Location
Chez Russell is in the small hamlet of Bran in south west France.
Bran
![bran](images/Bran_small.jpg)
Bran is on the border
between the Charente Maritime and Charente departments. Bran boasts only
a few houses and a church but no shops or other facilities, so a car is
essential. A leisurely ten minutes walk from the house leads to a large
lake with a picnic area. Bran is in the Cognac region, so many of the
surrounding fields contain vines, other crops include sunflowers and
maize.
Baignes St Radegonde
![baignes](images/Baignes_small.jpg)
The charming town of Baignes is five minutes drive away and has all
the facilities you require including a supermarket, pharmacies, bars,
banks, post office, bakeries etc. There is a market in the centre of
Baignes from time to time.
Other nearby towns
The regional capital is Jonzac, 20 minutes drive to the north west, with a spectacular Hotel de Ville. Nearby towns also include Barbezieux, which holds a street market every Tuesday, Cognac is 40 minutes to the north with its famous Cognac houses. Blaye, due west on the Gironde estuary has a spectacular walled citadel. The city of Bordeaux is an hour to the south west and Angoulême a similar distance north east.