Sunrise over the Loire this morning

A few snaps taken this morning while dog walking along the river at Le Thoureil.

Petite Cité de Caractère - Le Thoureil

It was such a beautiful morning I couldn't resist walking down to the river. Here are a few photos that I took - it's 8am and the sun illuminates everything in such a lovely way, highlighting the tuffeau limestone of the houses along the riverside and the old boats on the water.

Most of the houses along the riverside have these wonderful terraces which enjoy spectacular views over the river Loire.

Walking down Creuse rue to the river.

This little pathway runs high above the riverside houses giving you a glimpse of the terraces.

This is the Tour des Hollandais built by the Dutch Van Voorn family around 1670. They were négociants in wine and made their fortune in Le Thoureil becoming important vineyard owners, transporting their wines to Nantes and further afield using the waterways. These towers were built so that the merchant owners could watch their wares going along the river.

View of Le Thoureil looking towards Gennes (5km away).

This the lovely terrace of the Tour des Hollandais with the tower dominating the view.

This is l'Hotel des Mariniers - a former hotel (during the 15th century and after) which used to accommodate merchants and fisherman who were using the ancient port. The tower dates back to the 14th century.

Boats on the river Loire at the Cale de Richbourg -( little quay).

Another view of l'Hotel des Mariniers with it's 14th century tower.

The school in Le Thoureil - it has one class of CM1 & CM2 children (numbering between 12 and 30 depending upon the year). The canteen has amazing views over the river.



Waling down to the riverside you pass a couple of vineyards that look lovely in the early morning light.

The vines are pushing now and the shoots are beginning to form in this beautiful weather.

Bicyles propped up outside one of the lovely riverside houses.

View from vineyard just before descending to the river.

From the top of the hill where I shot the video yesterday. This morning you can see the bridge at Les Rosiers sur Loire. It looks more like a painting than a photo.

Vines in the early morning sunlight.

If you join us for the la Loire - Secrets of the River tour this year, Le Thoureil is where the old sand dredging boat is docked ready to welcome us during the afternoon. Alain Gillot is an experienced mariner and a local man who knows the history of this ancient port as well as that of the river itself.

Brocante on the river Loire at Le Thoureil

A few photos from the Brocante at Le Thoureil a 10 minute walk from our house. The weather stayed fine although was damp and rather foggy which kept the crowds away. Fewer stalls than normal and less people attending made it a gentle experience today. No apologies for including yet another picture of a boat on the river - the colours seem to differ so much as the seasons change that I just can't resist.

Boats on the river Loire

A few pictures taken yesterday in Le Thoureil. If it were not for the motors they could be from any period. Beautiful nonetheless.

Le Thoureil

A few photos of our nearest village - a 10 minute stroll from the house, taken by Piers who spent the day with us here at le tasting room during Le Mans last week with a group of friends.

Our farming neighbours grow artichokes - we pass this field on our stroll down to the river.

Up the hill and we reach the view that always delights us - again our neighbours vines overlooking the Loire. Breathtaking at any time of year and always different according to the season.

A little further on and we discover the terraces running alongside the back of the beautiful houses of Le Thoureil. This terrace belongs to one of the most beautiful houses in the village and was Dutch owned for many years. Wealthy merchants based themselves in Le Thoureil and set up trading points, 'comptoirs' set high above their houses allowing them to survey all they owned.

Dropping down to the river itself we walk along the water side, admiring the arthitecture and boats on the river.

After a relaxing day's tasting and lunching in the cellar this is a perfect way to end the day, a walk in the late afternoon sunshine (stopping for a hard earned beer in the café along the way). Thank you to Piers for these fantastic photos.

If you would like to discover wine with us - why not come and join us for a day here at le tasting room, in the heart of the Loire valley only a 10 minutes stroll from this beautiful village.

The plight of the ancient mariner - Le Thoureil

Every year, Le Thoureil (our nearest village on the banks of the river Loire), hosts a regatta which is a great day out if the weather is fine. Yesterday, we were in luck - the sun shone, the boats arrived and the band played. In the morning we hosted a tasting for a group of clients from Russia and Paris and afterwards walked down to the river together to have lunch (prepared and cooked by local volunteers) and to join in the festivities.

These local events are still commonplace in France - simple catering, local micro-brewery selling its beers, basic wine at 5€ a bottle, stalls selling soaps, arts and crafts and the local fishermen showing the art of weaving fishing nets.

I was a little taken aback therefore to be approached by a very disgruntled mariner who offered to sell me his lunch ticket for 5€ instead of the normal 10€. In years gone by, the mariners who took the time to sail their boats upstream to support the celebration were given a free lunch. This year, there had been a change of policy - now the mariners were expected to pay 5€ for their lunch and no prior notice was given. 5€ isn't going to break the bank I know but I'm inclined to see his point of view. The regatta would not exist if the boats were not there and they are expensive to run. It takes planning and effort to sail to Le Thoureil - these boats are old and beautiful and the day would not be the same without them. No doubt this was a committee decision - to charge the mariners for their lunch, but a short sighted one in my opinion. Maybe it was a result of last year - it tipped down with rain all day so visitors were sparse and a free lunch still had to be provided for the mariners. The mariner I was talking to told me that he won't be back next year. This is a shame - he may not be the only one.

That aside, we had a great afternoon. After tasting wines during the morning we enjoyed a couple of beers from La Piautre - a small micro-brewery just over the river at La Menitré. This year they had produced good quality plastic 'glasses' for which they charged a 1€ deposit. Branded and with some background information about the brewery this was an attempt to reduce litter and encourge recycling - a great idea.

Another positive note - it was wonderful to see the local amateur fisherman's association demonstrating the art of weaving fishing nets and also to see so many of the older generation joining in the fun of the day.

So thank you to our clients to helped make the day a memorable one and to all the mariners who sailed their boats along the river to provide us with a glimpse of the past. I hope to see them all back at Le Thoureil next year for what is a traditional celebration of life on the river Loire.