Poitou-Charentes, Vienne, Le Vigeant, France

I'm Andy Portsmouth, the local agent for this stone cottage with barn dating back to the 11th century, set in the centre of the lovely French village of Le Vigeant. The village has a friendly café-bar/restaurant  just a 1-minute walk from the house, and you're only a 2-minute (2km) drive from the town of L'Isle Jourdain with all services. 

The house has recently been fully and tastefully renovated, with new double-glazing, new electrics and plumbing, a restored roof, excellent insulation throughout, plus heat-pump heating reversible to cooling, plus a pellet-fire - creating an amazing characterful yet very comfortable home. And there is easy private parking directly in front of the house.

You enter the spacious kitchen and dining room (25m2), which connects to another large downstairs room (also 25m2) that could serve as either a bedroom or dedicated dining room.

Stairs lead up to a hallway connecting to a double bedroom (16m2), bright living room (20m2) with balcony and countryside views, and to the large shower room with WC.

From the kitchen-diner you access the decking at the rear of the house that faces open countryside, with a pergola and two stone sheds for garden use or storage. At the front of the house, another stone shed, and an 80m2 barn which still has the old forge that was once used for caring for visiting horses and carriages - including those of King Louis on one occasion. This barn offers ample garage space for three cars, with access at the rear to the back garden. 

The house is on a charming stone walled-courtyard next to the village's 11th-century church, and most of the house dates back to around the same time, indeed part of the house was originally a tower, and stairs for that are still there.

The church bell rings twice on the hour and once on the half hour, from 7am to 10pm, but it is not loud or intrusive.

The external walls, internal walls, and roof are all very well-insulated, hence the 'C' rating for energy - this is the maximum possible for an old stone house. Mains drains, fibre internet available.

If you want character and comfort, and an easy start in France, or perhaps the perfect lock-up and leave holiday home, come and take a look. Much of the furniture is negotiable.

Apart from the café-bar/restaurant, the village has a post office/library, school, and visiting bakery and butcher vans. The town of L'Isle Jourdain is only a 2-minute drive, with six café-restaurants, a large supermarket, bakery, optician, doctors and dentist, pharmacy, ambulances, garden centre, DIY store, garage (repairs), petrol station, wine shop (with tasting..), post office, and bank. Le Vigeant has a beautiful communal lake with trout fishing and a public barbecue area. L'Isle Jourdain has a very nice open-air swimming pool, tennis courts, zip-wires across the river, and two reservoirs - one for waterskiing and kayaking, with café-bar, and the other for fishing.