can be screened off to make a third twin bedroom. There is a large bathroom with shower and loo.

The groundfloor consists of a large open plan space with terracotta tiled floor, sofa, chairs, dining table (seating up to 14), which opens onto the terrace. At the other end is the kitchen area with electric/gas cooker, double sink, fridge. There is also a loo, washing machine and separate shower.

Around

The surrounding countryside is lush and sparsely populated, and the roads are deserted. There are good walks from the village and half a dozen swimming lakes in the area. Saint Benoit is a good base to explore historic or cultural sites: the frescoes of Saint Savin; Gregorian chanting at the abbey of Fontgombault; Oradour sur Glane, the scene of a massacre by the SS in 1944, which is now a monument to the dead villagers. For the more intrepid, canoes can be hired on the Creuse and horseriding arranged in the countryside around Chaillac. There are excellent restaurants in Argenton sur Creuse and La Luzeraize.

Photo Gallery

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Prices

From GBP 200 to 500 a week, depending on time of year. There are reductions for stays of two weeks and over.

Contact

For more information, please e-mail tomdecastella@yahoo.com

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Words copyright Tom de Castella

Site by Ben de Castella

Photos courtesy of Tom de Castella, Hubert de Castella, Ollie Overschoyle and Steve Unsworth