Just realised when looking back on my blog posts that I haven’t written one for a while, and even worse didn’t write one after finally getting back to the Loire in September! so, after over a year without a visit we managed a couple of trips in September. They both involved Covid testing before coming back into the UK but for a very little bit of hassle it was definitely worth it. The added bonus we found was that the ferries were lovely and empty so lots of space to socially distance!
My first trip was early September and I had decided to travel alone as I had some time off work and Pete didn’t. I had an easy drive down and had a beautiful few days with perfect weather. I met up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while as well as being able to say thanks to all those who have been managing the gîte and garden on our behalf. When I walked in the door after my journey down it really felt like home and La Croix was as welcoming as ever. I spent a lovely afternoon wandering around Saumur with lunch at Le Terrier overlooking the impressive chateau and the La Loire. Really relaxing and so nice to see people getting on with life again. The French ‘pass sanitaire’ was mandatory in every bar, cafe and restaurant but was so simple and easy to do it wasn’t a problem. The following day I took a trip to Lac de Rille and had a picnic and a lovely walk whilst discovering all the changes and improvements that have been made to the swimming pool area at Huttopia… all very impressive.
My second trip and Pete’s first was a couple of weeks later and we took our new e-bikes over. We had a great time, again the weather was perfect and we loved being back in the Loire. The highlight was our Discovery
Tour to Saumur. Our friends, Jon & Ali, were our guides and we cycled through some lovely countryside and villages on the 40 mile round trip. It was great being able to have a lovely long lunch in Place Saint Pierre before our return cycle. We spent a great day with a lovely lunch in Langeais and cycled around the local area….we even opted to cycle to Super U rather than take the car! It was great to be back and we are now planning our next trip with hopefully many more visits in 2022!
