The Cats of the Chateau of Chenonceau in the Loire Valley

The Chateau of Chenonceau prides itself on its pet friendliness. The estate is home to 30 cats, all neutered females and fed and cared for by the two animal carers who work full time in the grounds. You will almost certainly cross paths with at least one of them when you visit.
 

Animals crossing warning signs for motorists in the grounds of the Chateau of Chenonceau.

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.

Merry Christmas from the Loire Valley in 2020

Loire Valley Time Travel would like to wish all our clients a very happy Christmas, ideally celebrated with some sparkling Vouvray, of course!

Leaping stag graffiti in a medieval chateau in the Loire Valley.

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.

You Must Try the Melon in the Loire Valley

This isn't just a melon. This is a piece of history. And it's the most delicious melon you will ever have had in your life. Learn how these small salmon fleshed melons came to be one of the best things about a Loire Valley summer. They've been here since the 15th century, and because they don't travel well, you need to be in France in the summertime if you want to taste them and find out why all the locals look forward to them being in season.

Locally grown Charentais melon purchased from the producer.

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.

Masons Marks in the Loire Valley

Some of the architectural details to be seen on old buildings in the Loire Valley are not very easy to spot, and some people would not consider them important. But we take a different view.

As well as all the fine carving and fancy decoration, stone cutters and masons traditionally left individual marks on the stones they worked on. They were like a signature, put there to ensure the stone cutter got paid for each block he had cut. As you can imagine, there is a whole other history of the building that can be told by looking at masons' marks. We will also look at carpenters marks, witch marks and grafitti. They all have something fascinating to say.

Masons marks on our medieval barn.

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.

A Prisoner in the Royal Fortress

It's not just us who've been confined to our homes in the Touraine Loire Valley. Over the centuries there have been plenty of people kept in varying states of restriction here.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was imprisoned by her husband Henry II Plantagenet at the chateau-fortress of Chinon. Going back to the 12th century, 1173 to be precise, Eleanor had been queen of England for 20 years, when she organised a conspiracy to elevate her three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and Henry the Younger, against their father the king.

This revolt was supported by Eleanor's first husband Louis VII of France, and the king of Scotland. Eleanor hoped to seize power from Henry II, but she was captured whilst travelling to try to join the court of Louis VII.

Chateau-fortress of Chinon.

She was imprisoned for nearly 15 years, first of all at the chateau-fortress of Chinon, then at Salisbury and other English castles, until her liberation on the death of Henry on 6 July 1189.

Also held at the chateau-fortress of Chinon were the leaders of the Knights Templar.

If you want to include this historic and atmospheric castle in your tour, just let us know. 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.

How the Loire Valley Landscape is Changing

Tourists are rather inclined to think of places like the Loire Valley as timeless and changeless, but of course, they are working landscapes, with land use changing all the time. Sometimes it's for the good, especially with generational change and young farmers coming into the area with modern ideas of sustainability. Sadly, sometimes it is quite the opposite, with landowners changing the landscape in order to intensify farming practices. As your guides in the area, we won't shy away from talking about local issues and challenges, as well as proudly showcase successes and examples of best practice. We want you to retain your delight at all the beauty and history the Loire Valley has to offer, but not fall into the trap of treating it like a theme park. In our experience our clients are smart and engaged. They are interested in authenticity and the realities of life in modern France as well as all the romance and intrigue of its history.

 These pictures perfectly demonstrate the sort of thing we might talk about in terms of land use changing. In the top picture a track runs alongside a ditch and a wild natural hedge which forms a field boundary. In the field, natural native grassland is stocked with beef cattle or cut for hay. The farming is low intensity and sustainable. But below, on the other side of the track, the hedge has been removed and the land ploughed to plant maize. Biodiversity has plummeted and the farmer is using bigger machinery and applying more synthetic fertilizer and pesticides.

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.

Ethnobotany in the Loire Valley

You never know quite what will come up as part of your tour with us. We take an interest in everything around us so if there is an opportunity to pass on a piece of quirky information, we will do it. For example, in the summer there is a pretty blue wildflower on the roadsides. One of its common names is Rapunzel. It grows throughout Europe, not just in France, and the Brothers Grimm chose the name of this plant for their fairytale heroine. They would have known it well and in many places in times gone by this wild plant was an important food source. Both the leaves and the roots were cooked and eaten. Nowadays it is picked sometimes 'for the table' but that's for decoration, in a vase.

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.