River swimming...

Even after 23 years we are still discovering new places. One of our families this summer found a lovely fishing spot but also said it was great for swimming too, so several of the other families went exploring and came back raving so we just had to find out what it was all about !

This beautiful little spot is just a short 15 minute drive away on the edge of the village of Courcelles. Located on the outskirts of St Jean d'Angely it is a village I have driven through many times over the years but never stopped - there was no reason to - there's no sign, no obvious parking area and only a couple of small bridges to even suggest there is any water around.

We had rough directions and found the spot easily enough. (turn right at the first roundabout heading towards St Jean - the one with the fruit and veg shop; head along the Poitiers road until you see a wood yard called BDR on the left - turn left here (signposted Poursay garnaud) but instead of turning into the village bear left along the road which takes you to Courcelles. After the second bridge you can pull off the road onto the grass by the river. Walk along a little bit until you see the 'swing' - a metal wire with stick attached. (update : swing is not there - July '21 but it's possible it will come back when the local teens see it's gone ! It's still a lovely place to swim and paddle and catch crayfish too) This is where we stopped with our picnic blanket. We walked around the whole area but came back to this spot as it was the best place for swimming, paddling and jumping.

One of the families had been paddling a little further up, next to the wash house on the edge of the village. (third bridge) They had caught loads of crayfish and actually cooked them up and ate them in a salad !

We had been told there was a raft too but we couldn't find it. We did find the swing though which was fab. It was quite high - put there by an adult as our 16 and 14 yr old had to use a stick to reach it, so it's not for little ones, or the faint hearted ! After the first jump nerves were out of the way, we couldn't stop our boys. They were also jumping in from the tree stump too. The less brave of us paddled (me) or swam (my niece and sister) but it was an ideal spot for all levels of ability and braveness (or otherwise)

A lovely spot for an easy trip out when staying at our family holiday cottages at La Grange du Moulinand Les Vallaieschild friendly gites. Great for all ages. Take a picnic and a blanket to sit on. Enjoy !