This is a site rich in biodiversity
Our only use of chemicals is for a once- yearly weedkilling treatment, (twice at most if we’ve had a lot of rain). We haven’t yet found a suitable alternative.
Apart from this, we don’t use chemicals for any treatments and use no chemical fertilisers.
This has a direct and positive impact on our biodiversity: our site is a paradise for numerous species that are susceptible to current pesticides and herbicides; we have many varieties of insects, molluscs, small mammals, hedgehogs, butterflies etc.
A varied fauna
Insects
You will be able to find and watch snails, lizards, numerous varieties of beautifully coloured and even shiny butterflies, crickets, grasshoppers, dragonflies, giant ants etc.
Small mammals
Bunny rabbits abound here – no-one’s hunted on this site for many years – as well as their predator the fox, plus badgers, hedgehogs, coypu, deer, pine martens and many others.
Birds
The birdlife here is also very rich; in the latest edition of the Charente Nature Association magazine, their bird section cited a study from April 2007 where nearly 70 different species were spotted in the area.
Birds here can surprise you by their daring; they seem to know they are protected here. They even come and perch on the edge of your plate to watch you eating. One of my British customers showed me a photo of a young blue tit perched on his foot while he was taking a nap!
We regularly hold birdwatching activities with the mini-club. Last year, the children made wooden nesting boxes to take home and install in their gardens.
On the site we’ve followed the advice of the LPO (a birdwatching association) and put up nesting boxes and we’ve left some areas fallow that we can cut and clear later in the season in order to encourage nesting and to provide a vital supply of winter nourishment.
A pair of falcon kestrels nest every year in the restaurant wall. In 2007 we were able to watch the progress of 4 baby kestrels literally day by day, until they reached maturity.
In the evenings, the tawny owl will hoot eerily over the campsite. We have 2 pairs on the site and you can easily go and have a chat with them!
If you are keen on ornithology, we can point you in the direction of our bird books, magazines, binoculars and telescope.
There are lots of calm and secluded parts of the estate where you can settle down with your family for a pleasant moment of birdwatching.
A rich and varied flora
Our estate bears no resemblance to a public park
We have tended to prefer local species and varieties of plant, and we transplant as many young saplings as we can find from the surrounding woods.
You won’t see any straight lines of hedge or blocks of uniform shrubbery.
In fact, you won’t see any hedges criss-crossing the campsite at all.
We prefer your gaze to roam across the estate unhindered by straight lines.
Our pitches are of a generous size so there is no need to hide away the neighbours behind a
wall of greenery.
Our most common species of tree are Chestnut, Oak, American Oak, Maple, Hazelnut, Hornbeam, Spruce and Poplar
In the lower parts of the estate we have 15 hectares of meadowland which are grazed by Limousine cows.
On the slopes of the estate, there are all the usual varieties of wild grasses mixed with a few varieties of orchid.
In the Autumn, this area is a seventh-heaven for wild mushroom hunters.
Beautiful gardens
We can lend you a copy of the guide to gardens of the Poitou Charentes area. There are town gardens, private gardens, collectors’ gardens, nursery gardens; we are lucky enough to have numerous very well-maintained gardens in this area which open to the general public.
