Upper Loire wanderings: day one

8 August 2009: Epeigné-les-Bois to Aubigny-sur-Nère
with excellent dinner Le Lièvre Gourmand in Vailly-sur-Sauldre

We started off with a look at the vines at Monthou-sur-Cher, which were a sad sight as they have clearly suffered substantial damage from the hailstorms of mid-July. On a quick look some parcels had very few grapes left.

Monthou: hail damaged bunches

Monthou: hail damaged bunches

Monthou: canes damaged by the hail

Monthou: shredded vines

About five miles away in Oisly up on the plateau, the vines (again on a quick look) appeared not to have been affected by the hail as this sight of some generous bunched shows.

Oisly: plentiful bunches

Moving on from Oisly we drove through Contres (Loir-et-Cher) with its asparagus beds and extensive market gardening on the very sandy soil found here through Soings-en-Sologne, Mur-de-Sologne, Millançay and to Marcilly-en-Gault. Once you reach the Sologne (the big forested area with many lakes between Orléans and Vierzon and famous for its hunting) the buildings change. The tuffeau of Touraine and Saumur is left behind and instead the buildings are a mix of timber and brick.

Marcilly-en-Gault: typical lake just to the west of this small town

Marcilly-en-Gault: La Maison de Foussydoire and its remarkably wavy lower beam

Then we headed across to Aubigny-sur-Nère, where we had a booked chambres d'hôte for the night, going via the pretty village of Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre.

Church@Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre near Aubigny

Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: statue of Joan of Arc



Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: water feature by church

Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre: elegant house with dark blue shutters

Aubigny-sur-Nère: the remarkable roundabout complete with water wheel, frog and heron

Aubigny-sur-Nère is famous for its connections with Scotland in particular with the Stuarts and the Château des Stuarts - details here.

Our b&b was with Claude Courboin, Gorgeot, 18700 Aubigny-sur-Nère (tel: 02.48.58.03.16) – just to the west of Aubigny on the road to Lamotte-Beuvron. Claude will feature in the second day's report.