Towns, History, Castles, Food and Drink.

The Loire valley is renowned for its beautiful white sandstone chateaux and is known as "the Garden of France"; it was the favourite residence of Kings of France during the Renaissance period. This is the "country of a thousand castles": not only Royal Castles and Renaissance Palaces but also Manors, Castles and Fortresses from the Middle Ages. Return to top	Quick menu: Towns, History, Castles, Food and Drink Gardens, Parks and Countryside Themed Parks For something different Links
The Medieval City of Angers has a fortress built by Famous King St Louis in 13C. Its 17 round towers made of dark schist and white stone houses the oldest and largest tapestry in the world: The Apocalypse Tapestry. Angers is the home of the world famous Cointreau. On the edge of town you can find the Cointreau Museum which explains everything about this orange liqueur. http://www.cointreau.com/index2.htm Return to top
The village of Montreuil-Bellay is only 18 miles away and has a wonderful 11th-century fortress with 13 interlocking towers. The fortified gateway leads visitors to a 15th-century house featuring ancient wine cellars and 15th-century frescoes. Montreuil-Bellay was a holiday home of J F Tolkien. The village and the river beneath it are a pleasure to walk around with some fine restaurants by the Chateaux and on the banks of the river. 14 miles from Montreuil-Bellay is the royal abbey of Fontevraud. This abbey became the favourite of the Plantagenets and Eleanor of Acquitaine The four gisants, or effigies, lying before the sacristy are Eleanor herself and her husband Henry the II Plantagenet, Richard the lionheart, their son, and Isabelle of Angouleme. Close to the abbey is the medieval city of Chinon , which is well worth a visit. In the Middle Ages, Chinon was developed during the reign of Henry II, Henry Plantagenet, and Count of Anjou, crowned King of England in 1154. The castle was rebuilt and extended, becoming one of his favourite residences. Return to top
Close to the campsite is the small Fairytale Chateaux, the Château d'Ussé, a real dreamlike castle and home of the "Sleeping Beauty", approx 40 miles away. Return to top
The region is also known for it's wine, the owners of the site arrange wine tasting evening throughout the summer in the bar (so no worry about drink driving). There is usually children's activity arranged outside the bar at the same time. A tour of one of the local vineyards can be arranged. Saumur is well known for it's sparkling wines and most vineyards will give tours of their caves and tasting. Return to top

Gardens, Parks and Countryside

The Oriental Parc of Maulevrier: About half an hour away is 'The Oriental Parc of Maulevrier' which is the largest Japanese style park in Europe. Here one finds water, stone lanterns, and pergola of glycine landing stage, Khmer Bridge, pagoda, temple, and the red bridge. The architectural elements are a curious mixture of Khmer (Cambodia) and Japanese. The site has an extraordinary richness of vegetation and also boasts a good bonsai collection, ceramics and a music garden. Return to top
Green Venice: (Venice Verte) near Niort is a veritable treasure of beauty encased in greenery. The Marais poitevin consists of dozens of kilometres of canals used by the marshland dwellers. The landscape created by the draining of the marshes in the beautiful and peaceful area known, as Green Venice is best appreciated from a boat. For a traditional boat trip, you've a wide selection of jetties in the various villages, which offer varied formulae, adapted to your wishes of the moment. You can rent boats and canoes without a guide-skipper or can take a tour with a guide-skipper! Return to top
The coast: is about an hour drive away with splendid beaches and the seaside town of La Rochelle. An old port guarded by three 14th-century stone towers, there is some interesting medieval and Renaissance architecture in fortified old town Museums dedicated to art, natural history, colonial trade with America, oceanography (aquarium), boat trips. Popular beaches nearby (île de Ré). Also a great place for seafood restaurants. Return to top
Foret de Mervent-Vouvant: A small hilltop forest, south of the campsite and just north of Fontenay-le-Comte. The forest de Mervent-Vouvant crowns one of a string of forested hills (massif forestiers) that surround the Marais Vernier. This crescent of forest, on a granite plateau, is hardly more than 16km across, yet in its limited area you will find deep tree-covered ravines and a reservoir. It s trees include beech, oak, hornbeam and chestnut. The reservoir was created in the 1950s when a dam (the Barrage de Mervent) was built across the River Vendee to provide fresh water for the nearby town of Fontenay-le-Comte. The reservoir and the streams that drain into it are full of pike, carp, eel and bream. Return to top

Themed parks

Futuroscope: 'European Park of the moving image' is just outside Poitiers, it has a host of audio-visual technology, (circular cinemas, 3D cinemas, Cyber Avenue, Aquascope, Astratour, Imax 3D, Children's World) with its futuristic architecture and homage to the technologies of tomorrow. See 3D films on the giant, flat, circular or spherical screens. Dynamic cinema, new video techniques and virtual pictures. See Kinemax films on a seven stories high screen 1 or 3 D shows, a 360 ° film or the famous Magic carpet with huge screen under your feet, Dive at the speed of light into the city of Atlantis in the "Race for Atlantis. The unique park in the world where you can spend one or two days and nights seeing lots of fascinating non stop shows. http://www.futuroscope.org Return to top

For something different

Karting: There is an International karting circuit just 10 minutes drive away where you can hire a kart from 15 minutes to half a day. The 'International Val d'Argenton Karting Track' is considered to be the best in Europe.
The track is well organised and safety issues fully addressed. http://www.boca-speed.com Return to top
Horse riding can be arranged which is an excellent way to see the local area without the car. There are two riding centres close by. One offers wonderful hacks through the countryside where you hardly touch road but ford rivers and follow tree-lined bridle paths. The other stable is based in the and you ride around the grounds of Chateau de Brissac Return to top
Le Mans: Famed destination for racing enthusiasts the world over, the infamous annual 24-hour race is a must. Many other races take place at this course during the year including the Moto GP, Euro Saloons Championship, Classic Le Mans and many more. Open all year regardless of racing is the "Musee de l'Automobile" which recounts the history of the motor car and the 24-hour race. Beside the racing connection, Le Mans is a fine example of a Roman-fortified walled city in the style of Rome itself. Return to top
Tank Museum: based at Saumur with an amazing display of armoured vehicles. http://www.musee-des-blindes.asso.fr Return to top
Le Cadre Noir de Saumur: this is the famous crack French Cavalry regiment, who put on many displays and tours throughout the year. http://www.cadrenoir.fr/ Return to top
Troglodytes: Close to Saumur there are clusters of Troglodyte dwellings carved in the soft shellstone cliffs around the Loire river. Between Saumur and Angers these prehistoric homes are packed in quite densely and it has been estimated that in the 12th century over half the population lived in such caves. Nowadays, some of the 1000km passages of calcareous tufa have been revolutionised as Troglo bars, restaurants and ideal locations to sample Saumur wines. Return to top

Further information on the surrounding area can be found by following any of these links:
http://www.lvo.com
http://www.tourisme.fr
http://www.visaloire.com