Читать книгу The Loire Cycle Route. From the source in the Massif Central to the Atlantic coast онлайн

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Canal Latéral à la Loire at Chavanne (Stage 8)

Most French towns have weekly markets like this one in Vorey (Stage 3)

The Loire is known to the French as the ‘Royal River’ – a name it gets from the Loire Valley’s long association with the kings of France when between the 15th and 17th centuries successive monarchs developed a series of ever more spectacular châteaux. Blois and Amboise were great palaces where the royal court resided to escape political turmoil in Paris. Chambord was a glorious hunting lodge, from where the king would spend long days hunting in the forests of the Sologne, while Chaumont was a home first for the mistress and later the widow of Henri II. The preference of the royal family for life along the Loire stimulated other members of the court to build their own châteaux in the area, resulting in over 50 châteaux recognised as heritage sites by UNESCO beside the Loire and its close tributaries. Although most of these were sequestered, damaged and looted during the French Revolution, 20th-century restoration has breathed new life into them and many can be visited.