We can cater for clubs or groups, you tell us what you are looking for and we will do our best to meet those requirements
Efficient swimming is the key to having an enjoyable time in the water, the Ocean Walker Technique builds this efficiency and also teaches you to swim front crawl and prevent injury in the complex shoulder joints by taking advantage of the muscle groups.
Here at Gites at Civray, coach Steve has been through a year long rigorous process. Led by Adam Walker, the creator of the Ocean Walker stroke, Steve has the skills to take your stroke from an exhausting start to a triathlon or an open water slog and help you develop it into a smooth, fast and efficient technique that will allow you to either exit the water in great shape ready for the next discipline or if you are swimming distance you can use the free speed to go further, faster
On the premises we have our very own 25m outdoor heated pool allowing coached sessions when it fits you, so if you come on holiday with the family why not take a lesson in the morning while the others are slowly preparing for the day? We normally suggest 5 hours to take you through the structured stages that take you from traditional swimming though to an efficient hip driven Ocean Walker swimmer, we film before, after and during then supply the video with commentary. Depending on the duration of your stay we can split the sessions into manageable sizes to allow plenty of practice.
Keep an eye out for Ocean Walker Technique swim camps, Adam Walker aims to spend a week with us once a year usually around June, during the camp we take you through the 5 stages, talk through how to stay motivated leading up to and during an event and we also take various excursions to swim in some of the beautiful and scenic lakes and rivers nearby.
Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page
The abundance of rivers and lakes offer many areas to swim! 
Summer is family time, there always seems to be a buzz when we have families holidaying at Gites at Civray. Our accommodation ranges from one bedroom gites where we can add a single bed upstairs or kids can use the comfy sofa beds downstairs, through to the 3 double bedroom apartment giving plenty of space to stretch out and relax. All are supplied with bed linen and towels and are presented with a well equipped kitchen including dishwasher in Ciel, Petite Maison and L'Appartement. Outside, each gite has its own private space, alternatively join in the fun with other guests in any of the shared areas such as the Open Barn or poolside.
There is plenty to keep the young ones amused, we have a swing set in the corner of the garden and there is plenty of space in the field for them to run around, when they have had enough of that they can join the adults and cool off in the 25m swimming pool. We have a large selection of board games to allow a bit of quality time together, also we have books to borrow for the duration of your stay.
Our location makes sightseeing easy, we are within an hour of many of the chateaux to the north along with the famous Zoo De Beauval, one of the top 5 best animal parks in the world. To the south we have Poitiers and Futuroscope to the east we have Descartes and the beautiful rivers and the west the Brenne National Park, also known as the Mille Etangs (thousand lakes). Whichever direction you decide to go you will find something of interest.
Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page
Fitness is a subject very close to our hearts, its one of the reasons we settled on Gites at Civray. The area around us is perfect for swimming, cycling and running. We have wonderful picturesque wide rivers with easy access making open water swimming a pleasure. If required we have 2 kayaks and a SUP that can be used for swimming support along with various items of safety equipment. If you fancy updating to a more efficient stroke with injury prevention built in then just ask about the Ocean Walker Technique coaching that is available by L1 coach Steve
Cycling is made a pleasure by the smooth open roads, we can provide either routes or just guidance as to the best areas to get what you need from your ride, be that a 10 mile loop taking in a chateau and a cafe stop, or any distance up to 100 miles for the more endurance based athlete. If hills are your thing we can aim across the valleys to gain the elevation, equally flat options are available.
Running in the area around Gites at Civray offers many options, we average seeing one car every kilometre when running on the busier roads, so fumes and stop starts are not an issue. Off road options are available to add a bit of variety and with runs named Sawmill and Skeleton Barn you know you are in for a bit of fun. Depending on the time of year there are a number of local or large scale running races that can be joined, generally for a very reasonable entry fee and instead of a finishers medal you are rewarded with a local cheese!
An old disused railway has recently been converted to enable long off road walks and cycle rides running through the local towns.
Triathlon is quite an up and coming sport in France, there are various events from Sprint through to Iron Distance within an hour, we are also just a few hours away from Sable d'Orlon and Vichy, both of which have Ironman branded events
If you are looking for company on the swims, bikes or runs then just ask, Steve is a 10 times Iron Distance finisher and enjoys a bit of company, especially if it is an easy social paced ride
Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page
Gites at Civray does the French Vatt
What: 400km over 4 days, VattCivray
When: Same weekend as the Vatternrundan, 17th June 2022
Where: Gites at Civray, in central France
Want to know more?
The roads around Gites at Civray are the roads of your dreams. Quiet, traffic free and smooth roads, we would love to share them with you and show you over some of our favourites. Rather than hitting the 300km in one go we want to host a multiday experience, increasing the target and splitting it over 3 or 4 days of riding with approximate distances being 100, 100, 160 and 40km, with arrivals being Thursday 16th June, departing Tuesday or Wednesday 21 - 22 June.
Where will we stay?
Gites at Civray is a collection of newly renovated, rustic and clean gites (French holiday homes) on one site in the middle of the French countryside, we have 9 beds available.
Two of them (Ciel and Tournesol) are one bedroom with a sofa bed downstairs and individual bathrooms up and downstairs. Petite Maison is a 2 bedroomed with en-suites ground floor apartment, this is where the food prep will be done as well. The apartment has 3 bedrooms that share a bathroom and is the upstairs to Petite Maison.
What will we do for food?
All meals will be provided including a visit to a local, typical French restaurant
My name is Andy and I'm not very good at maintenance, what happens if I have an issue with my bike?
We have a large selection of tools onsite including a bike stand, chain remover etc. we will do our best to get you going and back on the road again if you have any mishaps.
Will there be support?
We have a minibus available that will be accompanying us on rides if applicable. We will also be able to collect people from local airport/ stations.
What else is there to do when we aren't riding?
We have an onsite 25m pool that you are welcome to use. We have an open air cinema/ presentation area and if you are feeling adventurous you could even visit the flint museum in nearby Le Grand Pressigny!
What is the cost for this fantastic experience?
We are providing the accommodation free of charge, however, we are asking for donation of €350 per person to cover food, drink and other expenses. Any remaining funds will be donated to WeSeeHope
Triathlon is a growing sport in France and if you would like to combine your holiday with entry to a local race then please speak to us and we can arrange this.
We love hosting groups of people at Gites at Civray, there is a completely different dynamic and feel when everyone has something in common, we have hosted swimmers and triathletes but we are equally set up for knitters to photographers. When a group books the facility they have exclusive use of everything on site, including the 25m pool and hosts if required.
Each of the gites contain everything required to enable your group to cater for themselves, however, the kitchen in Petite Maison has a larger cooker and fridge with plenty of worktop space and large dining table which can be used for hosting if needed or alternatively eat outside in the shade of the trees
The open barn works as a hub for groups, within here we have a projector and screen for presentations or displaying group videos, we have various items of fitness equipment such as treadmill, turbo trainer, trx straps etc within the barn to allow training sessions or demonstrations and so on
Whether your group is here to relax or train they have full access to the onsite 25m swimming pool that was installed in 2018, it is a salt water system with 2 independent pool heaters that can raise the temperature on those early season breaks. The pool is protected by a security fence so is child friendly and has a constant depth of 1.4m making it ideal for swimming, but also the 45 degree angle at 1m also gives kids somewhere to rest if you have them in your group
Included in group hire
4 Gites (includes linen, towels)
Open barn (relaxation/ presentation area)
5 double beds, 1 kingsize bed and 2 single beds that can be joined to make another king size
3 sofa beds
Treadmill
Stationary Turbo Trainer
Various items of fitness equipment (ie TRX straps, ab roller, running cones, etc)
25m heated salt water pool
Optional Facilities
Coaching - BTF Level 2 coach/ Ocean Walker Level 1 swim coach
Cycle/ Run support vehicle
Pre arrival shop
Want to know more? Drop us a line at our Contact Us page