Louin

Louin is a small picturesque village, set in the Thouars Valley. It is great area for walking, bird-watching, and cycling. It is between St. Loup; known for its grand Châteaux, historic buildings and scenery, and Airvault; with a history that goes back centuries.

Louin is in the department of Deux-Sèvres, which is part of the Poitou-Charentes region of South West France. Deux-Sèvres is peaceful, tranquil, historical, rural and unspoilt. It is predominantly beautiful tranquil countryside, where the lifestyle has changed little over the last twenty years. There are no traffic jams, in fact, there are not too many vehicles on the roads. Much of Deux-Sèvres remains dedicated to rural activities and with such an excellent climate, it provides the ideal location for those wanting to experience "real" France. In Parthenay, you can find art and history and a few shops. Close to Niort is the lush landscape of the Marais Poitevin (Green Venice), complete with fields and hedgerows which make you feel right at home.

Deux-Sèvres (literally "two Sèvres"), named after the two major rivers, which cross the department and has almost as much sun as the Côte d'Azure.

One reason Deux-Sèvres may have remained undiscovered for so long maybe that historically, the department has not promoted tourism to the UK to any significant degree.

This beautiful department with its microclimate is easily accessible by air with regular flights to the nearby airports of Poitiers and La Rochelle and is only three hours drive from the port of St. Malo.
Apart from the beautiful countryside, traditional lifestyle and unbelievably friendly residents, it is famous for its Parthenais beef, local grown fresh vegetable, goats cheese and traditional country recipes.

Parthenay and Thouars, both only 20 minutes away from Louin, are two towns designated officially as towns of "art and history", and Niort, the departments capital, has a more modern and cosmopolitan feel. back