Has The Loire Disappeared?

View of the Loire taken from the Chateau Royal d'Amboise on 30 July 2022.

Some of you may be worrying that if you visit the Loire Valley there will be nothing to see. There are stories all over the media about how the Loire River has dried up. This is absolutely not true. At Amboise the river is low and shallow, but it always is in the summer. Further west the river bed looks even more dramatic but the photos are misleading. The Loire divides into two or more channels in many places, forming islands mid river. Sometimes one channel will dry up, even in a normal year, and the other takes all the water. So don't worry. The Loire is just as picturesque as ever (although it is true that the weather has been exceptionally hot and dry this summer).

A Favourite Memory From the Loire Valley

Many people tell us that one of their favourite memories from doing a tour with us are the carved stone dogs on the entrance steps to the Logis royal in Loches. Not many of our clients have heard of Loches before they do a tour with us, but it ends up being the highlight of their visit.

Why not come and see them for yourself? We would be delighted to create a tour for you that includes the carved stone dogs of Loches.

A Top Tip for Getting the Best Out of a Guided Tour

Don't have expectations of what you want to see that are too fixed. Consult your guide before your tour about what they would recommend and what they would skip. Your guide will have seen hundreds of people's reactions to different aspects of a tour, and will know the well known things which are actually a disappointment, and conversely, the things you've never heard of that will turn out to be a highlight of your tour. Try to allow the guide to work to their strengths, by visiting the sites they recommend.

Traditional river boat on the Loire.