Singing Stones   

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   HISTORY

The Loire Valley - a designated UNESCO area of 'Outstanding Beauty' - is renowned for it's French splendour, style and gastronomy. Situated between northern and southern France, and just a short train or autoroute ride from Paris, the region was once of immense strategic importance. Kings, queens, dukes and nobles came here to establish feudal castles and, later on, sumptuous palaces – that's why this fertile river valley is sprinkled with hundreds of France's most opulent aristocratic estates and chateaux.  

With crenellated towers, soaring cupolas and glittering banquet halls, the region's châteaux, and the villages and vineyards that surround them, attest to over a thousand years of rich architectural and artistic creativity. The Loire Valley is also known for its outstanding wines (red, white, rosé and sparkling) and lively, sophisticated cities, including Orléans, Blois, Tours and Angers – yet more reasons why the entire area is an enormous UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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   THINGS TO DO

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There is so much to see and to experience in the Loire that it is impossible to include everything on this site alone. Below are some of the nearest major towns and cities to our location, as well as some of the most notable chateaux and vineyards that are easily accessible from our properties. 

In addition to the many tourist and historic attractions are a number of superb GOLF COURSES nearby, including the highly acclaimed course at Bauge and the scenic Sept des Tours, both about 20 minutes drive away. 

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Other nearby activities include KAYAKING, FISHING, HORSE-RIDING, and a number of family-friendly parks and lakes. CYCLING is popular due to the relatively flat terrain and the magnificent views. At Chantepierre we provide bikes, free of charge, for our guests' use.

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  PLACES TO VISIT

SAUMUR is a beautiful white town built in the chalky white tufeau stone that is characteristic of the Loire Valley. One of the region's most fashionable areas, it has a magnificent chateau overlooking the river Loire and has a good selection of shops, boutiques, markets, and fabulous restaurants. If you're visiting the Saumur area for the wines, Saumur Brut is the king of the wines of the region but there are other less known wines that are just as nice, almost one to suit every palette. Saumur's lovely old chateau is open to the public and it also houses two museums - the decorative arts museum and the horse museum. Ecole Nationale D'Equitation and Cadre Noir is the world famous riding academy - boasting the largest riding arena in Europe - and is home to the elite cavalry regiment the Cadre Noir. You can visit the stables, watch training sessions and admire traditional dressage techniques in action. Musee Des Blindes (tank museum) The largest museum of its kind in Europe, displaying not only tanks but a wide range of other armored vehicles - over 150 of them in all - most of them in working order, plus another 700 vehicles. Abbaye Royale De Fontevraud The largest surviving complex of monastic buildings in Europe. In its heyday the abbey was one of the western world's key spiritual and cultural centres.  Musee Du Champignon Here in the mushroom caves, you can see various stages of the production of Saumur's famous button mushrooms plus some more exotic varieties as well, like Oyster mushrooms, shiitake or wood blewits. Caves De Saumur, Saumur's wine makers all use traditional methods and are always striving for even higher quality wines. Red, White and Rose, Saumur-Champigny, Cremant de Loire, and the king of them all, the very dry sparkling Saumur Brut, the perfect choice for special occasions. All these wines mature gently in long galleries tunnelled out of the tufa rock. Troglodyte village a village cut out of the rock. Some of the houses or caves have been modernised so you could live in them today.

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TOURS rich with history and a well preserved heritage, is a city of captivating charm. This cathedral city has managed to guard its rich past while keeping an eye on the future. The original home of the French language and the "art de vivre", Tours has a mixture of the old and new, and is a city of harmony and proportion. Tours is a modern and dynamic centre with a thriving university, cultivating economic development, with many cultural and sports activities. It is a truly European centre, whose heart is the Place Plumereau, a lively square surrounded by impressive tall half timbered buildings dating from the 15th century. The city is permanently alive with the activity generated by the many and varied local shops that offer a considerable choice - from international-class luxury goods to the traditional products of local craftsmen. As well as all this, Tours has many beautiful buildings and things to see. Amongst them is the Cathedrale St-Gatien, the Hotel Goulin, home to the city's archaeological museum, the Wine Museum of Touraine, and Place Pierre-le-Puellier - an evacuated Gallo-Roman and medieval cemetery which once formed part of a Renaissance cloister.

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ANGERS the capital of Anjou and gateway to the Loire valley, is distinguished as much for the richness of its heritage as for its cultural and economic dynamism. The 16th largest town in France, the towers of the imposing castle fortress watch peacefully over the heights of the town, while in the streets, museums, gardens, shops, gastronomic restaurants, art festivals and vibrant life give colour to the famous Angevin softness. With more than 300km of navigable waterways and 250km of footpaths for rambling, Angers provides a range of activities. There are museums, the chateau - which is home to the Apocalypse Tapestries - cathedral and churches, and more than 45 timber framed houses. It is also home to the headquarters of the famous Remy-Cointreau Distillery.

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CHINON is home to the famous medieval fortress which was built high above the River Vienne to protect the valley. History tells that it was here, in the Great Hall, that Joan of Arc recognised the Dauphin. It was also here that Richard the Lionheart came when fatally wounded. The château has three different forts or keeps, waterless moats, underground passages and dungeons. Chinon is a lovely old fortified town with cobbled streets and alleys which wind their way up and down and along the hillside. There are a wealth of eating houses and small shops. The town and region are famous for the 'Chinon' vineyards where superb red wines are produced.

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