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.

The Joy of Imagining the Past in the Loire Valley

A ghost sign that says 'chocolat'. How enticing! How redolant of times past -- your imagination can range far and wide with just a simple word painted on the side of what is now a private house. If you like visualising the past from glimpses in the present, you are our kind of traveller.

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.