Location
In the company of your private guide, you will come to discover the Loire Valley. The river which willingly adopts the color of the sky, taking on reflections of slate and limestone.
“Plus que le marbre dur me plaît l’ardoise fine” wrote J. du Bellay a well known local writer. In the Loire Valley the early morning mists soon disappears allowing the sun rays to caress the sandbanks whose size varies with the mood of the river.
The etymology of the name « Loire » comes fromLiger (latin). The French adjective “ligérien” is derived from this name as in “le climat ligérien” which means “the climate of the Loire Valley”.
The Loire River flows from the Massif Central. It’s main springs are to be found near Mt Gerbier de Jonc and these soon become the young Loire which will grow into the longest river of France.
Along it’s course The Loire River changes several times : from it’s mountain origins in the south to it flowing into the Atlantic in the north west. The river can be divided into three main zones: first, the Upper Loire which is the area from its source to the confluence with the Allier, secondly, the middle Loire Valley which is the area from the Allier to the confluence with the Maine, and finally the Lower Loire which is the area from Maine to its estuary.
In the upper basin the river flows through a narrow valley, marked by gorges and forests on its banks. In the intermediate section, the alluvial plain broadens and the river meanders. In the middle section of the Loire river numerous dikes were built between the 12th and 19th century to provide a protection against flooding.. In this section the river is relatively straight, except for the area near Orléans where many sand banks and islands can be seen
The lower course of the river is characterized by wetlands ( the growing area of Nantes) with its own specialized flora and fauna and presents unique habitats for migratory birds. The Loire Valley is also a natural reserve of semi- tropical plants
You will find during your visit that the climate of the Loire valley is the best in France!
We are fortunate as we have an ideal range of temperatures, sunny days are abundant and just the right amount of occasional rainfalls, it only rains at night, make the Loire valley a pleasure to behold and to visit.
The winters are usually mild, sometimes with light snowfalls or heavy rains.
The local limestone known as “tuffeau”of varying colors from the whitest of white to rich honey tones has been the main building material of the sumptuous buildings such as the famous Chateaux of Chambord and Chenonceau that stand on the banks of the Cher.. .
Calm and savage, the Loire scenery is endlessly changing, from green river banks to golden sandbanks.
The tropics have brought their colors to this river: Seeds brought by winds and birds from far flung Africa and America have found a welcome and a new home on the sun drenched sandbanks scattered along the length of our beautiful river .
European beavers, hardworking lumberjacks, have gradually repopulated the river since their reintroduction 25 years ago.
The luxuriant vegetation of the Loire Valley region attract an exceptional variety of birds to be seen early in the morning and at dusk as you sail the Loire River aboard a “toue”, a local flat bottomed sail boat
Towns and villages
The Loire Valley offers an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns, pretty villages, spectacular architectural monuments (the châteaux) surrounded by rich farm lands which have provided the wealth over the ages
The Loire River, Europe’s last untamed river, combines rich landscapes together with a world-renowned architectural heritage.
It really is exceptional! In 2000 UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site!
With its astonishing distinctiveness along its 260 kms the UNESCO decision has come to highlight the particular relationship between Man and his natural environment.
In the countryside, the houses are built surrounded by farm land or vineyards. Also characteristic of the Loire Valley are the “troglodyte” home- dwellings dug into the cliffs faces overlooking the river. The troglodytes are the results of the local people desire to use their environment to its full potential. In the first place, the tuffa stone (tuffeau) is easy to workand to dig out : people were able to sell the stone for building whilst creating a living or working space for themselves out of the quarries; Troglodyte caves have the great advantage of staying at a constant 12-13 degrees centigrade all year round.
Historic towns like Amboise and castles like Chambord are world-renowned and the Loire Valley is definitely of outstanding universal value: it is thus among the other 878 cultural sites as well known as the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Great Wall of China!
Over the centuries people established themselves along the river by building a whole set of facilities such as roads, levees, bridges, chateaux whilst living in comfortable homes in picturesque villages .The architectural heritage of our region is indeed remarkable.
Garden of France
The Beauce in the south west of Paris is located between the Loire and the Seine rivers. This region is one of France’s most productive agricultural areas. The Beauce at first sight seems hopelessly flat but there are some nuances in the landscape of undulating hills with rapeseed (canola) and sunflowers giving the landscape wonderful colors.
La Beauce is still characterized by crop farming on large scale farms however modern farming production is more diversified today. Dairy, pork, poultry, and apple production is also to be found here.
The Sologne south of the River Loire is a region overlapping the departments of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. Forests, marshes, ponds are characteristic due to the impermeability of the soil which is a mixture of sand and clay.
This omnipresent forest comes in many forms, but mainly consists of woodland of oak, beech, birch and bracken. Stag, roe-deer and boar all appreciate these peaceful areas. The moors, typical of the Sologne with their sumptuous expanses of mauve, yellow, pale blue and white flowers. ..Further west you will discover the Touraine and its vineyards.