Reading the articles in the travel sections of the newspapers, you would think that France only consisted of coasts and mountains….so, do your own thing…. visit the Loire Valley, the forgotten heart of France.

Although the river has its birth high up in the hills in the centre of France, for me the Loire Valley proper begins where it makes its’ turn west to the sea, running down through Gien, Orleans, Blois, towards Tours, Angers, Nantes and the ocean…..where the Renaisance Kings of France ruled from the chateaux which now remain, monuments to past grandeur.

Any guide book can take you to the tourist trail chateaux, but the Loire Valley holds many more surprises. The wines, for a start. You may know of Sancerre. but what of Vouvray and Montlouis, facing each other across the river, with superb demi-secs?

Do you know Cheverny wine, using the romorantin grape, cousin of the chardonnay? If not, what better excuse to go down there and visit the chateau as well – perhaps picking grapes (?) , mecca of the French hunting tradition – not the guys dressed in camouflage who infest the woods of France every autumn, the terror of mushroom pickers and joggers, but the ‘chasse a cour’,  the mounted hunt, accompanied by the elaborate music of the French hunting horn.  Check out the goat cheese while you’re there, too.

You’re visiting Chinon, where Joan of Arc first met the Dauphin, the ruinsof the castle soaring over the old town on the Vienne. Don’t just try the wine available in the town…nip down to Panzault, for better, less hyped wine, grown on the slopes and not on the gravel…or cross the Loire to Bourgueil for lighter, more delicate wines. While you’re in Chinon, visit Rabelais’ house just outside, or take the steam train to Richelieu,  the town the great cardinal built to house his own court in the seventeenth century with a wonderful market hall. Go upstream to the church at Tavant to see the frescos in the crypt…cross the Vienne and head towards Saumur along the river, stopping in Turquant for some of the best wines in the Saumur appellation and to visit the houses and wine cellars cut from the cliffs overlooking the river.

Saumur, best known, of course, for its’ chateau, has a lot more to offer the visitor. Take a walk in the evening through the quiet streets of the old town, some half timbered buildings, most in the creamy stone of the area, and relive its’ great days as a centre of Protestantism in the days of Henry of Navarre. Turn your back on the Hotel de Ville, crested in stone lace, to take a river trip on the gabare moored in front of it…a recontruction of the traditional square sailed Loire river craft, which used to run down to the sea on the current, but depend on the west wind, ‘le vent de galerne’ to get them upstream again. It was common to build them of green wood, then, rather than undertake the return journey, break them up for housebuilding timbers.

Canal buffs can see the round lock where the Thouet joins the Loire, toward St. Hilaire-St.Florent, which is one of the earliest on record….military buffs can visit the Tank museum, where standing next to  white painted Russian monster from the Second World War can make you feel very puny indeed, while for the horsey fraternity there is the Cadre Noir, France’s answer to the Spanish riding school.

Wine is not forgotten…they’re not allowed to call it champagne - wrong soil, wrong grape – but you’re not going to complain about the  quality when you taste it in the cellars of the vignerons. Try the Cremant de Loire…less fizzy and more complex than the Methode traditionelle.  The limestone caves are not only used for storing wine…their steady temperatures also make them ideal for growing mushrooms, a big industry in the area, and along the road to Chenehutte, you will find mushroom museums, populated by stuff straight from Hieronymos Bosch, but perfectly edible.

On your way to Angers, detour to the south, to St.Lambert de Lattay to the wine museum and visit the vineyards of Quart de Chaume and Bonneseaux for the best dessert wines you will ever taste. In the days of Edward VII, these wines fetched the same price as Sauternes, so now is the time to profit before the word gets round and the prices go up. Just outside, the whole appellation of Coteaux du Layon makes super dessert wine, while the lesser known Coteaux de l’Aubance offers something slighter lighter in style.

Angers has, of course, its’ chateau and the wonderful tapestries…the old and those created by Lurcat who was inspired by them…but it also has one of the best town centre markets in the area on a Saturday morning – where else can you buy lampreys? – and an ethnic market on Sundays in the suburb of Monplaisir where France meets Turkey via North Africa. North of the city there is a chateau off the tourist trail, Mongeoffroy, an eighteenth century seat which has, almost uniquely for France, managed to keep its’ original furnishings. This, if anywhere, is where you can see how it felt to be a French aristocrat!

Make your way to Nantes via the Corniche Angevine with its’ wonderful views over the river and enter a really big, bustling city. Great for shopping, but to me the interest lies in the trips up the River Erdre, meandering northwards from the centre, where you can take a trip on the bateau-mouches just as inParis, passing the country houses of the Nantes merchants, made rich on the trade in brandy, tobacco and slaves while you dine. It is, of course, the Muscadet area, but try the Gros Plant…on site, it goes so well with seafood…bought elsewhere, it can seem thin and sharp.

Heading for the sea, you pas through St. Nazaire, where ocean going ships are still built, and pay an obligatory visit to La Baule, where the shops and the prices make it clear to you that is is Paris-on-Sea!

Whether you take a weekend break in a Loire Valley town, or stay for longer, you cannot fail to be tempted to return….perhaps for good.

Stumble it!