The Loire Valley is about 50% forest and some of it has been there for over a thousand years. It provides extensive areas for hiking and riding, and high grade hardwood timber for , and wine barrels and projects such as the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Many of the trees are deciduous, including oak, chestnut and beech, but a few are evergreen. Holly and ivy are both abundant and are important contributors to the microclimate, with their ability to protect small creatures from bad weather in the winter.
If you love nature, ask us to include a walk in the forest as part of your itinerary. In the autumn we can forage for fungi and at any time of year we can pay our respects to the World War II Resistance fighters whose graves we might encounter deep in the forest.