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The Holiday Photography Courses take place in and around Chantillac which is situated in Charente, very close to the border with Charente-Maritime, about 45 minutes south of the town of Cognac. The Charente is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 1790.
The Charente region is famous for its vineyards which produce the grapes for Cognac and Pineau and is very beautiful with gently rolling fields, forests and lakes. The village of Chantillac is about 40 minutes from the Gironde estuary and Blaye with its harbours, docks, and famous citadel which was listed in 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town of Cognac is about 40 minutes north of the the area in which the holiday photography courses take place and is home to the leading manufacturers of Cognac, Martell and Hennessey.
The city of Bordeaux is about 35 minutes from Chantillac and is among the world's major wine industry centres. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century.
The Church at Chantillac
Food
Oysters, melons, foie gras, wine and cognac are all produced in and around the region and are readily availabe in all the markets and shops in and around Chantillac.
Climate
The Charente Maritime has one of the best climates in France. It is far enough south yet far enough away from the Pyrenees. Combined with the fact that the general landscape is low-lying, the result is that it has the highest number of average annual sunshine hours in France apart from the Mediterranean.
Walking
The heritage of the region includes hundreds of Romanesque churches, Charentaise houses and farms, little bridges, chateaux, mills, hamlets and lavoirs (wash-houses).
There are way-marked walks that take from around 30 minutes up to six hours or more, suitable for families and walkers of all ages because this area has very few hills. The views are superb with gently rolling hills,
vineyards, fields of golden sunflowers, wheat and corn, oak and chestnut forests, rivers and ponds dotted everywhere.
The French love walking in nature and they maintain there walking paths to a high standard, free of litter, with good surfaces and well signposted. There are more than 2,500 km of way-marked paths in the Charente-Maritime region. Walking maps are provided on the Holiday Photography Courses.
Click the link to find out about dates and prices.
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