A very warm welcome to the 18^th France For Families newsletter!  We do apologise for not having issued a newsletter for such a long time.  2008 has been an exceedingly busy time for us as we’ve been looking to reformat our regional definitions to more accurately reflect actual French departments.  Creating the new maps was a much bigger challenge than we thought…and even when we’ve completed that we have to make sure that more than 500 hundred pages of content all appear in the right place, as well as creating new links on the maps.  So we expect that the new look France For Families will now appear sometime in 2009.

In this update we focus on news from the ferry world, news about E111 health cards and information about French holiday dates in 2009 as well as bringing you a major update on the Charente/Vendée after we spent two lovely holidays there recently.

E111 Health Cards
This is really important!  We brought you early news about the introduction of the E111 European Health Cards (needed for reciprocal health care in the European Union and often a requirement of any travel insurance policy) back in January 2006.  But have you spotted that cards issued at that time have an expiry date of January 2009?  So it’s renewal time!  The Department of Health advises that the quickest way is to apply online. Your card will normally arrive within seven days. You can also apply by phone on 0845 606 2030 or by post using an application form available from the post office.  Thankfully renewal doesn’t cost anything and the new cards should last for 5 years.

Speed Ferries PR
We’re sad to bring the news that Speed Ferries went into administration on the 12^th November and the administrators have since announced that the company is to be wound up.  Although their service was definitely “budget”….they offered a convenient service into Boulogne which could take 30 minutes of a journey south and their fares were always significantly lower that the “traditional” operators.  LD Lines are very generously offering a 75% discount on its usual prices for people with valid Speed Ferries tickets.  The advice is to turn up at the ports of Portsmouth, Newhaven, Le Havre or Dieppe with your tickets an hour in advance for travel before December 17.  For other options on crossing the channel, see our Ferries page.

Planning your 2009 holiday in France
When you’re planning your holidays it’s worth being aware of when the French will be on holidays.  Although for most of us with children it’s inevitable that we’ll be on vacation at the peak times….it’s often a good idea to avoid travelling on the first day of a French holiday season if possible.  One way we do this is to travel the day before and book overnight accommodation close to our ultimate destination.  Another issue to be aware of is when the French national holidays are as it can be extremely difficult to get fuel on those days….so if you’re travelling a distance on a national holiday, make sure you start our with a full tank and don’t try to travel too far.  You can usually get fuel on autoroutes, but queues are likely to be long and once you are off the autoroutes then you could be in trouble!  For example, if you’re travelling south through Rouen via Dreux and Chartres….there is a ~150km stretch where you will be on N roads once you are the other side of Rouen.  Saturday 15^th August is a particular one to watch out for….we know of many people who’ve been stranded arriving in France with an almost empty tank expecting to find plenty of choice for petrol (after all it’s a Saturday!?).

Anyway, here are the school holiday dates.

And the French public holidays / national holidays:

Thursday 1 January - New Year's Day.
Sunday 12 April – Easter.
Monday 12 April - Easter Monday.
Friday 1 May - Labour Day.
Friday 8 May - VE Day.
Thursday 21 May - Ascension Day
Sunday 31 May - Whit Sunday
Monday 1 June - Whit Monday
Tuesday 14 July - Bastille Day
Saturday 15 August - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sunday 1 November - All Saints' Day  
Wednesday 11 November - Armistice Day
Friday 25 December - Christmas Day

Focus on Charente/Vendée
In the last two years the Harding family have been lucky enough to spend 4 great weeks staying in the best gite we’ve ever come across. Sadly the owner will not be renting it out for the next couple of years as they have family living there…but we may be able to share details with you in 2010!  In the meantime we still tell you all about some of the lovely places we found whilst we were there.  These will all find their way onto the website in due course.

La Vallee des Singes - our favourite.
Location: About 45km south of Poitiers in the direction of Saintes.  Take the N10 south of Poitiers as far as Couhe, then follow signs from the village centre to Vaux, Romagne and on to the Valle des Singes.  Near the Labyrinthe Vegetal.
General Info: www.la-vallee-des-singes.fr  Open daily from 24^th March – 11^th November 2007. Entrance prices €13 for an adult and €8 for a child aged 5-12.
Description: This excellent and unique zoo provides the chance to walk through different zones, surrounded by more than 30 different species of monkey.  The more aggressive monkeys are safely separated, whilst the safer breeds are free to roam around you.  You can take your own picnic (don’t forget to ask for a monkey proof rucsac at the ticket kiosk and to return it in the shop after your visit) or purchase a snack in one of two pleasant snack bars.
Our Recommendations:  Allow at least 3 hours for your visit.  The regular talks are in French only, although they provide an excellent chance to see more of some species and to rest your legs!
For the Children:  We believe this attraction will appeal most to children who are fond of animals, especially in the age range 5 – 15.  For toddlers there is a nice kiddies farm and a play area especially for them. 

Labyrinthe Vegetal.  These corn mazes do have the habit of coming and going, however this one seemed well established and was there in both 2007 and 2008. Please let us know if this information changes.  Thanks!
Location:  About 45km south of Poitiers in the direction of Saintes.  Take the N10 south of Poitiers as far as Couhe, then follow signs from the village centre to Vaux, Romagne and on to the Labyrinthe Vegetal.  Near La Vallee des Singes.
General Info:  www.labyrinthe-vegetal.com  Entrance costs €6 for an adult and €5 for a child aged 6 – 15.  Open in July/August 10AM – 7PM (last tickets sold at 6PM) and Sunday afternoons in September.  There are special torchlit evenings on Fridays in peak season (from 10.30PM) – take your own torch!
Description: This corn maze is in the usual format and is very nicely laid out although the theme isn’t the most imaginative we have seen.  Remember to take your dictionary unless your French is excellent!
Our Recommendations: To make more of day out you could take a picnic and enjoy either the riverside in Vaux or one of the picnic areas on the way in/out of Romagne.
For the Children:  Better suited to children of secondary school age who are learning French and who don’t mind spending a bit of extra time translating! 

Ile de Ré - out on the coast.  This is highly recommended!
Location: The Ile de Ré is situated off the Vendéean coastline across the toll bridge from La Rochelle (follow the N237 then the D735).
General Info: Tourist information Website.  The toll bridge costs €16.77 at the time of writing – you pay on the way in only!  An alternative way to approach the island is by boat from La Rochelle….but be careful not to miss your return leg!
Description: The Ile de Ré has much to offer including amazing beaches on the south side, lovely towns and villages as well as excellent cycle routes.  It’s almost impossible to recommend a beach as the south coast of the island is just one long pile of sand!
Our recommendations: It is rather expensive to cross the toll bridge so we would recommend planning to spend a day on the island.  The main town St Martin de Ré has a beautiful harbour with lovely shops and excellent fish restaurants.  And a superb Pizzeria for non-fish lovers (see below).   At the far end of the island the Phare de Baleines lighthouse can be climbed for splendid views.
For the children: As the island is very flat it is easy to cycle around it and there are plenty of cycle tracks (see the tourist info website above).  The Arche de Noé (Noah’s Ark) animal farm is worth a visit.

Le Marais Poitevin.  Slightly inland from La Rochelle, this has been on our site for a number of years, although we have updated the information after our latest visits:

Location: To the north and east of La Rochelle, and to the west of Niort.

General Info: French only website about the Marais Poitevin.  Hiring a boat costs typically €26 for 2 hours.

Description: Also known as the Green Venice or Little Venice these Poitou marshlands are a protected natural environment. Covering both sides of the River Sèvre Niortaise the marshes cover an area of more than 200,000 acres.  The “dry marsh” near the sea is a wide open area with long canals where migratory birds can been seen. The “wet marsh” inland boasts beautifully picturesque villages with more than 20,000km of waterways!

Our recommendations: Head for Coulon, classified as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, just west of Niort on the D123.  You can get walking guides and maps from the tourist information centre.  One of the river side cafés (La Pigouille) offers a combined meal/boat trip for ~€30 per person.

For the children: You absolutely must hire a punt (in Coulon is easiest) or from one of the many places alongside the river and spend a couple of hours wandering amongst the marshes.  Most beautiful on a sunny day….and best for the kids if they are old enough to manoeuvre their own!  For younger children you could take a “Promenade en Train” for €8 (€6 for 3-12 years) lasting about 1 hour from the centre of Coulon.

Lac de Lambon - further inland in the Melle/Niort area & a good option for a low cost day out.

Location: ~4km north of Celles-sur-Belles, follow the signposts.

General Info: Pedaloes cost €4 for 30 mins, €6 for 1 hour in 2007.  Café and public conveniences (rather basic!)

Description:  This is a pleasant country park based around a small reservoir offering a convenient day out that won’t break the bank.  Actually it needn’t cost anything if you don’t want it to!  There are a variety of things to do here including an unusual enclosed swimming area in the lake, a man-made beach, a larger than usual play area (take table tennis bats/ball for outdoor table tennis), boating and a very nice 1 hour walk (or petit-train!) around the lake.

Our recommendations:  Best to go here in the afternoons as most things don’t open till after lunch.  The Petit Train operated at 3PM and 5PM on the day we were there.

For the children:  For really young ones we would take a bucket and spade (and a good book!)…for older children you could hire a boat or a bike at the shop on the far side of the lake (make sure you don’t miss the rope bridge on the way there!).

This year we holidayed with the in-laws and they kindly treated us to a number of meals out.  Here are the highlights:

Pizzeria Marco Polo on the quayside in St Martin

Sorry, no contact details…but easy to find in the centre of St Martin.

Not only does this restaurant have a fantastic setting with outside seating right alongside the quay in St Martin, but it also has extremely pleasant staff make eating here a real pleasure.  Of course it’s not traditional French cuisine, but the Harding children always enjoy a good Pizza French-style…and these ranked amongst the best we’ve had.

Camping Le Moulin

1 Route de Niort , 79110 Chef – Boutonne.

Tel : 0033 (0)549297346. Website.

Now here’s an interesting restaurant with a difference.  Although it’s located in a campsite (run by two very welcoming English couples), it’s like a traditional bistro…with the added benefit that the kids can play in the campsite’s playground in between courses.  You can choose between an indoor table or a table by the poolside (the pool is not used in the evenings).  We had an excellent choice of meals, with plenty to satisfy the less adventurous palettes.  Set menus range in price between €14 - €22 with a la carte options as well.  Not haut-cuisine, but highly recommended for a pleasant evening out with the family which won’t break the bank.

La Paloma

Verteuil-sur-Charente

Tel : 00 33 (0)5 45 29 04 49

Well frankly we are in two minds about whether to recommend this small hotel/restaurant or not.  Actually the food was fantastic and the setting quite excellent (especially some of the views of the chateau from riverside walks in the village).  But we didn’t feel the service was as good as it should have been…especially there was no flexibility offered for the menu d’enfant.  However it is certainly a popular choice and the owners of our gite were planning to spend Christmas day there.  In conclusion we would only recommend this restaurant to families whose children are flexible about what they eat…and be ready to expect slightly quirky service!

Le Sporting

Place du Champ de Foire

St Romans les Melle
Tel : 00 33 (0)5 49 27 04 16

This is an unpretentious little place, but the food is amazing value for money.  Don’t be put off by the outside….once you get through the bar area you enter a very pleasant and clean restaurant at the rear.  If you can possibly get your children out of bed for a lunchtime meal there on a weekday then you can enjoy a meal for just €11.90 which includes a salad buffet, a small plat du jour, fromage, a dessert and 25 cls. of wine.  You want to make sure you arrive on the dot of midday as it fills up with locals later.  The restaurant is also open in the evenings.  The proprietor is very friendly and speaks a bit of English.

And here’s one we never did get round to eating in, but which was highly recommended to us by our hosts:

Hostellerie de l’Abbaye in Celles-sur-Belles

1, place des époux-Laurant - 79370 Celles-sur-Belle.
Tel: +33 (0)5 49 32 93 32.

Celles-sur-Belles is a delightful village with a fascinating Abbey which is located just down the road from the restaurant.  Definitely worth a short wander around the grounds before dinner.  The Hostellerie de l’Abbaye is a traditional French hotel/restaurant offering traditional cuisine, ideal for a special occasion.

That’s it for this newsletter.  We’re off to a Christmas market in Lille next coming weekend so maybe that will make it into a forthcoming newsletter.  Whatever your plans are, we do wish you the very best for the Christmas season! 

From all of us at France For Families!