Book with the owner direct
Owner/Property
Manager: Fern Daybell
Book this Barn by contacting the owner
directly to confirm
price, property details and availability.
Booking directly with the owner means you pay the owners price with
no added booking fees or extra charges.
Overview
Description
The honey-coloured stone walls belie the simple, bright interiors of this former piggery, converted eight years ago, and yet retaining some of the internal exposed stone walls and windows of its’ former purpose.Set in a small hamlet on a peaceful country lane, it is only 15 minutes walk or 5 minutes by car or bike to the next village which has a small supermarket selling fresh bread & croissants, restaurant (weekday lunches only) and a bar. The lane is part of the national Route de Compostelle or Camino del Santiago, the historic Catholic pilgrimage route. It is not unusual to see pilgrims, sometimes with donkeys, passing the front gate as they undertake the long walk to Compostela in north-west Spain.
Four kilometres away is the small historic town of Melle, with its ancient stone walls, historic silver mines (open to visitors), three stunning Romanesque churches, Art Deco market hall & bandstand, weekly market, 3 supermarkets, two self-service laundromats, cinema, cafes and several restaurants. The city of Niort is a 25-minute drive to the west. The property is a 20-minute drive from the A10 motorway (junction 32) and the nearest airports are Poitiers (45 minutes) or La Rochelle (90 minutes). You can also reach the area by rail – the TGV stops at Poitiers or there is a cross-country link to Niort, and car hire is available at both stations.
Rural Deux-Sevres is a peaceful land of quiet country lanes, deep valleys, endless fields of sunflowers, stunning sunsets and the rivers Beronne, Boutonne, Sevre-Nantaise and Sevre-Niortaise (hence the name Deux-Sevres). A place to relax, unwind, enjoy the outdoors in walking, cycling, and birdwatching.
Nearby attractions include Poitiers (45 minutes) Cognac (60 minutes) La Rochelle (80 minutes) Saintes (90 minutes) and Rochefort (90 minutes). Take your children to Aquascope & Futuroscope near Poitiers (60 minutes) Zoodyssee, (25 minutes) Tree Climbing & Zipwire at Parc Adventure de Fontdouce (60 minutes) or the Aquarium in La Rochelle (60 minutes).
If you fancy a day at the beach, we have visited many over the years and our favourites are Fouras near Rochefort and Chatelaillon-Plage near La Rochelle, both about a 90-minute drive.
The porcherie is set within the walled garden of Number 13, a former cart shed converted to our holiday home ten years ago, with open fields beyond. The porcherie has a dedicated off-street parking area, leading to a private, south-east-facing gravelled courtyard, with table and chairs plus easy chairs.
The 10x5 metre heated unfenced swimming pool has a locked electric cover, sun-bathing terrace with several sun-loungers and shady areas, plus a selection of garden games. If the owners are in residence the pool will be shared.
The porcherie is all on one level, and has open-plan kitchen, dining and living areas with a log-burner (in use November-May), flat-screen TV (Freesat English channels) plus DVD player. WiFi is available throughout the building subject to a fair-use policy – no down-loading please. A selection of books, maps, CD’s, DVD’s and games are available for guests to use. The well-equipped kitchen has an electric oven & hob, extractor, microwave, air-fryer, dishwasher and fridge/freezer.
There is a double bedroom (king-sized bed) with adjoining shower room with large enclosed walk-in shower, vanity basin & WC, plus a twin-bedded room at the opposite end of the building, next to a cloakroom with second WC and washbasin. Both bedrooms have bedside tables and a chest of drawers and wardrobe. All beds have two pillows per person, summer-weight duvets and mattress protectors.
Please note the following:
Bed-linen and house towels supplied, please bring your own pool/beach towels
No pets, No smoking
Minimum 4-night stay in May, June & September
Minimum 7-night stay in July/August
Maximum 14-night stay in June/July/August
Bedroom Details
Bedroom 1
1 x King Bed
Bedroom 2
2 x Single Beds
7 Reviews
Leave ReviewVery peaceful
By Jock and Wendy on 06-Sep-2025We had a wonderful week at La Porcherie. The gite was excellent and as described on the website. It was spotlessly clean and very comfortable. There was lots of information about places to visit locally, and the history of the area and the gite itself. We enjoyed using the heated pool and were very lucky to spend some time with Fern and Charles, our hosts, who were charming, very informative about the area and a delight to chat with. The gite was well furnished and contained everything you could need for a very peaceful and relaxing holiday.
Fantastic week at La Porcherie
By Ciara Sheahan on 15-Aug-2025My family and I had a really lovely stay in Melle recently,at the beautiful La Porcherie!From the booking process through to the end of our stay,the owner of the property was extremely helpful and responsive,providing us with so many helpful tips to help us make the most of our stay in this gorgeous area of France.The house was so clean,well equipped and comfortable,obviously a renovation carried out with the greatest of care and taste.The grounds were lovely,full of beautifully scented planting and in a very peaceful and relaxing setting.My two young boys enjoyed the pool so much and were thrilled to find pool floaties on arrival,along with so many outdoor games,balls,board games and dvds to keep them entertained!We made many local road trips,to places like La Rochelle and Fouras beach,and enjoyed beautiful local walks.It really was a very relaxing break-just what we needed.We would highly recommend a stay at La Porcherie to anyone!
Fantastic stay at Melle
By Elaine & Simon Ralph on 22-Jun-2025The property was beautiful and stylish with everything you could want or need for a self catering holiday. We loved the coolness of the barn out of the sun in the evenings. The outside space for eating and relaxing and the amazing swimming pool with it's sun beds and electric cover to keep out the beasties. All in all one of the best holidays we have had in France.
A beautifully renovated, well equipped and spotlessly clean gite
By James Holloway on 25-May-2025We spent a brilliant week in La Porcherie. The gite was beautifully renovated and spotlessly clean. It was very well equipped with everything we needed and we appreciated the books, DVDs and games provided. The heated pool was very pleasant. The owner was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the area, even letting us know that there was a public holiday during our stay so that we could plan around it. The gite is located in a quiet hamlet with great walks in the surrounding countryside and to the nearest village. The gite is a few minutes bike ride away from the well signposted Ruban Vert cycleway. This combines quiet country lanes and traffic free paths to provide excellent family friendly cycling. Other highlights of the holiday were visits to ile d'Oléron and Venise Vert (to the West of Niort) where we hired a small boat to paddle around the canals. We highly recommend a stay here.
Owner response on 16-Jun-2025
Thank you very much for your positive review, I am so glad you enjoyed your stay at La Porcherie and were able to discover the local area.
Wonderful stay at La Porcherie
By Andrew and Mary on 21-Aug-2023We had a wonderful stay at La Porcherie. The home has been beautifully renovated, has excellent facilities including the lovely heated pool and games and equipment to keep our children entertained. It is in a really peaceful and private location but with the local bakery, restaurant and shop a pleasant 15 minute walk (or 5min drive) away. Fern was extremely helpful in providing information about the home, general advice on travelling to France, and directing us to things to do in the local area. We took advantage of this, visiting the local towns, markets, and food festivals, the Zoodysee, the Tumulus de Bourgon and paddling around Marais de Poitevin from Coulon - there was plenty to keep us entertained! Would unreservedly recommend and we are planning to return again in future!
A wonderful place in a wonderful location
By Happy Family on 07-Aug-2023La Porcherie is a beautifully presented property in a calming and tranquil setting, in which we had a wonderful two week stay this summer (2023). The pool was wonderfully cooling in a particularly hot spell, the neighbours charming and welcoming, and the owner couldn’t have been more helpful, particularly in terms of keeping us up to date with interesting activities going on in the locality. We couldn’t recommend it more.