Things to do in the area

This page is more about activites and the like. Some are free; most cost a bit - but not too much.

Many of the activites we haven't tried, so esearch them further but you try them at your own risk.

Categories so far are:

• Swimming
• Activity Parks
• Places where you can eat and drink
• Horse riding
• Shopping

Swimming

Most towns have a swimming pool (piscine) but that's hardly interesting - you can go to one of those at home. More interesting are the Parc de loisirs or, sometimes, etangs. The best of these offer a large lake with well-managed swimming areas, a beach and somewhere to buy refreshments. Some even offer play areas and other facilities, such as pedalos.

Longue Swimming Pool

There is a small open-air swimming in Longue.

The Local Lake (maybe)

This entry is light on detail because there aren't any: it (the lake) simply appeared recently. The reason for including it is that it is only minutes away from the gîte. Last time we visited it was restricted to fishing only but we are hoping that it will be opened up to swimmers as well.

Drive past the Super-U and cross the roundabout (onto the D79). Take the third turning on the left (Rue de Saint Martin). After only a short distance, take the right fork. Pass two cross-roads and the turning into the lake should be a little further on on the right. (You should see signs to the lake quite early on).

Millocheau, Saumur

This is probably the easiest to get to from the gîte but the hardet to direct you to.

The N147 is the main road into Saumur. When you go by the main road towards Saumur, you come across a roundabout the directs you to Saumur by the "route touristique" of to the left. If you continue across this roundabout, you will then pass a series of slip roads. The first takes you to the Eco-Parc; the second will take you into the northern outskirts of the town. You want the third junction.

Follow the slip road around to the right and then turn right onto the main road. Follow the road along the bank of the Loire until you hit the main road into town. Turn right onto the main road and cross the Loire. On the other side take the first turning right again, at a mini-roundabout. Follow this round until you reach the far end of the road and the canoing club. Park on the road (or drive in and round to the far end). The swimming area is at the far end of this complex. (There's also a small skate park.)

Total travel time should be less than ½ hour - especially once you know the way. Note that you can see the swimming lake from the Saumur bypass.

Plan d'eau de Mouliherne

According to mappy this is only ¼ hour away (although I'd recon on more like ½ hour). Rather than giving detailed directions, find Mouliherne on a map: it's small enough that, once you've found the village, it won't be too hard to find the lake.

Plan d'eau de Grezille

We haven't been here, so we can't vouch for it. Follow the signs to Les Rosiers. Cross the bridge to Gennes. (Both villages are worth exploring.) Carry on in the same direction to Grezille.

Travel time: about an hour.

Parcs de Loisirs (Activity Parks)

Holly Park

This is a kind of fair near Bauge, about ½ hour away. There is a charge for entry (last time we looked: adults €9, children over 1m €7 and under 1m are free. It is actually at Echemire (tel: 02 41 89 70 25 - 0033 2 41 89 70 25 from outside France).

Combine this with a visit to Baugé and its château.

Ouistiti

This activity parc has an emphasis on the very young. Visit their web site at www.ouistiti-cie.com/cariboost3. Travel time about ¾ hour.

L'etang Parc de Loisirs, Brissac-Quince

This is a bit further (about an hour) but you can combine it with a visit to Brissac château. For details of the parc see www.parc-etang.com.

Recreamon (Angers)

This parc also has an emphasis on the young. It is also a bit more of a treck but could be combined with some shoping in a larger town (or a visit to Angers château). For details see www.recreamom.fr.

Places where you can eat and drink

In this section we shall provide details of restaurants that we can recommend with confidence or that have been recommended strongly by guests.

Saumur

The problem is that we have eaten in so many here that we can't remember their names. It's a fabulous town to eat. There are three main eating areas that we have found:

By the Château

We haven't managed this and there aren't many options. I think there is one on the road looking out over the Loire and - inevitably - you can eat in the castle grounds. The view is superb and it would be a good place to take a picnic. (There are some picnic tables outside the château.)

The old town

This is behind the main street, heading towards the château. If you enter the town from the north there are plenty of parking spaces along the Loire to the left (behind the Marie) and it's only a short walk from there to the old town.

There are a number of excellent restaurants around the square (in front of the old church) but be careful: some of them are very expensive and offer little more than cheaper ones. Also, don't settle too quickly for the obvious ones: some of the smaller establishments and out-of-the-way places are worth considering. In particular, in one of the side streets, there is an Indian restaurant like no other that I have ever eaten in and well worth a visit.

On and around the Main road

The restaurants along the main road are probably less adventurous and less value for money. They can also be very busy and involve long waits for your food. They are an easy option, though, and very convenient for shopping.

Try some of the streets off to the right as you walk with your back to the Loire. In particular, there are a lot of interesting places on rue St Nicolas and the streets of it.

Doué-la-Fontaine

La Halte

This is on the road into Doué from the "giraffe roundabaout". We have eaten there a few lunch times. It provides basic fare but is cheap (a three course meal for 12€) and there are courses that even the unadventurous should be happy with. (It's ideally placed for an afternoon trip to the zoo.)

La Taverne d’Antoine

This is on the road between Doué and Saumur. It's actually in the small community of Les Ulmes. In the evening, this can really come to life and (of course) you can eat out the back when the weather is warm. The food is excellent.

Rochmenier

This is a small, troglodyte village. There are two restaurants here and the one we have had recommended is the second as you leave the caves. It's built into the rocks itself and apparently you will get the chance to see the bread ovens which create one of its specialities.

Horse-Riding

Centre de tourisme équestre La Landelle

This is a riding school near-by that caters for all levels of rider and appears to be comfortable with English as well as French. You can find out more at lalandelle.free.fr/anglais.htm. If you want to set up lessons or hire a day or half-day ride, contact the school on 02 41 82 35 94 (outside France: 0033 2 41 82 35 94) or by eMail on lalandelle@wanadoo.fr. A session lasts about 1½ hours. The school is about ½ hour from the gîte.

Ecuries de la Fourerie

This school north east of Angers doesn't appear to cater for English speakers. There is less information available but, if you want to find out more, write to

or phone 02 41 39 84 58 (outside France 0033 2 41 39 84 58).

Shopping

Markets

Local market days are:

All markets are morning markets (usually starting at 8am). Many only function from around Easter to September/October.

Shopping for Books

There are a couple of bookshops (selling new books) in Saumur that are worth a browse. They are both on the main road through town (rue du Marechal Leclerc). One is above an Atac and also sells stationery.

If you're after cheap paperbacks, you can get secondhand books at a reasonable price from some Depots Vente and (even better) Emmaus. You'll find the Saumur Emmaus at Avenue Balzac, where you can get a wide choice of French novels and other paperbacks for as little as €1.

Shopping for Wine

If it's wine you're after, you are really spoilt for choice. There are innumerable caves in Saumur and in just about every town and village in the Loire. You can sample wines in any of the caves and you will get a warm welcome but be aware that you have to be quite thick skinned to walk out without buying some and they are often quite expensive. If you are going to try some wine sampling, it is also advisable to agree beforehand who is driving and make sure that your driver keeps off the wine: it doesn't take long for the samples to get to work.

The wines in the caves may well be quite expensive because they are reasonable quality wines. If you are going to fill up for the journey home and your looking for quantity rather than strict quality, try the supermarkets. Leclerk in Saumur has a good selection, as does Intermarché, in the Ecoparc just outside Saumur.