Please only apply for this break if you can confirm you have affordable travel insurance. We would request a copy of your insurance or a quote if you are shortlisted as part of your application.

Please read carefully all the criteria including dates before applying for this gift to ensure you are able to meet the requirements (no changes can be made). All travel and other expenses will not be met by the charity.

Please DO NOT contact either the property owner or the property rental company about this cottage. Doing so will make you ineligible to receive this or any other gifts.

Accommodation Details

Tucked away in the village of Blanzay on the Charente and Vienne border, Hawthorns provides an idyllic holiday home for family groups seeking a relaxing break in the French countryside. The Charentaise style farmhouse, surrounded by open fields, is a very short stroll from the village boulangerie, restaurant/bar, post office and shop.

Sleeping 8 people, with four double bedrooms, a large kitchen with dining table, spacious living room featuring a traditional fireplace and woodburner plus additional study/sitting room (with fast wifi) there is plenty of space for everyone. It is a welcoming and comfortable home away from home, encircled by lawns with a pool, pretty open barn and wildlife orchard.

This farmhouse is about peace and relaxation – outside all you will hear is birdsong and cicadas. Days are filled with lounging or playing by the pool, spotting wildlife in the neighbouring rolling fields, barbecuing or dining al fresco on pizzas straight from the bread oven and enjoying a game of boules or badminton.

There are pretty villages, restaurants and chateaux to explore nearby using the bikes provided, local produce to sample and fields of sunflowers to wander through. For those looking for a little more excitement, the bustling town of Civray, with canoe or SUP hire available on the river Charente, and La Vallée des Singes are each a ten minute drive away.

The historic cities of Poitiers and Angouleme, Futuroscope, and a range of lakes and waterparks are all within easy reach. La Rochelle, Ile de Re and the coast make a perfect day trip within one hour and forty five minutes.