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MoreTwo couples take to The Loir!
01 August 2021
Images courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir – From left clockwise: J P Belose, Yves Gauchet, Hilde Vander Linden Allwrite, J P Belose, Allwrite, Megan Witt Photo
The little Loir, a cousin of the larger Loire into which the river flows, means ‘dormouse’. This conjures a very apt description of the area – sleepy, rolling French countryside, with charming villages and enchanting towns that seem to belong to a past era when life was less busy and complicated. The Loir has, throughout history, been lauded for its gentle style of living.
This is the perfect destination to enjoy a post-lockdown holiday but some Brits have gone further and made their home here, offering hospitality for others to come and share the experience – read on! www.vallee-du-loir.com
SARAH & NIGEL – LOIRE VALLEY LLAMAS
Image courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir
The Loire Valley Llama Farm is something rather different to the usual farming establishments in France. The llama farm is a great holiday destination in the quiet of the countryside, with comfortable accommodation and within easy access of the local attractions. It is fun for the children to learn all about these adorable animals and the benefits of getting back to nature. To cap it all, the whole enterprise has been created by British couple Sarah and Nigel.
Image courtesy of The Loire Valley Llama Farm
Sarah and Nigel first came to this area in December 2017 whilst exploring the feasibility of moving to rural France from the UK, something that had always been somewhat of a dream. Sarah had been a catering operations manager at Virgin Atlantic and Nigel worked as a logistics manager for Lotus. On the very last day of their foray to France, they found just what they were looking for…….
Images courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir
The farm, set in the historic Bercé Forest, was the perfect place. Accessed down a long lane with forest on one side and cow fields on the other, the drive comes around a bend opening into a courtyard, with traditional pre-revolution buildings and a beautiful garden leading onto mixed agricultural land of meadows, woodland and forest. They sold up in West Sussex and moved permanently to France on the last day of June 2018, opening in the August of that year. They have always been ardent animal lovers so getting llamas was not strange for them – and llamas as they are thought of as the modern-day unicorn! The animals will be sheared for the first time this year and the fleece may be used for felt toys if the yarn can be successfully woven.
Image courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir
Sarah and Nigel offer glamping in a mixture of Bell Tents overlooking the llama fields, with proper beds and Egyptian cotton bedding – at least five metres apart. They also renovated the old wine press which is offered as the Llama Lodge. This is very popular, housing a private shower and kitchenette. In addition, there are a couple of rooms in the old barn, where guests can stay on a B&B basis.
Image courtesy of The Loire Valley Llama Farm
The idea is to keep the farm this small, accommodating a maximum of 20 people, so Sarah and Nigel can really enjoy the interaction with the guests, particularly teaching guests, both old and young, about animal husbandry. This is their Llama Farmer Academy. For 2021, they have guests returning for their third year – a testament to their popularity. Maybe the lovely pool is the attraction!
Images courtesy of The Loire Valley Llama Farm
With the onset of Covid, Sarah has also been teaching English online as she is a primary school teacher. Once the pandemic is over, Sarah and Nigel are looking forward to showing their guests the pretty local villages teaming with antique shops and second-hand ’brocantes’, wine caves and restaurants offering delicious specialities. There is the forest of course for walks and exploration, lakes for water sports and Le Mans, the Plantagenet City, La Ville Nature, renowned for the for the famous 24-hour race. There will be no holding back …we are all looking forward to that first post pandemic moment.
Image courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir
SALLY & PAUL, HOTEL DE FRANCE, LA CHARTRE-SUR-LE-LOIR
Images courtesy of OT Vallée du Loir / Hotel de France / Stevan Lira
This is an independently-owned property, (a member of the Logis de France independent hotel collection), with a unique heritage pertaining to the motor-racing history of the area – it is just a half an hour from Le Mans.
The hotel was particularly popular in this regard in the 1950’s and ‘60’s with celebrities, drivers, politicians, and socialites all passing through. Many of their photographs adorn the walls of the bar; this was their hideaway of choice. Aston Martin, Ford, Ferrari and more – have all prepared their cars here before heading over to the racetrack of the 24 Hour – one of the most famous events in the world. Drivers like Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Mario Andretti have all been guests, as has Steve McQueen, Robert Kennedy and Jackie Onassis.
The Hotel de France has been run by British couple Sally and Paul for over eight years now, after it was bought by classic car aficionado and ex-Le Mans Classic racer, Martin Ovrington. Luckily as enthusiasts themselves, Sally and Paul knew something of the area so it was not a difficult decision to move to this gorgeous part of France and enjoy introducing their guests to all the things they themselves love about it.
This was quite an undertaking for Sally and Paul, however, as although they knew the area, they had never managed a hotel before. Paul had been in the construction industry as a carpenter and Sarah had only had experience in her family’ s pub business … not quite the preparation of typical hoteliers! Martin had been a guest in Sally’s father’s pub in years gone by and was insistent she and Paul run his new venture. They had been abroad with their jobs – to Gibraltar and Spain for example, so Martin saw no reason why working for him in France, particularly in this gorgeous area, would be a problem.
In these strange times, nature and green spaces have become even more precious than ever – and they have these in abundance. They have the most amazing and evolving landscape from fields of golden rapeseed as far as the eye can see to, in a few months’ time, vast expanses of sunflowers. For walkers and cyclists, there are some wonderful routes through the forest, along the river or around the lakes. Picturesque villages and wide-open countryside for a drive out in or maybe a tour round the numerous nearby vineyards to restock the cellar.
What do they appreciate about this part of the world – the food, the countryside, the people, as well as the peace and tranquillity …and the space. Once we have got over the pandemic, Sally and Paul will enjoy socialising once more; eating and drinking with family and friends, enjoying each other’s company. Clients from all over the world can now be called friends – one of the plus points of the job – so the French, British, American and the Dutch are frequent visitors.
A veritable hidden gem …
there’s more to the little Loir without the “e” than you might think
Travelling to the Vallée du Loir: Take the Eurostar or fly to Paris and travel from Paris Montparnasse Train Station via TGV Atlantique direct to Le Mans (55 minutes) – gateway to The Loir. Alternatively, drive in and drive off on either the Shuttle or a ferry to make a quick getaway.