Fairytale Toadstools in the Loire Valley

Have you ever wanted to see for real the red toadstools with white spots that appear in every fairy story illustration you've ever seen? Did you realise they grow wild in the Loire Valley? We can't guarantee you will see them on a tour with us, but they appear in the forests in the autumn, and we will be sure to point them out to you if we can. And no, they aren't edible, but do have a reputation for giving you visions and making you vomit if you do eat them.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Viewing and Photographing the Chateau of Chenonceau

Because the Chateau of Chenonceau sits on the River Cher there are a number of vantage points from which you can view the chateau and take some lovely photographs. Let us take you to the places that offer you those magical scenes.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Visiting the Chateau of Cande in the Loire Valley

One of the least known of the chateaux in the Loire Valley the Chateau of Candé gets remarkably few visitors. The chateau itself was built for the Briconnet family in 1508, so the same family and the same time as Chenonceau. Then in the mid-19th century it was sympathetically tripled in size by the Drake del Castillo family. The intriguing Franco-American businessman Charles Bedaux bought the chateau in 1927 and retrofitted modern utilities. The stories of these successive families, all wealthy but otherwise quite different in their interests and outlooks, mean that the building can tell a fascinating history based story.

I bet you can't tell which is the original part and which is the 'new' part.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Visiting the Gardens of Villandry in the Loire Valley

Because the framework of the gardens at Villandry as a whole are so good it is worth visiting at any time of year. But because the most famous part of the garden relies on formal parterres planted with vegetables for their decorative effect, this is not really a spring garden as so many others are. This is a garden which peaks in late summer and early autumn, when all the fruit and vegetables have matured.

This photo was taken on a dull November day at about 5pm when sunset is at 5.30 pm, so light conditions were not the best for taking stunning photographs. Nevertheless, I think you can still get a good idea of how impressive these gardens are.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Mushroom Farming in the Loire Valley

The mushroom caves in the Loire Valley are extraordinary places. Originally quarries where the beautiful white limestone used to build the chateaux was extracted, by the end of the 19th century the quarrymen had run out of stone and needed come up with a new way of making a living. The most enterprising learned how to grow mushrooms in these unique places, and one of our most fascinating visits takes us to our favourite mushroom 'farm'. It is one of the last such places still operating, and still in the hands of the family who started it a century ago. They grow top quality mushrooms for high end restaurants and the pharmaceutical industry. Come with us and learn all about how they do it, and the fascinating evolution of the family business.

The underground village at our favourite mushroom producers.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

The Incredible Flower Arrangements at the Chateau of Chenonceau

Despite the fact that the Chateau of Chenonceau is the most visited of all the Loire Valley chateaux, it has a feature that seems to come as a surprise to almost all first time visitors. The Chateau employs two full time professional florists, and their job is to provide flower arrangements for every room in the Chateau, every day of the year. Some of the arrangements are enormous, some are small and delicate. They are always different and they are one of the wonders of the Loire Valley. Somehow though, they don't seem to get much publicity, but they are a guaranteed way to make the people we take there go 'Wow!!' and it means that a visit at any time of year is still an outstanding experience, because even if the day outside is grey and damp, inside will be an explosion of colour and floral creativity.

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Costume and Textile Tours of the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is home to some unique embroidery styles, such as Broderie Richelieu and Jour d'Angle. I have a lifelong interest in textiles and costume and would be delighted to create a custom half day tour to visit sites that have good embroidery, tapestry or costume collections. We might even be able to visit a working artisan. Please contact me to ask what would be possible.

Altar cloth in Point de Richelieu (cutwork), Sainte Catherine de Fierbois church.

 

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.

Driving Through a Loire Valley Village in a Classic Citroen Car

Join us for a drive.

 

 

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. If you would like an idea of how your tour might look and sound, please check out our YouTube channel.