Creamy Christmas Cheese in the Loire Valley

November is a busy time for our favourite goats cheese producer in the Loire Valley. He is preparing for Christmas and must carefully age and turn hundreds of cheeses so they will be perfect from mid December to the early New Year. He sells most of his product in speciality cheese boutiques in Paris, but we are lucky enough to have him on our doorstep and he lets us visit with cheese loving clients throughout the year.

Jean-Luc turning creamy Christmas cheeses.

If you love cheese email us or use our contact form. We will design a tour that includes a visit to Jean-Luc and you can taste his cheese for yourself. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

New Interiors in the Chateau of Azay le Rideau

Following the enormous task of restoring the exterior of the Chateau of Azay le Rideau the curators have completely refurbished the ground floor 19th century rooms dedicated to the last private owners, the Biencourt family. Using photographs showing how the Biencourts furnished, decorated and occupied the spaces the curators have recreated a series of comfortable, fashionable 19th century interiors, ranging from drawing room to billiards room, dining room to sitting room. Let us show you the very splendid result and tell you how it was achieved.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

Chateau of Azay le Rideau Restoration

Over the past couple of years the beautiful Renaissance chateau of Azay le Rideau has been restored inside and out. Learn how the work served to train apprentice masons, carpenters, roofers and metal workers so traditional construction industry skills are maintained in the Loire Valley. We have a background in heritage management and conservation and know the project manager who co-ordinated this extraordinary 16 million euro project. We can give you insights into the conservation of this and other Loire Valley buildings that other tours cannot offer.

The chateau halfway through restoration, in 2016.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

Looking to the Future of Notre-Dame

Fires in historic buildings under repair are nothing new. In fact, big restorations are a known risk factor. Everything that can be done is done to protect against fire, but sometimes tragedies happen. After all, we can't choose not to repair centuries old buildings -- they would fall down if there was no intervention. So it's a risk we have to take, and it is a situation visitors have to accept if they want to be able to see these buildings in the future. Don't think of scaffolding as ruining your photos, think of it as an opportunity to learn more about heritage building conservation, with an experienced and professional guide such as Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel.

Often, like at the Chateau of Azay le Rideau, under scaffolding for two years while the roof, attics and upper courses of masonry were carefully conserved, repaired and replaced where necessary, it all goes according to plan and the building is unveiled looking more beautiful than ever, and fit for a couple more centuries.

Sadly, sometimes it all goes horribly wrong and there is a disaster such as happened at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. In both cases however, the outlook is the same and is a positive one. We have an extraordinary opportunity to train new conservators and artisans in the care and maintenance of historic buildings. With Notre-Dame there is a heightened sense of the importance of the project because of its iconic status, but the heritage professionals who care for her are totally up for the challenge.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

Sunflower Season in the Loire Valley

Lots of clients tell us that one of their hopes for their day in the Loire Valley is to see fields of golden sunflowers. They've usually been told that July is the season for the glorious sunflower fields stretching to the horizon. This is true, but not for the first week of July, and occasionally we get someone who has booked just that little bit early, only to be disappointed. It's sad.

Célestine by a field of sunflowers.

But anyone who books for the last 3 weeks of July or the first week of August is guaranteed a treat. The sunflowers will be out and proud!

If you want to see the sunflowers in all their glory, let us design a tour that meanders from chateau to chateau through sunlit yellow fields.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

When to Visit the Loire Valley

If you are reading this blog then you are likely planning a holiday to France and will want to choose the best time of year to visit.

Not many people choose the winter months, because they think the weather will be cold and damp and the days are short. However, February is often one of the most spectacular months, with clear days and bright blue skies that are a photographer's heaven. Spring is a favourite time for many, with gardens bursting into colour again, and orchids and cowslips flowering on the roadsides. Remember that this is the wettest time of year here though and be prepared with a lightweight raincoat for the sudden showers.

In February the light is perfect for capturing architectural details

Summer is when we get the most reliable weather, usually with dry warm days for weeks on end, but rarely getting unpleasantly hot so air conditioning is not required. Of course, July and August are when most people visit the Loire, so you might like to avoid the crowds and come in the autumn. The countryside is mellow and golden and September rivals May as the most beautiful month to visit.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.

Visiting the Chateau of Chaumont sur Loire

There are always fun ideas for gardeners at the Chaumont International Garden Festival, held in the grounds of the chateau there. The Festival has been running for over 20 years, inviting garden designers to create small gardens based around an annually changing theme. The budgets tend to be relatively small and so there is plenty that the home gardener can take away and easily achieve in their own garden.

Susan from LVTT and Australian client Louise
demonstrating a clever 'not a mirror'
arrangement in a 2012 Festival garden.

The gardens often have a humorous or fantasy twist to them, but they are also serious about putting the right plant in the right place. These are not typical show gardens, in that they have to survive from April to October. Occasionally a garden will be so good it is kept permanently and that is a real testament to the designer and their knowledge of plants.

Recently the chateau acquired another 10 ha of land just beyond the area the Festival takes place in. Work on the landscaping was undertaken in 2012 and a wonderful new landscape scale garden is now open for public visiting.

If you want novel ideas for your garden, or are keen to see where garden design in France is heading, email us and we will design a tour that includes the International Festival of Gardens at Chaumont, as well as other notable gardens in the area, such as the world famous Villandry.

To enquire about our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more email us or use our contact form. More tour ideas can be found on the Loire Valley Time Travel website.