Sainte Maure de Touraine, a reknowned goats cheese in the Loire Valley.

Sainte Maure de Touraine is the name of a town in the Touraine Loire Valley. It is also the name of one of our local fromages de chèvre (goats' cheeses), the others being Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, Selles-sur-Cher, Valençay and Chavignol. We've found that even people who have not liked the goats cheese they've tried in the past discover that they really like Sainte Maure de Touraine.

 

Sainte Maure de Touraine is an AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) which roughly follows the boundaries of the old Province of Touraine. It has to be made by traditional methods - this means that all the cheese is made by hand from fresh ingredients, either on farms or in dairy co-operatives. If you would like to include some goats cheese in your itinerary with us, just let us know. We can arrange a tasting or a visit to a farm.

Discover What is on the Forest Floor in the Loire Valley

The extensive forests in the Loire Valley are dominated by the oak trees that have been used for centuries for building  chateaux, houses and barns, as well as boats. Many of these forests have been managed for centuries, for hunting, timber extraction and some foraging of wild edible plants. As a consequence they are stable environments with a rich biodiversity. There are many species of moss for example, including the Common Striated Feather Moss, which often makes rather fairytale scenes with its habit of growing up small saplings and forming spongey carpets. Very photogenic!

 

If you would like a walk in one of the Loire Valley forests accompanied by a knowlegeable local naturalist and guide, let us know. We can open your eyes to both the bigger picture and the amazing detail in these wonderful natural environments. Note that you will need waterproof hiking boots as the trails can be muddy, but there are no difficult climbs or extremely rough ground to contend with. The forest trails are mostly flat natural clay and gravel. They can be a bit uneven where heavy forestry machinery has been using them.

Rare Bulbs in the Wild in the Loire Valley

Are you a botanist or a gardener who loves spring bulbs? Did you know that we have a rare bulb that grows wild in the Loire Valley? This area is one of the last strongholds of the strange origami box shaped flowers of the Snakeshead Fritillary. If you visit in March or April you may have a chance of seeing them in the wild, along the Indre River near the Chateau of Azay le Rideau. 

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel. 

Instagrammer Watching in the Loire Valley

Instagrammers are a strange young breed apart as far as most of our clients are concerned. They are mostly old enough to be the Instagrammer's grandparents, and find their behaviour a bit vulgar. Happily, the Loire Valley is not infested with extreme Instagrammers posing ludicrously and pushing ordinary visitors out of the way. So when we encounter one we can treat it as part of the entertainment and enjoy the show. Like others in the room we proceeded to take our own doubtless inadequate photos of the proceedings for later posting on social media. This young woman had sensibly timed her arrival at Chenonceau on a busy day in May for the very late afternoon, when most visitors have gone home. Despite having a team of photographer, director, and a bloke we dubbed 'The Handbag Wrangler', she did not cause a scene or any inconvenience to anyone else. She was also wearing a classier outfit than a lot of them that we've seen. Properly professional we'd say.

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, gardens, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

We are also on Instagram, so check us out to see a regularly updated selection of our very best photos. You may also like to check out our YouTube channel.