Shops:  there is an epicerie (general shop) in the village (2 minutes walk from gite) with an excellent range of items.  There is a Sitis (Spar type) shop in Chaunay (6 kms) which has a butcher and fresh produce.

Telephone: there is a telephone box next to the epicerie which takes phone cards, available at the epicerie (suggest you purchase from Post Office in Chaunay).

Supermarkets:  Intermarche at Lezay (13 kms) Couhe (10 kms), SuperU at Sauze Vussais (13 kms) Leclerc at Ruffec (20 kms) Auchan on the road to Poitiers and other large Hypermarkets in Poitiers.

Markets:  these are morning only 
Chaunay - Monday
Lezay - Tuesday, Saturday 
Civray - Tuesday and Friday
Melle- Friday
St Soline (local produce only) Sunday in July and August

Restaurants:  There is a hotel with restaurant at Chaunay and several restaurants at Couhe.

For the motoring enthusiast there is Go Karting and Cross-Car at Rouille (about 20 mins drive) and a motor bike/car racing circuit about 45 minutes drive - www.circuit-valdevienne.com

Throughout the year there are various car boot type markets in the area on Sunday.

Poitiers:  large city with parks, shops and several hypermarkets.

Angouleme:  lovely city with parks, shops (Galeries Lafayette) churches and a river.

Futuroscope (a futuristic cinema theme park) has a web site for further information

St Macoux (near Civray) which has a lake with a small beach where you can swim and other areas for fishing. It has a waterslide open afternoons which is free.

Melle which has a silver mine.

Celles-sur-belle (near Melle) which has a man-made lake with swimming, boating, fishing, horse riding, etc.  Small entrance charge.

Vallee des Singes - a monkey theme park about 15 minutes' drive.

Marais Poitievin: referred to as Green Venice near Niort where you can take rides on the canals.

Beaches - Should you wish to visit the coast it is approximately an hour and a half's drive to La Rochelle or Royan.

Tourism in the Deux Sevres
Tourism in the Vienne