Cravans: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

In Cravans, the story of the village begins at Saint-Pierre Church: it preserves its bell tower as well as parts of the apse and choir dating from the building period in the 13th and 14th centuries.

When staying in Cravans, the desire to rent a holiday apartment may be part of personal travel planning.

Culture and History

Saint-Pierre Church was rebuilt after fires during the Wars of Religion; old charred stones are still visible on its present-day façade. Polychrome wall decorations were also discovered during masonry work in 2005, prompting the restoration of the wall paintings.

At the entrance to Cravans, on the road to Gémozac, stands the Hosanna Cross on a fluted column with an Ionic capital. The Croix Notre-Dame was erected in 1858 and rebuilt in 2001 after it was toppled during the storm in December 1999. The restored Fontaine du jardin public dates from 1715 and served as a washhouse for the hemp and flax grown in the surrounding area.

Le Port is a former Gallo-Roman port on the boundary between the municipalities of Cravans and Saint-André-de-Lidon. The remains of a watermill can be found there beside a renovated windmill with a conical roof made of canal tiles. The mills of Le Port were used until the beginning of the 20th century. L'Assomption is a painting in the naïve style from the 17th or 18th century.

Le Moulin Neuf is located on the site of a former grain mill. It included a two-storey windmill whose lintels bear the dates 1612 and 1838. The present-day residence of the Domaine de Beaumont appears to have been rebuilt around 1750 after earlier buildings were destroyed by fires during the Wars of Religion. The private Domaine de Beaumont is visible from the road on the left when leaving Cravans towards Saint-André-de-Lidon, but it cannot be visited.

Every year at the beginning of September, Cravans hosts the Fête des battages as a rural tradition; visitors can see a remarkable collection of old tractors.

Nature

The ZNIEFF Bois Mou is a wet depression on the edge of the Seudre, with reed beds, willow thickets, oak groves and a slow-flowing stream. It covers 49.21 hectares in Cravans and Saint-André-de-Lidon. The area is of great botanical importance and is home, among other species, to marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), marsh orchid (Orchis palustris) and Epipactis palustris.

Trails

Around 30 kilometres of rural paths in Cravans allow hikers to discover varied landscapes. The rural paths in the Cravans countryside are suitable for walking, horse riding and mountain biking.

The blue circuit is a 20-kilometre circular route through Cravans, Saint-Simon-de-Pellouaille, Tesson and Rioux. The green circuit is an approximately 5-kilometre circular route linking Cravans, Saint-André-de-Lidon and Les Brousses.

Local Highlights

The Hanouille winery offers winery tours and Cognac tastings.

Other places: Burie, Chassiron, Les Mathes, Loulay, Cramchaban, La Ronde, Meschers-Sur-Gironde, Chervettes.

To the overarching travel overview: Charente-Maritime.