Situated in a village with shops and on the doorstep of the Chize forest, this 19th Century farmhouse has been imaginatively renovated and the attached former barn has been transformed into a wonderfully spacious, naturally-lit kitchen..Situated in a village with shops and on the doorstep of the Chize forest, this 19th Century farmhouse has been imaginatively renovated and the attached former barn has been transformed into a wonderfully spacious, naturally-lit kitchen.

The village of Chize (shees-ay) lies at the edge of the Deux Sevres region where it joins the Charente-Maritime, the "second sunniest region in France" and coincidentally (or perhaps not), France's greatest producer of goats' cheese.

Entering the property via the terrace, you will find the living room (45m2, with wood-burning stove), the equally-spacious kitchen/diner, a bedroom (17m2) and an enormous bathroom (24m2 - alarming exercise machines not included). On the first floor, you have 2 bedrooms (15m2 each) and a further family bathroom (which recently won an award for The Deux-Sevres Bathroom With The Most Things Hanging In It). The total living space adds up to a 160m2 and the land area amounts to 600m2. There is a detached garage and a south-facing terrace to enjoy all that sunshine - and goats' cheese.

Chize is 20km from the town of Niort, formerly France's top manufacturer of leather cavalry breeches, now France's risk-assessment capital (make of that what you will) and only 45 minutes' drive from the seaside, airport and stunning medieval harbour of La Rochelle.

Three budget airlines, Easyjet, Ryanair and FlyBe now fly into La Rochelle from many regions of the UK, and for ferry users, the drive from the port of St Malo is about 4 hours.Fully renovated