Exploring France’s spectacular Loire Valley, plus must-visit Alaska

As she is chauffeured regally around France’s spectacular Loire Valley, Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey discovers ‘a white underground Petra’.

As we are driving below Château d’Amboise, my ride is drawing attention. Other cars toot, drivers wave, pedestrians stop and take pictures. I am tempted to try out my best Queen’s wave.

Given the location, right there in the Loire Valley, and the sensation we are causing, you’d think I was in a gilded carriage with Louis XIV himself. Instead I am comfortably reclining on the low back seat of a 1950s black Citroën Traction Avant with Susan and Simon Brand from Australia in front. Susan and Simon, long settled in the Loire Valley, had fallen in love with two classic Citroëns, Celestine and Claudette, and decided to use them to carry visitors along bespoke routes through the Loire Valley, visiting castles, vineries, and even stopping for nature walks.

Simon acts as chauffeur, waving to other drivers as he goes, while Susan is my guide, knowing everything about the local nature and history, with no question going unanswered. We leave Amboise behind, with its château which was the 15th century residence of Charles VII, residence of Henry II and his wife Catherine de Medici, a place that Mary Stuart visited, as did Joan of Arc. Legend has it that Leonardo da Vinci is buried deep down in the castle’s tunnels. Quite the history.

Crossing the Loire on an ancient bridge spanning the wide river and an island, I learn that the Loire is France’s longest river, flowing from the mountainous Cévennes region in south-central France to Saint-Nazaire on the Atlantic coast over 1020 kilometres. The Loire Valley, covering 800 square kilometres, is a dedicated a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is called the Garden of France because of its fertility. We drive past seemingly

endless fields of sunflowers in full bloom as if to emphasise the point.

As Susan explains the local secrets of agriculture – did you know that outside of the Champagne region, the Loire Valley is the largest producer of sparkling wine, Crémant de Loire? – Simon gently manoeuvres Celestine off the road down a small track. We seem to be heading toward a small copse, and I wait for a promised surprise. And there it is: the stunning Château de Chenonceau, the one that stretches so elegantly across the river Cher, just in front of us. Only we’re inside the forest, right by the side of the river on the opposite side of the official entrance to the castle with its nearly one million visitors per year. We’re on our own, with a unique perspective and utter peace and quiet.

AMBOISE

This historic market town is dominated by the lovely Château D’Amboise, a former royal residence.

It is difficult to believe that this château dates to the 1500s, and was once given to Henri II’s mistress, Diane de Poitiers, much to the chagrin of his wife Catherine. It is dubbed the women’s castle, due to its long history connected to women, and is probably the best loved château in the valley. I stroll along the river path enjoying this secret spot until I’m ready for more adventures.

After a little drive along hilly and very green country lanes, we arrive at the edge of a small village called Bourré and park outside a mushroom farm shop. Always keen on fresh mushrooms, I eagerly peruse the displays but Susan beckons me to follow her and the shop owner. She has another surprise in store. We head toward a hidden entrance, a large gate, heavily locked, but opening for us. As we walk into a cave, the temperature drops immediately; the ground and sides, I notice, slightly damp. We head about 800 metres in and downward, while Susan explains that this is a mushroom cave inside an ancient stone quarry. The mushroom farm had been in operation since 1893, but before the stone had been quarried for use in building the local châteaux. This soft tuffeau limestone has the unique quality that is quite easy to quarry and reportedly turns harder as it meets the outside air. And the soft white makes for a pretty château wall.

But the Cave des Roches are not just any old quarry or mushroom farm, however impressive. The surprise is another: carved into the soft stone is a village. Like a white underground Petra, there is a village square, houses with balconies, stairs, doors, a dog wanting to be let into a house, what looks like wisteria creeping along another house, a cat’s back end halfway through a gate, and many more details – all carved out of stone. This underground village is the work of the quarry labourers and artisans, who obviously needed a creative outlet after the hard work carving building blocks, and it is one of the most magical places I have ever been to.

The tuffeau rock is not just good for building blocks, underground villages, or growing mushrooms, it also makes the perfect topsoil for growing vines. Some 270 million bottles of wine are produced annually in this 43,000hectare region, with grapes such as sauvignon blanc and gamay. So, as I get set for dinner with my mushroom purchases, Susan and Simon lead me to a small family-owned vineyard,

Les Caves du Père Auguste, to get a little something to go with my meal. By an oh-so clichéd gurgling brook with a willow tree by a pretty bridge, Susan and I taste our way through a few local reds, while Simon discusses cars and wine with the proprietor. Leaving with a box, or two, we head back to Amboise.

Stopping Celestine in front of an old church, the Chapelle de Saint Jean on L’Île d’Or (The Golden Isle) in the Loire, we pose for pictures and I bid goodbye not only to my great guide Susan and driver Simon, but also to a lovely car that made me feel like a queen for the day in the land of fabulous châteaux. AWW

To book a trip on Celestine or Claudette, visit tourtheloire.com