Le Gentil Retreat

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France
Brossac
Le Gentil Retreat

Rural & rustic French countryside gîtes in Charente, South West France. Set in 15 hectares with woodland, meadow and fabulous pool.
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Peaceful setting surrounded by nature, and the ideal base to explore South West France.

18/06/2026

The fruit on our wild cherry plum tree in the meadow has attracted a regular evening visitor. Rather camera shy but obliged for this shot before running back into the woods for cover. Such a graceful sight which we feel privileged to see

08/06/2026

Brocante season is well under way, three weekends in a row we’ve been out and about sourcing treasures for the gîtes and our home. This was Baignes where we picked up a couple of colourful paintings 🖼️ and chatted with the artist. Favourite way to spend a Sunday morning!

24/05/2026

Finally…husband has stopped working and got in the pool 😎 💦 Must be warm, he’s not a ‘down to 12 degrees’ swimmer like me! Last weekend we had the wood burner on but it’s the bbq’s turn this week. Wishing you all a great bank holiday!

14/05/2026

The finished wall! Thrilled with the end result, we were so fortunate the builders were able to expose the stone in the pierre apparente finish. There’s one part where there must have been a door which has been lime rendered, but it’s all part of the history of the house. It’s transformed the wall and our view from the bedroom window. Just need to do all the other walls now…and restore the border planting!

04/05/2026

The time has come to repair the side wall of La Petite Maison. Ivy and other climbing plants have weakened the old render which has started to fall off in places. The process of removing the render has started today but the question is…will we be able to lime point the wall and expose the stonework, or will it need to be re rendered? We won’t know until it’s all removed and the wall is assessed, but keeping fingers crossed we can keep the stone finish. This is one job we are not tackling ourselves!

20/04/2026

The horse chestnut is proudly displaying its ‘candles’. If you look closely you’ll see some yellow and some pink flushes at the base. The flowers are a rich source of pollen and nectar for bees 🐝 and other insects. Once pollinated the flowers turn from yellow to a darker colour so bees don’t bother to visit them. Later they turn into conkers inside their spiky husks. Looks like we’ll be picking up lots again this year…anyone for a game of conkers?

07/04/2026

Le Gentil Retreat - Rural French Countryside Gîtes

Need a holiday? Escape to our rustic and welcoming retreat…

Authentic self-catering holiday cottages with outdoor pool, meadow and woodland. A tranquil setting surrounded by nature, vineyards and farmland in south Charente.

The perfect base for exploring SW France; ideal for couples, small groups and families with older children. Please see our website for details www.legentilretreat.com

04/04/2026

Wishing you a very happy Easter weekend from Le Gentil 💐. We’re enjoying some warm sunshine and getting a few things done in the garden. Tea break today accompanied by a Cornuelle, originating from Villebois-Lavalette not far from here. It’s a cookie, shaped into triangles with a hole in the centre, a little pastis in the mix and topped with tiny aniseed sweets. They are traditionally made for Palm Sunday so we see them in all the local boulangeries at this time of year

26/03/2026

Another fabulous restaurant discovered, ‘La Clairière’. Homemade local produce, cosy little place in the middle of nowhere run by a French couple. Œuf parfait in leek velouté, ballotine of Guinea fowl with seasonal veg, plateau de fromages and orange shortbread with passion fruit sorbet. Vegetarian options on the menu too. Three plus hours of deliciousness! We will be going back…

31/12/2025

Thank you to our wonderful guests, friends, family and followers for your support and encouragement this year. Wishing you all a peaceful 2026

Adresse

Le Gentil
Brossac
16480

Site Web

https://legentilretreat.com/

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