French reader tour – 2-18 June 2008
- Thursday, 8 November 2007
- 0 Comments
From the stunning Loire valley to the sparkling west coast
2-18 June 2008
Highlights
Explore the valley of France?s longest river, the mighty Loire, as summer warms the skies
Visit Château de Chambord (pictured left), a glorious 16th Century Renaissance castle with 440 rooms, 365 chimneys and 84 staircases!
Travel to Carrière de Vignemont where a tunnel leads past a former troglodyte residence, into a labyrinth of 5km of tunnels dug by quarrymen
Take part in a rare guided tour of the Pilote factory where all the Pilote and Mooveo motorhome models are built
Breathe in the sea air while you relax at La Rochelle, and stroll along the sand dunes on the beautiful island of Île de Ré
Visit the Château de Cognac for a fascinating guided tour and tutored tasting. We'll organise a coach!
Tour leaders
David and Sharon Serpell
Your tour guides
David and Sharon Serpell will be your friendly and expert guides on this unmissable tour of the Loire Valley. You could not ask for a more experienced or approachable couple and as our chief motorhome testers you can get the inside line on what?s hot and what?s not!
Itinerary
Day 1, Monday 2 June
Arrive at Camping L'Étang de la Brèche near Saumur. This campsite has a superb pool and excellent on site restaurant. The family owners speak English and are both friendly and helpful. Welcome meal in campsite restaurant.
Overnight Camping L'Étang de la Brèche, Varennes-sur-Loire
Journey 346m from Calais, 377m from Zeebrugge, 259m from Roscoff, 252m from Cherbourg, 227m from Le Havre, 185m from Caen Ouistreham, 174m from St Malo
Day 2, Tuesday 3 June
Coach trip to the Abbaye de Fontevraud, the largest and most remarkably intact medieval abbey in Europe. In the afternoon you will discover an extraordinary château cut into the rock, surrounded by vineyards in Brézé.
Overnight Camping L'Étang de la Brèche
Day 3, Wednesday 4 June
Free day to relax on site or visit Saumur with its fairytale château and numerous restaurants.
Overnight Camping L'Étang de la Brèche
Day 4, Thursday 5 June
Transfer to Nantes area via the unusual Jardin des Kangourous. Wander round eight hectares of parkland and come face to face with a wallaby.
Overnight Camping La Boulogne, near Nantes
Journey 117 miles
Day 5, Friday 6 June
Drive the short distance to the Pilote Factory at La Limouzinière. This is a special event as normally the public are not allowed inside. Afterwards we travel south to our campsite on the atmospheric island of Île de Ré. The site has modern facilities and direct access to a magnificent four mile long beach.
Overnight Camping Sunêlia Interlude, Île de Ré
Journey 105 miles
Day 6, Saturday 7 June
Explore the fascinating town of La Rochelle. You arrive by sea, first passing by Fort Boyard, the daunting prison that rises straight out of the waves. From here you enter the old port between the two towers. Climb the 15th Century Tour de la Lanterne for magnificent views over the harbour. Return to the site by sea.
Overnight Camping Sunêlia Interlude
Day 7, Sunday 8 June
A free day to relax on the beach and explore the beautiful Île de Ré, known as the white island, for its long stretches of chalky cliffs and dunes, rich in wildlife, and its fishing villages.
Overnight Camping Sunêlia Interlude
Day 8, Monday 9 June
Transfer to next site on the Grande Côte resort, with magnificent beaches and pine forests.
Overnight Camping Le Puits de l'Auture,
St Palais-sur-Mer
Journey 62 miles
Day 9, Tuesday 10 June
Coach trip to Saintes and Cognac. We will take a guided tour of Saintes with its rich Roman and medieval heritage, including the amphitheatre. Some free time to visit the splendid cathedral, wander through the old town centre and have lunch (lunch not included). In Cognac you'll see storehouses and we will visit the Château de Cognac at Cognac Otard for a tour and a tutored tasting.
Overnight Camping Le Puits de l'Auture
Day 10, Wednesday 11 June
Free day to explore the beautiful Charente Maritime on your own, with its mix of tourism, fishing, oyster farming and Roman heritage of its inland towns. See Talmont-sur-Gironde, its medieval church that clings to the cliff over the sea is an enchanting sight.
Overnight Camping Le Puits de l'Auture
Day 11, Thursday 12 June
Today we drive up the A10 motorway, past Poitiers and Tours back to the Loire Valley to our last campsite, which has beautiful wooded areas with agreeable pitches. The owners speak English and the site is within walking distance of the village shops and the banks of the Loire. You are spoiled for choice for places to visit on the way: châteaux, gardens and wine producers.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais, Muides-sur-Loire
Journey 224 miles
Day 12, Friday 13 June
Today we take our motorhomes to Blois. You can tour Blois by horse-drawn carriage, visit the Royal Palace, the principal royal residence until Henry IV moved the court to Paris in 1598. Don't miss the three storeys of the Maison de la Magie (House of Magic ? the home of Robert Houdin) and wander round the covered Gothic passageways in Rue Pierre de Blois.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais
Journey 24 miles
Day 13, Saturday 14 June
A free day to explore the area or relax on site.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais
Day 14, Sunday 15 June
Drive individually the few miles to Château de Chambord (see main pic). Enjoy the 'Spectacle d'Art Equestre', a fantastic display of dynamic and skilful horsemanship with colourful costumes. For the rest of the day you can enjoy the magnificent Château with its 80+ staircases and countless rooms and towers,
and explore the Royal wooded parkland with paths and cycle ways.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais
Journey 5 miles
Day 15, Monday 16 June
Coach trip to the incredible Château de Chenonceau, which stretches across the River Cher with a 60m gallery built over a series of arches, reflecting its elegant beauty in the languid waters. Take a coach to Loches where we lunch among the restaurants (not included).After lunch visit Loches, the Carrière de Vignemont and Citadel, Royal Logis, Donjon and torture chamber. The Carrière de Vignemont is a fascinating labyrinth of galleries dug out by the ancient quarrymen. We then return to site via Montrichard for an organised wine tasting.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais
Day 16, Tuesday 17 June
A free day ending with a farewell dinner.
Overnight Camping Château des Marais
Day 17, Wednesday 18 June
The journey back to Calais is about 290 miles.
If you wish to stopover in France on the way, Carefree can help you book some sites.
Price
Two people + motorhome £599 per person
One person + motorhome £949
Three people + motorhome £489 per person
Four people + motorhome £426 per person
Price Includes
Campsite fees, including all tourist taxes and electricity 6 or 10 Amp depending on the campsite
All coach trips as described in the itinerary opposite
Visits as described in the intinerary
Two evening meals as described
Return ferry crossing for motorhome (up to 8m), and two passengers on Seafrance Dover-Calais sailings departing 2330-0700. Crossings at other times, or on other routes and with other operators, and on bank holidays and peak holiday weekends may incur a supplement. You must travel with the same operator in each direction.
Atlas of France (1:1,000,000)
Camping Card International
