Images of France

Photographic highlights of my visit to the Charante region of France in August 2001

Photography by John Ball except where otherwise indicated.

Cercoux

Thursday, 9th August 2001

We booked our Channel crossing and self-catering accommodation through Brittany Ferries. The cottage was five minutes walk from the quiet little village of Cercoux in the southern part of the Charante region. The photographs below were taken on a typically warm and sunny August evening.

Above and below: The paintwork on these derelict old shops has been bleached by years of exposure to strong sunlight.

Above: The tricouleur flies proudly outside Cercoux's Mairie (town-hall).

Above: The old village church.

Above: A colourful display of flowers enhances the appearance of this home in Cercoux.

Above: Leaving the village along route D261 to Montguyon. Our accommodation was set back from the road, behind the trees on the right of the photograph.

Two months before our visit to France, the booking agency with whom we reserved our accommodation provided us with a poor-quality thumbnail-sized photograph in which our self-catering cottage looked like a dark wooden shed. We christened it the "Black Shack"! When we arrived, we found our "black shack" was actually a converted barn named "La Petite Grange".

Click on the nameplate (right) for pictures of La Petite Grange and its surroundings.