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Loire & Sologne
Saturday 7 - Friday 13 May 2005 (7 days) |
© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio  Male Little Bustard in display flight |
With the grand mansions of the region, a boat trip on the Loire and perhaps some of the fine confectionery of the area, we were tempted to call this pioneering tour Chateaux, Bateaux and Gateaux - but we won't! We will mostly just go there and enjoy the food, the wine - oh yes, and lots of wildlife too.Lying just to the south of France's famous River Loire, the Sologne is a relatively unknown wildlife region of lakes, heathland and forest. Great houses - the famous chateaux of the area - are abundant, and when they were being built every wealthy landowner tried to build something bigger and better than his neighbours. The estate surrounding the Chateau de Chambord for instance, covers an area larger than that covered by Paris!The surrounding land hosts a variety of habitats and foremost of these are the deciduous woodlands where anything up to six species of woodpecker can be found, including Black, all three 'spotteds' and if you are very lucky, Grey-headed. Also, away from dawn and dusk, wild boar can still be found in one or two places ... if you know where to look! Of course the 'Loire et Cher' region is also renowned for its fine wine and food. Believe me, this is no hollow boast! Among the vineyards are fields which are not as intensively farmed as those in most parts of Britain. Poppies and cornflowers are abundant still, as are birds like Corn Bunting and Skylark. In one area just to the south of the Cher, Little Bustards still breed, on land specially managed for them, alongside Whinchat, Curlew and Quail. The numerous hedgerows are home to plenty of Cirl Buntings, Red-backed Shrikes and Common Whitethroats, while the many lakes in the Sologne hold breeding Great Crested, Little and Black-necked Grebes, herons and egrets and many other waterbirds. But we seem to have forgotten the Loire itself! Here Little Ringed Plovers vie for attention with Common and Little Terns. Herons and egrets are common here too and a boat trip on the river itself will bring us close to these birds. We may even see an Osprey as this is their only breeding area on the French mainland. We will also see signs of European Beavers and, if we are very lucky, we may even catch a glimpse of the animals themselves. On this trip Mike will be joined by his wife Liz, who is keen on flowers and wildlife, and, as a professional cake-maker, will be in a good position to judge the local gateaux! Itinerary Day 1 We fly from London Stanstead to Tours where we collect our minibuses and drive to our hotel with pauses on the way if time permits. Our hotel is in a small village in the Sologne, a few km. from the River Loire. Overnight near Blois Days 2 - 6 Our excursions will include a day south of the Cher River for Little Bustards and other farmland birds, with a visit to lakes near St Viatre for various water birds. We'll take a morning boat trip on the Loire where we look for birds, beaver signs etc. After lunch we'll walk in the Forêt Dominale de Russy for woodpeckers and other woodland species. We will also visit the family-run small Chateau de Villesavin which includes a Museum of Marriage. |
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© Mike Read  Chateau de Cheverney |
On another day we'll head north to the Forêt d'Orléans for woodpeckers, warblers and other forest wildlife, while the nearby Forêt de Chambord and Forêt Dominale de Boulogne will also have wild boar and woodland birds. The Chateau de Cheverney is not only spectacular, but is also famous as the setting of the 'Adventures of Tin Tin'!
Finally we'll spend a whole day exploring the banks of the Loire from Blois to Beaugency. After a picnic by the river, we'll finish at a hide at the Etang de Beaumont where we can sample the local sparkling wine and maybe a few gateaux. Five nights near Blois | |
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Day 7 We should, have time for a little birdwatching in the morning before our flight home. |
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Accommodation: We stay in a 2-star hotel near Blois, in a small village at the edge of the Sologne, a few km. from the River Loire. All rooms are en suite. Leaders : Mike and Liz Read Numbers : Max. 12 clients Price : £ 995 Single supp.: £ 135 Deposit : £ 200 per person The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London Stanstead-Tours, accommodation, meals, minibus transport, incidental tips, admissions, and leadership. The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses. |
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