When the tomb of St James was discovered in the 9th century in northern Spain, pilgrims flocked to the site at Santiago de Compostela from all corners of Europe. Four routes crossed France, the Via Turonensis from Paris heading into what is now the Poitou-Charentes region through Poitiers and Aulnay, Saint-Jean-d’Angély and Saintes.

Churches and chapels grew up along the routes in an age of religious fervour and today these elegant Romanesque buildings are an iconic part of the regional landscape with their pure shapes and clean lines. Lines of cupolas represented the heavens and their heavily sculpted facades – easily carved in the soft local limestone – told biblical stories on a grand scale.

Pilgrims still walk the Compostela trails – awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO – but you don’t have to be a pilgrim or even religious to enjoy these glorious buildings which rise up in major towns and in small villages, beside rivers and within vineyards. The church of Saint-Pierre, for example, in Aulnay-de-Saintonge is an outstanding example of Romanesque architecture that lies on the Compostela trail. Look out for carvings of the farming year and signs of the Zodiac as well as vices, virtues and scenes from the Apocalypse.

Take in Saint-Michel-d’Entraygues, built on an octagonal plan; the cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Angoulême with its superb sculpted façade; and the church of Sainte-Radegonde in Talmont with its dramatic location on the Gironde estuary. Every church is different and everyone has their favourite, large or small. Explore the Poitou-Charentes countryside and it won’t be long before you find yours.

Built in the 1st century AD on the banks of the Charente river, the town of Saintes – then Mediolanum Santonum – was the Gallo-Roman capital of Aquitaine, strategically placed between Lyon and the Atlantic. Two thousand years later, it retains some outstanding Roman remains, as well as buildings from the Middle Ages and prestigious Renaissance town houses built of gleaming white limestone.

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To find out more about the river and its history, take a trip in a cruise boat from Jarnac, Cognac or Saintes, or perhaps a tour in a traditional flat-bottomed gabarre, and just sit back and enjoy the commentary. But if you’d rather play admiral, you can hire your own self-driver cruiser from a number of bases along the river with boats suitable for everyone from couples to families. Enjoy anything for a weekend afloat to a fortnight – no experience necessary, no licence required and full training given.

Some 360 kilometres in length (around 225 miles), the Charente is navigable downstream from Angoulême to Rochefort, a distance of around 171 km – just over 100 miles.
Take your bicycles on board to explore further afield or cycle the towpath, and don’t forget your fishing rods either – the river is rich in fish, including trout, pike and perch. The perfect complement to that fresh market produce!