The Loire Chateaux Trail

Mon : 9th June, 2014.  It looked for a while as though we might not ride into Saumur after all as through the night and into the morning, we had thunder, lightning, strong winds and heavy rain, but, as seems to be a pattern in Europe, by mid morning it had cleared up and so we set off on our ride.  It was an easy, cool and pleasant 10km ride, mostly on quiet little country roads through farmlands and after arriving in the town and locking up the bikes, we did our usual leisurely, exploratory stroll around.

Much of the town was closed as it was a public holiday today, which meant there were no huge crowds. 

There was a field of asparagus growing near our campsite, which we had passed on the way in and we were hoping to see the farmer on the return journey, to ask if we could buy a few spears, but unfortunately he was not around.

We cooled down after the warm ride back to the camp with a swim at the ‘beach’ and before retiring for the night chatted to our neighbours, a French couple who live along the Loire River and passed on a few helpful tips. 

Tues : 10^th June, 2014.  After stopping at a supermarket to supplement our supplies, we took a wrong turn (not an unusual occurrence) when driving through Saumur and did a detour through the countryside but managed to find our way back to the river, stopping at Montsoreau for our picnic lunch.  From there we drove to Villandry to visit the chateau and wonderful gardens,

spending a couple of hours there, then had a cup of coffee at a nearby café and a short stroll through the town before heading off to our overnight campsite at La Ville aux Dames, negotiating our way around the large city of Tours with the help of our trusty GPS ‘Kenny’. We took the toll road around Tours and it was well worth the 0.90 euros to beat the city traffic.

Wed : 11^th June, 2014.   The Chateau Royal d’Amboise was our first port of call today…arriving not long after opening time, avoiding huge crowds and so were able to wander and enjoy the fabulous castle and grounds at our leisure.

Our next destination was Chenonceau Chateau, a large and sumptuous Renaissance mansion built over the River Cher.  When we arrived we found a shady place to park, opened all the windows and hatches and ate lunch with a lovely cool breeze wafting through the van.  It was so pleasant we stayed there for a couple of hours…reading, snoozing, relaxing…then ambled around to the ticket office where we bought the tickets to explore the chateau.  There were hundreds of people doing the very same thing…some of the rooms were so crowded we weren’t able to enter, it was stifling in most of the chateau as there were no open windows, we felt disappointed that we weren’t able to have a proper viewing of this magnificent castle and so spent more time in the gardens which were busy but not as crowded as indoors, and there was no shortage of fresh air! 

The campsite we chose for tonight’s stopover is situated about 2kms from Chenonceau, is on the river bank, with lots of shade and grass and is called Le Moulin Fort, #1629 in the ACSI book, an ideal place to stay for chateau visitors.  Our nextdoor neighbours are Kiwis from Mt Wanganui and they are travelling through Europe in a new motorhome they bought in England and intend to ship it back home at about 4000 quid for transport..

Thurs : 12^th June, 2014.  It’s been a gorgeous day.  Early-ish this morning, we said goodbye to Wayne & Maureen, the Kiwis, and rode across the bridge to the riverbank opposite, then followed the river path for a couple of kms, heading into the town which hadn’t woken up yet, back across the bridge to a hotel/café where we had a cup of coffee each with a croissant,

back to the river and rode along a bumpy, sometimes muddy track (due to recent rains) to take yet more photos of Chateau Chenonceau.  (How many photos of one chateau can a person take?)

Back at the campsite we had tea and toast while watching a cruise boat on the river,

then packed up for the short drive to Chaumont-sur-Loire.  We didn’t visit the castle but went for a ride along the river, had lunch and drove to Chateau Cheverny which has been in the same family for more than 6 centuries and is said to be the most magnificently furnished chateau in the Loire Valley. 

We are more than willing to believe that claim and enjoyed our visit immensely.  Although it was busy there, it was not crowded and everyone, without exception, showed consideration to fellow visitors which unfortunately, wasn’t the case yesterday at Chenonceau.

To conclude our visit, we also visited the local boulangerie/patisserie and bought a couple of f.a. cream cakes for this evening’s dessert, then made our way back to the Loire, near Blois for our overnighter.

Loire

Thurs : 5^th June, 2014.  We woke to brilliant blue sky and sunshine, a different beginning from yesterday.  After breakfast on the ‘terrace’ (a couple of large railway sleepers which served as both table and seats),

we drove the short distance to Chateau de Hautefort,

arriving a few minutes after opening time when there were very few people about and so were able to spend a couple of hours exploring the wonderful rooms and glorious gardens unhindered.  Located on the site of a former Roman camp, the medieval fortress was transformed into an imposing stately home during the 17^th century and at 8,50 euros each entry fee, well worth the visit…recommended!

Photos inside the chateau are not allowed, but we took plenty of the exterior and gardens.

Leaving Hautefort, we found that the road we’d planned to take was blocked by roadworks and a deviation was indicated.  Following the signs, we headed off on a small road, expecting to see signs indicating the way back to the main road, but no, there were none and so we did a little detour, (i.e. we got lost), with a lunch stop at the lovely little village of Tourtoirac, and on leaving afterwards, encountered a musical quartet who were stranded there when their car broke down. They were to play at a wedding in Lanouaille, about 20kms away, had rung for a car to collect them but as it hadn’t arrived, they were becoming frantic and asked if we could help.  We could and were happy to do so, and they had just begun loading their gear into the campervan when their car turned up. They then transferred the gear out of Boris into the car and off they sped, but not before one of the ladies told Mike that she too was Australian, from Bribie Island but with a strong French accent. 

There was no time to ask questions as they were in a great hurry and on our way out of town, we passed the tow truck with their car on the back.  Hope they got to the church in time!

It was on then to the aire at Oradour-sur-Glane where we are staying tonight.  Once we were settled in, the bikes came down off the rack and we rode to the town to visit the remains of the old town, burned after 200 S.S. soldiers murdered 634 inhabitants, including 193 children, on 10^th June, 1944.   It was decided after the war not to rebuild or demolish what was left of the town, but to leave it as it was as a memorial to those who perished.  A very moving experience. 

Fri :  6^th June, 2014.  Another beautiful sunny day.  We didn’t know exactly where we were going today, but set off in the general direction of the Loire region, stopping at a rest area in Moulismes, for a break and a bite to eat before continuing on to Chauvigny, where we parked Boris and walked up to the medieval city.  It was a steep climb and an interesting city

…while partaking of a cold drink in the café, we watched on the TV there, a little of the D-Day services being held in Normandy.  Unfortunately we didn’t understand any of the commentary, but we did see Tony Abbott!

Our chosen aire for tonight was not very inviting so we went on to the next which was even less inviting, being in the carpark of the very busy SuperU supermarket.  So, on to the next which turned out to be in the SuperMarche supermarket car park, so on to the next, which was the municipal campsite and was closed and so on again and we found ourselves at Martizay, slightly off course but a lovely little town and an excellent aire alongside a river.  All’s well that ends well!

Mon : 9^th June.   There is not a lot to report as Saturday was spent travelling and Sunday was a rest day.   From Martizay we drove through lovely countryside to Dampierre sur Loire, our overnighter, with a stop for a morning coffee at le Grand Pessigny. 

Here we entertained ourselves by people watching…seated at the next table were three men and two women deep in conversation, all talking at the same time, (except for one of the men who seemed to be the observer, with an occasional interjection) which seems to be the French way…I don’t know how they follow what’s being said, but they seem to and an elderly lady we’d seen sitting about 20 metres away staggered to the café, sat at a table with a couple of other elderly ladies who’d just arrived, lit a cigarette and drank a glass of white wine…at 10am She didn’t look as though she was long for this world and I guess she thinks she might as well enjoy herself while she’s here!  The town is not on the tourist trail and its people are ordinary people like ourselves, going about their daily business, very friendly, very helpful and is the kind of town we like to visit.

The aire at Dampierre was large, grassy and shady and we decided to stay two nights and ride to Saumur, 6kms away on Sunday.  That plan was shelved when the fridge decided to play up again so we moved to a campsite in Allonnes so that we can have electricity and get the temperature down.  It’s working and this morning, we will ride to Saumur which is about 8kms away from Allonnes. 

The camp here is really nice (Le Po Dore - number 1295 in the ACSI book) and very well run by a most friendly couple who are only too happy to please. In the camp is a pool - but no ordinary pool. It has been built with a white sand beach all around. We feel very comfortable here and will stay a couple of nights.

Last Days in the Dordogne Region

Mon:  2^nd June, 2014.  The wifi signal was not strong enough at the aire to do the internet work we needed to do so we strolled up into town, only a couple of hundred metres away, found a café open (the town is closed on Mondays and only a handful of shops were open), sat down and ordered coffee while we did our ‘homework’.  It was lovely sitting in the sunshine and it was quiet for obvious reasons so we didn’t rush but sat relaxing for the best part of some time.  Then a quick trip to the small supermarket nearby which was open, a chat to an English lady who’d retired to St Cyprien 20 years ago and was out walking with her little dog, and we were off on our way to visit another lovely old hillside town, Belves. 

This was also a quiet town today, just a few cafes and a couple of shops open which suited us as we were able to wander around at our leisure.  We treated ourselves to a lunch of pizzas and beer,

not very French but very enjoyable and on the way back to the car park, bought a couple of f.a. cream cakes for later consumption.

Our next stop was at Limeuil, situated at the confluence of the Dordogne and Vezeres Rivers. 

A very pretty place, worth the climb up the steep hill to explore and with wonderful views of the rivers and valley below.

We encountered a problem at the aire in le Bugue where we’d chosen to stay tonight. According to our Camperstop book, which I hasten to add is last year’s edition, the camp is free for overnight stays, with charges for water etc., but on arrival we found that there is now a charge of 7,50 euros per night…this was not the problem.…the problem for us was that the parking machine does not accept coins, only the French ‘carte bleue’, a visa card which we don’t have. We usually identify and avoid the aires where payment can only be made with this card, but this one is not marked in our 2013 book…I guess we will have to buy a new book for next year!

Our next choice was only 10 minutes away in Les Eyzies, on the Vezeres River and a lovely place to stay…in fact, we decided shortly after arriving that we would have tomorrow ‘off’, have a day of R&R and stay two nights.  It’s very peaceful here, there is a laundry to be visited in the morning and if the sun shines, the washing will dry in one day!

Tues :  3^rd June, 2014.  The morning visit to the laundry revealed that it was not open until 2.30p.m. so to while away some time, we visited Patisserie Margot where we had coffee and pastries while doing some internet work, as there was a wifi signal there, after which we explored the small town before returning to the aire.  A little after 2.15p.m. we cycled back to the laundry with towels, sheets etc., loaded and started the machines and rode to the ice cream shop for a couple of scoops each while the machines did the work.  The washing should have been almost finished when we went back to the laundry but no, one of the machines was not working well and wouldn’t spin properly, so it took another half hour before the towels were spun dry. 

A mundane but enjoyable day.

            Wed :  4^th June, 2014.  We had a busy day today, although in the beginning it looked as though we may stay a 3^rd night in Les Eyzes.  Early this morning the rain came, and continued to come, threatening to turn our camp site into a swamp but by about 11.00 a.m. it was easing, so we left to drive the short distance to La Madeleine, a ‘village’ built into the cliffs, one of the best examples of the long tradition of human occupation in the Vazere Valley and home to troglodytes of 17,000 years ago!

           We felt quite at home there and wandered through the on/off drizzle for an hour or so before heading off to see La Maison Forte de Reignac,

            a similar ‘village’ though we only took a photo, opting not to climb up the steep hill to explore.  From there it was just up the road to La Roque St Christophe, a spectacular looking fort and city of the troglodytes, also built into the cliffs.  After stopping to have a look and take photos, we proceeded along the narrow road

 until     we were confronted by a tour bus whose driver wasn’t prepared to give way at all, so we were forced to reverse about 100 metres until the road widened and the bus could pass.  Continuing on, we could see that had the bus driver reversed 20 metres or less, we’d have been able to pass quite comfortably, but he was bigger than us so I guess that gave him the right of way!

Crossing a narrow bridge over the Vezere River, we came to our next stop, one of the ‘beautiful villages’ of France.  A very pretty village and very quiet, with one restaurant and a delicatessen the only shops/businesses open.

After a stroll through,we had lunch at the aire where we’d parked and headed off to our next, and last stop for the day.  This was at the Chateau and Gardens de Losse, an historical house overlooking the Vezere, a fortress with a defensive apparel dating back to the fifteenth century.  We wandered around the outside of the chateau

until a bell was rung to indicate that the tour, in French, was about to begin so joined the group and used the descriptive booklets printed in English to learn about the interior of the chateau, including the furnishings, paintings, tapestries etc.  A stroll through the gardens completed our visit and from there we drove to Nailhac where we are staying tonight at an aire on a farm

not far from Chateau de Hautefort which we will visit tomorrow.