Vignes, Vins et Randos is an organised series of walks throughout the Loire Valley at various locations from the Atlantic Coast through Muscadet, Anjou, Saumur as far east as Touraine:

Organised hikes around the themes of local heritage, vineyards and local wines.

A central theme this year is music in the heart of the vines

A long the walks you will find different activities and gastronomic pauses with local produce such as : pork rillons, rillettes, goat’s cheese, apples and more… The local traditions, expertise and heritage will be the main attractions.

The highlight of the walk will be an acoustic concert in the vines with professional musicians selected by the organisers of the Avoine Zone Blues festival who will play jazz, swing, gypsy, French or classical music. There will be a choice to satisfy everyone’s taste in music!

New features in 2011 :

- The deaf and hard of hearing will be accompanied on the muscadet-sèvre-et-maine and saumur-champigny walks.

- Hot air ballon will take off on the chinon walk.

- Horse and cart rides on the quarts-de-chaume, and touraine-azay-le-rideau walks.

- Guided descriptions of the vineyard landscapes by experts from the Mission Val de Loire on the quarts-de-chaume, saumur-champigny, touraine-azay-le-rideau and vouvray walks.

For more info see www.vignesvinsrandos.fr/

For more info on the race see www.lemans.org

When the town is not full of racing enthisuasts, it is well worth a visit with a fine old medieval city centre to explore – see www.lemanstourisme.com

For more about the region and our customised searchable map CLICK HERE
Find best rates for hotels in Le Mans

12th & 13th JUNE 2010 – The Le Mans 24 Hours

The 78th running of the greatest endurance race in the world will take place on the big 13,629-km circuit, which also uses part of the Bugatti layout (built in 1966), and a section of the main Le Mans-Tours road closed to traffic for the event.

On this layout, the record for the greatest distance covered in the race is held by David Brabham, Marc Gené and Alexander Wurz, the 2009 winners; they covered 382 laps, a distance of 5.206,278 kms at an average speed of 216,664 km/h. 2010 will be the last year for the current LM P prototypes and grand touring cars (LM GT), as a new set of technical regulations will come into force in 2011. Every year, the Le Mans 24 Hours attracts a big crowd, 234 800 spectators in 2009, for example. Topping the 2010 bill is the revenge match between Audi and Peugeot so there is every likelihood this figure will be exceeded.

A car & minibus hire company in Port Vallières (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre) just west of Tours on the Loire offers self-drive hire of the Citroen TA which could offer a great way to explore the vineyards and chateaux of Touraine (Touraine AC, Vouvray AC, Cheverny, Cour-Cheverny AC etc).

Quart de Tours, 184 Quai des Bateliers, Port Vallières, 37320 Fondettes

Other options for drving classic cars in France can be found at the  Chateau Hotel de la Barre near Le Mans (72 Sarthe, Val de Loire) :

Test drive your dream car across 200 km of scenic roads and reach full acceleration and performance during two laps on the legendary 24 hours Le Mans circuit. Or go straight to the track for any number of laps from 4 to 24! A Ferrari 430 or 599 GTB, a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 530, a Porsche 997 GT3)

Or for a more british experience see www.the-classic-route.com where you can hire a classic Morgan sports car from the British owners and tour the delightful roads of SouthWest France(32 Haute Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees).

And in Brittany (and  other locations including Paris and Amboise) you can hire and drive classic Citroen TAs with Vintage Roads

Brief Summary:

Unless you are lucky enough to live within an hour or so of the English Channel ports, the annual trip to and from France can be a bit of an ordeal. Dover crossings may be short, but tend to leave you with longer to drive on both sides of the Channel. The western Channel crossings are longer, but can be expensive, especially if you reserve a cabin for an overnight crossing. And, whilst parts of northern France don’t always tempt you to pause, the routes through Brittany and Normandy offer a host of places which would be worth a linger! An ideal stop-over to break the journey – just 90 minutes or so (135km) south of the Caen ferry terminal) at Ouistreham. Le Basse Cour is run by Phil and Jude Graham at Ancinnes (72 Sarthe, Pays de Loire) near Alencon (61 Orne, Normandie), just 10 minutes from the new A28 autoroute, and right on the border between Normandy and the Loire Valley (Sarthe).

This picturesque  18th century Normandy farmhouse has three guest rooms with private bathrooms.  Guests have access to a sitting room/library, terraces and extensive gardens equipped with tables and chairs by the side of a small fishing lake.

“Choose from three comfortable en-suite guest rooms with a three star Gites de France rating. The house is in a peaceful, quiet setting surrounded by wooded and planted gardens on the fringes of the magnificent Forest of Perseigne. You’re welcome to make yourself at home on the terrace with a glass of wine (or try the local Normandy cider) or enjoy a game of boules on the lawn.” As Michael said ” it was so good that we stopped over for two more days on the way back to the port at Caen. Genial hosts, wonderful setting, super rooms.”

A welcoming and friendly area, which is unspoiled by commercial tourism but rich in tradition, with an abundance of interesting places and sights to see.

Location of la Basse Cour at Ancinnes For more on the region including our searchable customised map see www.frenchduck.co.uk/wp

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Brief Summary:

Unless you are lucky enough to live within an hour or so of the English Channel ports, the annual trip to and from France can be a bit of an ordeal. Dover crossings may be short, but tend to leave you with longer to drive on both sides of the Channel. The western Channel crossings are longer, but can be expensive, especially if you reserve a cabin for an overnight crossing. And, whilst parts of northern France don’t always tempt you to pause, the routes through Brittany and Normandy offer a host of places which would be worth a linger! An ideal stop-over to break the journey – just 90 minutes or so (135km) south of the Caen ferry terminal) at Ouistreham. Le Basse Cour is run by Phil and Jude Graham at Ancinnes (72 Sarthe, Pays de Loire) near Alencon (61 Orne, Normandie), just 10 minutes from the new A28 autoroute, and right on the border between Normandy and the Loire Valley (Sarthe).

This picturesque  18th century Normandy farmhouse has three guest rooms with private bathrooms.  Guests have access to a sitting room/library, terraces and extensive gardens equipped with tables and chairs by the side of a small fishing lake.

“Choose from three comfortable en-suite guest rooms with a three star Gites de France rating. The house is in a peaceful, quiet setting surrounded by wooded and planted gardens on the fringes of the magnificent Forest of Perseigne. You’re welcome to make yourself at home on the terrace with a glass of wine (or try the local Normandy cider) or enjoy a game of boules on the lawn.” As Michael said ” it was so good that we stopped over for two more days on the way back to the port at Caen. Genial hosts, wonderful setting, super rooms.”

A welcoming and friendly area, which is unspoiled by commercial tourism but rich in tradition, with an abundance of interesting places and sights to see.

Location of la Basse Cour at Ancinnes For more on the region including our searchable customised map see www.frenchduck.co.uk/wp

cforms contact form by delicious:days