Private pool, four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sleeps 9

This delightfully restored farmhouse is on the edge of the hamlet of La Foret Gaultier which is about four kilometres from Chaillac and eight kilometres from St. Benoit du Sault.

This pretty house has four beamy bedrooms, one of which has an ensuite bathroom. There are three bathrooms and three w.c. in all, a comfy beamed sitting-room with a wood-burning stove, a separate dining-room with kitchen, walk-in larder and original floor tiles. Also a large playroom with table-tennis and other games.

Apart from the small herb-garden which forms the entrance to the main house there are extensive gardens in which to play and a wooden gate and fence marks the entrance down to the large private pool with Roman Steps and under-water night lighing. There are plenty of sunloungers around the pool and a pool hut to hang your towels etc.

However, if a good book and a glass of wine better suits your needs you can sit out under the parasol on the generous terrace, which overlooks the beautiful valley and those enjoying themselves in the pool.

This really is France profonde with undulating countryside, small fields, rivers, forests and lakes. Time may appear to have forgotten this haven but you are not far from the excitement of Futuroscope near Poitiers an hours drive away nor the vaste lake near Eguzon at 30 minutes where you can enjoy water-sports of all kinds.