Things to do (all within an hour's drive)
Châteaux
With so many of the Loire's châteaux within easy reach you can visit more than
one a day!
Here are just some of them:
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Famous across the world for its gardens. The festival of lights 'Nuits des Mille
Feux' on specific weekends in July and August is spectacular.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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The tallest château in France with an English guided tour of the
magnificent interior.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Great for children with its extensive underground passages for when the village
was under siege.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Where Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart are
buried.
You can visit Brézé on the same day as they are less than 15 minutes
apart.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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This is one of our favourites, a quirky château with fabulous gardens full of
fun, especially for children. With over 450 different roses and the largest pair
of wellington boots you have ever seen!
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Route from Le Ruault.
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A fairytale château said to be the inspiration for the tale of 'Sleeping
Beauty'.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Superb views across the river and the town rooftops from the ramparts. They offer
wine-tasting in their cellar and the Barbacane restaurant
just in front of the portcullis is one of our favourites too.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Take a leisurely drive along the Loire and Vienne to the medieval town of Chinon
and enjoy lunch in the market square. There is an escalator up to the château
with great views over the town and river.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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This is one of the prettiest châteaux of the Loire built in the Italian
style. Even with some great rooms and furniture the best bit is the attic where
you can see the 16th century oak beam roof - a marvel of geometry and mathematics.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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One of the largest and oldest châteaux with a medieval style garden and the
best tree house in France!
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Wine
The Loire Valley has 87 appellations (regulating where the grapes are grown and how
the wine is made); the area around
Saumur
is the third largest sparkling wine producer
in France.
Le Ruault is surrounded by vineyards, growing the three main grape varieties: Chenin
Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. We love seeing the vines during the seasons,
noting which ones have been pruned, having a chat with the vignerons (wine-growers) on
our dog walks and seeing the grapes growing. But best of all is tasting the results!
Vignerons often sell direct from their properties. You can go along and do a tasting
(une degustation) and buy if you like. We're happy to arrange one for you. Our nearest
vigneron is only a 10-minute walk away - so you can even stagger back. There are plenty
of others within a short distance and some of the bigger producers in Saumur
also offer guided tours of their caves. They specialise in cremant de Loire (champagne
in all but name) but let's keep that our little secret, shall we?
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Theme parks
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which markets itself as the best theme park in the world (!), is second only to
Disneyland Paris in terms of visitor numbers in France. It is truly awesome and we
recommend booking tickets in advance.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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is only a 15-minute drive from Le Ruault. It offers thrills and excitement for all
ages.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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is a theme park devoted to plant life. It's just north of Angers and worth a
day trip. Ranulph loves it!
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Other attractions
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A world-class zoo and conservation project imaginatively created in a disused
quarry. A chance to get close up to lots of animals; throughout the day there are
shows where staff feed the animals and explain about their care. Don't miss the
vulture feeding and gibbon singing sessions.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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The famous tank museum in Saumur - great for anyone interested in military
history.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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Home to the French National Riding School. You can get up close with the stunning
horses and also enjoy a range of shows.
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Route from Le Ruault.
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On the river Thouet either from Montreuil-Bellay or Thouars. You can hire canoes
for 1 or 2 hours or even half-a-day if you'd like to explore further.
We have canoed the river Thouet at both Montreuil-Bellay and Thouars as well as the Loire
itself from Montsoreau to Genneton (28 km - although you can do a shorter trip from
Montsoreau to Saumur!)
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Route from Le Ruault to Montreuil-Bellay, from Le Ruault to Thouars and from Montreuil-Bellay to Thouars.
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There are two great golf courses near Le Ruault. The nearest is the 9-hole course
at Saint-Hilaire in Saumur
35 minutes away.
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The second course is the 18-hole par 70 southeast of Angers
at St Jean des Mauvrets - a 40 minute drive.
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Food and flea markets
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We go to the market in
Thouars held on Tuesday and Friday, the Friday market is widely
regarded as one of the best in the area and worth just wandering round to soak up the
atmosphere. There is a food market somewhere nearby every day of the week - why not
combine a trip with a château visit?
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There are flea markets (brocantes) on the first 4 Sundays of each month at
Montreuil-Bellay,
Montsoreau,
Chinon and
Saumur respectively.
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