Local towns near Le Logis Du Pressoir Our local town, Beaufort-en-Vallee, is a 5 minute drive and has everything that you would expect of a bustling old French market town, including a good supermarket and plenty of shops, café bars and restaurants scattered in and around the cobbled town square.

Saumur The more sizeable château town of Saumur (30 minutes) is not to be missed! Built in the 14th century by Louis I, Duke of Anjou, the fortress château sits high up on a hill overlooking the River Loire and the old quarter, which is rich in late 12th century architecture. Saumur is well served with friendly bars and restaurants and because of its modest size, visitors can appreciate this charming town on foot. There’s a great market held here on Saturdays. Saumur is also world renowned for its national riding academy, The Cadre Noir, home of the French cavalry. Visitors can explore the academy and watch spectacular performances staged by this elite military institute.

Angers On the banks of the River Maine, the university town of Angers was once the power base for the notorious medieval Counts of Anjou, which later became the capital of an empire stretching as far as Scotland under Plantagenet rule. Its 13th century château, built as a huge fortress, is well worth a visit where you will find striking examples of Gothic architecture, beautiful gardens and the famous Apocalypse Tapestries, the oldest and and largest in France. The cobbled streets lining the ‘old quarter’ of the city contain some very well preserved buildings dotted amongst lively café bars and shops. There is also an antiques market held at the weekend.

Other local towns Slightly larger than Beaufort-en-Vallee, the lively market town of Bauge lies 10 minutes north of us. It has its own château, built by René d’Anjou, containing a 17th Century apothecary. The town centre offers another local alternative for provisions and eating out and has a good weekly food market. Slightly further afield (but all within an easy hour’s drive) you will find a whole multitude of fascinating château towns steeped in centuries of history, including Chinon, Langais, Azay le Rideau and Tours. For links to information on a selected few, click here.

Adventure parks The nearest adventure park is only 20 minutes away in Baugé; set in the grounds of a chateau, Holly Park offers fun rides and entertainment for children of all ages. A little further afield (south of Cholet), Puy du Fou is a amazing adventure park offering fantastic live displays and re-enactments of battles and other major historic events, staged in a huge open-air arena. Just north of Poitiers, Futuroscope is a futuristic theme park containing phenomenal rides, 3d shows and light displays. The world famous Eurodisney (90 minutes to Paris on the high speed TGV) doubtless needs no further explanation here. For links to information on all of theses parks, click here.

Zoos There are two very good zoos in our area, Zoo de Doué (just south of Saumur at Doué) and the zoo at La Fleche (approx. 40 minutes north of us). Both are a must for young children especially. For links to info on both zoos, click here.

Pony Trekking and Kayaking Of all the local horse riding centres, two have been recommended by many of our guests, who have ranged from complete novices to experienced riders. One of these centres also offers kayaking trips which again have been recommended by many guests. For links to information on both centres, click here.

Regional food and wine tasting Many regions of France are gastronomically renowned and the Loire Valley is no exception. We are well served with a good variety of restaurants of different styles and suiting all budgets, where you can try out specialities, such as, fresh fish from the rivers of the Loire valley, an abundance of seasonal fruits and vegetables and not forgetting Tarte Tatin, a local favourite.

The Loire is the fifth largest wine producing area in France and here you can find a huge range of wines from the well known Sancerre whites and rosés of Anjou as well as full-bodied reds of Saumur, Chinon and Bourgeuil and some wonderful sparkling Crémants de Loire. There are many small local vineyards within a short drive from us who are happy for you to visit and taste their wines, making for a very pleasant morning or afternoon trip out. For links to information on our local food and wine, click here.

Gardens Whether you are a keen horticulturist or just enjoy looking, the choice of formal gardens to visit in this region is rich: the terraced château grounds of Villandry, with it’s renowned vegetable garden, is probably the most famous. Les Chemins de la Rose near Doué la Fontaine is a magnificent floral park set in 4 hectares, containing more that 1300 varieties of rose. Slightly further afield near Cholet, Parc-Oriental is the largest Japanese garden in Europe. Whatever your specific interest, there is something to delight.

Le Mans , the world famous circuit (which also has its own museum) is a must for race enthusiasts. Musée-des-Blindes is a local museum displaying the largest collection of historic armoured vehicles and personnel carriers in the world. On a similar theme, the Aviation Museum at Angers contains over 100 historic aircraft, many of which have been restored on site. Just south of Saumur, the Musée des Champignons is a unique museum of troglodyte caves containing a vast collection of live mushroom species. Alternatively, there is always a bargain or two to be had at the local brocantes (antique markets). The larger towns in the area take turns in hosting the weekly markets on a Sunday which usually last all day (get there early for good deals!) Even if you’re not in the market for anything in particular, they can be lively, atmospheric and full of objects of character, including the people buying and selling.