Mar 23 2010
Loire Valley Gites – What To Expect?
Lovely Loire Valley view - taken from our gite!
If you are coming to France on vacation and you’re looking for Loire valley gites then of course we would like you to pick ours. However, as it’s not quite ready yet, we’ll just give you a brief glimpse of what you will be able to find around here!
If you are looking for a quiet holiday in France, a break from all the hustle and bustle of life, then a Loire valley gite is ideal. Looking for “gites rural” in particular will guarantee you are out in the lovely French countryside.
This is largely a farming area, gently undulating in the main, and punctuated by the amazing French chateaux which have given the Loire valley the alternative title “The Valley of the Kings”. This was where the French aristocracy lived and played when they weren’t in Paris. In the west there is the huge ruin at Angers. More centrally you have the beautiful Chenonceau which sits partly in the river. To the east there is the pretty Valencay, perched high on the hill.
That’s just three of dozens and dozens. There are over 300 in all so we could feature one a week for the next several years and not cover them all!
What we will do is feature some of our favourites. Very subjective I know but we’ll focus on those that are a comfortable hour-or-so drive from our gite. Among these is Chambord. It’s called a chateau now – it has over 400 rooms – but it was actually built by King François I as a hunting lodge!
One of its many features is a massive double helix staircase, all constructed in stone. The idea is that you go up one way and down another. It was built to accommodate the wide dresses that ladies wore at the time – and the double helix meant they wouldn’t have to risk crushing them by having to move them to one side if someone came the other way!
Anyway, more on Loire valley chateaux later. I’m using way too many exclamation marks 
Loire valley gites are usually set in quiet villages – of which there are many – or out in the countryside. It’s not an area of theme parks, it’s an area for quiet drives where you hardly see another vehicle or long walks where you will often see roe deer (called chevreuil in French) or red deer (cerf).
Stone Marten. Pic from www.univ-lehavre.fr
If you’re lucky you might sport wild boar (sanglier) but they’re usually very wary of people. They will avoid you if at all possible but are quite ferocious if cornered or if there are piglets around. Best to watch from a distance.
You might also spot Stone Marten (foin). Cute looking but voracious predators. None of the locals keeping ducks, chickens or pheasants want to see one of these around.
There’s plenty of bird life too. In the spring we get great flocks of cranes (grue) passing through on their way north. It can be fifty or a hundred of them in massive flying “V”s. It’s quite a sight. Quite noisy too as they all seem to honk as they fly along. There are many other interesting bird species, like the odd looking Hoopoe, that I’ll go into in other posts.
I’ll end by mentioning a few of the more impressive towns and cities. The Loire valley is one of the least populated areas of France but we do have one or two jewels!
Tour is a big city with it’s own small airport (daily flights to and from London Stanstead). About an hour and fifteen minutes to the west of us it’s got everything you would expect. Lots of shopping, markets (a flower market on Wednesdays) and the old city is full of interesting streets and nice restaurants.
Forty five minutes or so south is Bourges. It’s worth a trip for its cathedral alone. An hour north is Orleans, another lovely place once you get into the centre. Forty five minutes north west is our personal favourite, Blois. The old town looks out over the river Loire and is a lovely mixture of narrow winding streets and large open areas. Park down by the river and walk up the hill to the cathedral or chateau. If you’re considering a good lunch (and why not), do the walk first – it’s quite steep!
A Loire valley gite vacation offers culture, tradition, great food and wine, and a large dose of peace and quiet. This is the heart of France. Life is a bit slower here. It’s a great place to unwind.
