UK's #1 Motorhome Travel Blog. In 2018, I quit my job as an air traffic controller to tour the UK and Europe by motorhome. I share weekly tips, itinerary ideas and mistakes to avoid- all to help motorhome and campervan owners make the most of their time on the road. See you out there! More resources available at Wandering-Bird.com and you can follow the adventures on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @wanderingbird.adventures
🇫🇷 Loire Valley: 5 things I wish I'd known
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I’ve just spent the past week exploring the Loire Valley with our latest Wandering Motorhome Club group trip and my head is full of all the incredible places we visited. (It's also full of wine and cheese!) Today, I want to share the things I’d tell you if you were planning a motorhome trip to the Loire Valley tomorrow. Save this email somewhere so you can find it when you need it! -------------------- WMC Members: you'll be getting access to the Loire Valley and Brittany itineraries very soon, so you can use them to help you plan your own trips. I'll send an email when they're live in the Club Hub for you. -------------------- Tip 1. You don’t need to visit every châteauThis will save you both money AND château fatigue. 😂 Choose one or two that you really want to explore properly, then enjoy some of the others as photo stops. There are beautiful châteaux EVERYWHERE- even when you're not expecting them. Some of my favourite moments were simply spotting another ridiculous building from the road and going: “Oooh. Which is THAT?!” You could spend a fortune trying to go inside them all. I recommend you don't- it gets overwhelming. Personally, Chambord is still my favourite, but seeing it from the air was even better. Which leads me to... If you want to do ONE big splurge… take to the skies🎈The sunrise hot air balloon ride over Château de Chambord from a hot air balloon at sunrise was INCREDIBLE. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, you have to get up at an utterly ridiculous hour. Yes, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. If you’re looking for one memorable experience rather than spending money entering endless châteaux, this is what I'd suggest. (If I'm honest, the only downside was that the Chambord estate is SO huge that you don't see much else- but it was still incredible. We booked with Chambord Montgolfiere) However... Don’t make Chambord your entire focusChambord is spectacular and yes, you should absolutely see it. But the area around it is almost more useful as a BASE. We stayed near Bracieux, at Camping Huttopia Les Châteaux, for three nights and campsite and location was brilliant. From there you’ve got Chambord, Cheverny, Blois, several smaller châteaux, wineries and pretty villages all within easy reach. To be honest, I could have stayed at that campsite even longer. It was lovely. Head further westDon’t just do Chambord/Blois and leave. Head towards Saumur, and enjoy places like Amboise and the troglodyte houses and caves around places like Montsoreau. It’s a completely different feel from the Chambord end of the valley. Montsoreau itself is gorgeous and sits right on the Loire, and Saumur is nearby with its château sitting above the river. I’d definitely include this area. Finally — SLOW DOWN.This is probably the most important one. The Loire is not somewhere I’d recommend racing through. There is ALWAYS another château. Another village. Another vineyard! If you rush from one to another, you miss one of the best bits about the place- the relaxed way of life. Enjoy a glass of wine and some cheese. Try the local crepes. Leave plenty of space for random detours. Because there will be random detours. 🤣 One of my favourite random detours this week was visiting a place called Mini Chateau. It has ALL the chateaux of the Loire in miniature, so you can see how they all look (and compare sizes!) It needed a bit of love after a long, hot summer, but it was still a fun excursion we hadn't planned. I hope you can make it to the Loire soon. We'll have to come back one day- there's still so much to explore. Safe travels,
P.S. This is the final week that the Secrets of France Road Trip Planner is on sale. Yes, I'll be adding the Loire Valley itinerary into it (and the Brittany one too). Save 40% now and get all future updates and itineraries for free. |
Kat | Wandering Bird
UK's #1 Motorhome Travel Blog. In 2018, I quit my job as an air traffic controller to tour the UK and Europe by motorhome. I share weekly tips, itinerary ideas and mistakes to avoid- all to help motorhome and campervan owners make the most of their time on the road. See you out there! More resources available at Wandering-Bird.com and you can follow the adventures on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @wanderingbird.adventures
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