The Loire valley- our summer secret

January 14, 2017

Prune jumped out of the Audi’s boot. She pricked up her ears, taking in the sound of leaves rustling in the light breeze, the call of a blackbird perched in a cherry tree. Her nose twitched, distracted by the scents in the warm air. Then her face broke into a smile and her tail swept back and forth ferociously. She remembered this place! Her emotions mirrored mine- if I had a tail I’d have wagged it too. It was a beautiful July day and we were back in the Loire- our favourite place in France.

Think of the Loire and you imagine it to be overrun with tourists visiting the famous chateaux. That might be true in the north part, but here in the Southern Loire, where we stay, we always have the winding roads, crumbling churches and rose filled gardens to ourselves.

Our base was the cute Vignes de Noizay farmhouse, deep in the French countryside. A patchwork of fields rolled away in all directions, full of wheat, growing tall in the summer sun. Despite the lovely isolation, it was an easy walk to the village of Liguel to buy our bread each morning. We’d practice our French at the little Boulangerie: ‘tranche, s’il vous plait’, I’d say and the lady would smile at my inability to conjugate verbs. Either way, that bread was delicious and was the highlight of our picnics.

Each day, we’d pile into the car, consulting a tattered map and devise a roughly circular route to follow. B-roads would wind through the golden fields, and we would stop in villages along the way where life seemed to have stood still. We had our favourites- Descartes, with its jardin publique full of fragrant roses. Or St. Maure de Touraine with its crumbling mini chateau to explore. Then there was La Grand Pressigny, where a steep climb rewarded with views over the rooftops of the village below. We’d always find the perfect picnic spot no matter the route, just in time for lunch. We’d stop by a river, or lake (or where a lake existed the last time we visited only to find it had disappeared- no joke!) The French bread would come out, followed by mum’s trusty thermos. Scraps were snuck to Prune. The sky would be big and blue; a couple of white clouds, as light and fluffy as marshmallows floating past. After a long, lazy break, we’d slowly make our way back to base.

The best thing about our drives here was that you never knew what you’d come across; an abandoned chateau around one corner, a sea of sunflowers around the next. If we were lucky we would stumble across a farmer’s market in full swing- tables heaving under the weight of fresh produce; shiny vegetables, juicy fruits. Or we’d buy goats cheese straight from the farm. Fromage de chevre is produced locally and can be found down every road and is a good opportunity to meet baby goats (or even see one being born, in our case).

In the afternoons I’d relax in the shade with a book, after picking enough juicy red cherries to fill a bowl. We’d also often play a game of baseball en famille. If you were batting, you definitely wanted Prune on your team as she wouldn’t give up the ball once she got her paws on it, giving you enough time to make a home run. Dad would inevitably cheat, but Maya and I always won, anyway. We’d all be in hysterics by the end! The day would finish with a BBQ, as the sun slipped down slowly and the cows next door mooed softly as they were led in for the night.

The one day it rained we spent in Loches, the medieval cité nearby. It’s the perfect place to wander, umbrellas and all. Our picnic that day was in the band stand, Prunie in her coat, sitting proudly- we are never ones to let the weather stop us. Mostly though, we are blessed with beautiful weather. Prunie wears her camouflage collar to keep cool on the hottest days and drinks water from empty boxes till we get back to the house. We’d all have to stand around her and encourage her to drink, she always loves being the center of attention!

Our week goes by way too fast. Stuffed with goat’s cheese, bread, cherries and pain au chocolat, we’d reluctantly head home, down the winding roads, past the wheat fields and through sleepy villages, always the only car until we hit Paris.

Practical stuff:

Getting here– the closest city to the Southern Loire is Tours which has an airport. Otherwise, its about a two and a half hour drive from Paris.

Accommodation– We booked this place through Owners Direct who have lots of properties of all shapes and sizes in the Loire and in France in general. They are quite reasonably priced compared to some other villa rentals even in the summer months. Les Vignes de Noizay, the house where we stayed, has two bedrooms, a pool, a fully fenced large garden (perfect for doggies) and is surrounded by countryside with lots of opportunities for walks.

Things to do, eat, shop– Liguel, the village near where we stayed has an obligatory boulangerie and there is also a Supermarche supermarket to stock up on all the BBQ essentials. There are no real attractions as such in this part of the Loire as most of the well-known chateaux are in the North. Instead its fun to just explore this beautiful area and enjoy the relative peace, although Loches makes for good wander and most towns are picturesque and perfect for a stroll.

My top hack– As I’ve mentioned, it never gets that busy around this area even in peak summer, making it the perfect place for a vacation during the summer holidays when most of France is unbearably crowded. But this region is also a good bet at other times of year. We’ve visited before in the spring, when the fields are full of buttercup yellow rapeseed instead of the wheat, and the temperatures are often balmy and lovely. Fall means the grape harvest, so lots of wine tasting and pleasant weather up till the end of October. Winter is probably beautiful, if a bit bleak, but if you have a cosy fireplace to come back to after some bracing countryside walks, you shouldn’t rule out a stay!

We’ve visited lots of different parts of France but always come back to the Loire and its fairy-tale countryside. We keep saying we’ll buy our own place here, and hopefully one day we will.