La Ferme de Chéchigné

If you fancy subterranean adventures, the twin sites of Troglodytes et Sarcophages and La Mystère des Faluns (10 minutes' drive) take visitors deep into the sedimentary rocks to reveal remains of tigers, elephants and sea creatures buried there aeons back, along with recent human additions like a sixth-century coffin workshop and a subterranean medieval chapel. Those partial to a château should make for Saumur (25 minutes), whose castle overlooks the Loire next to vineyards. On that subject, many makers and purveyors of fine sparkling wines are around the city, and if that doesn’t set pulses galloping, then the tricks and showmanship of the famed Cadre Noir riding school surely will...? Sippers and tipplers can visit Saumur’s Combier distillery for a taste of traditional liqueurs or sample Cointreau in its orangey HQ at Angers (40 minutes). Make time while in said city too for river trips, treetop walks and tethered balloon rides within the foliage of the Terra Botanica theme park, while for added exotica, go and feed bread to the jumping, bouncing residents of Jardin des Kangarous (50 minutes). More history? At seven storeys high, Brissac's château (20 minutes) is France’s tallest, while the abbey at Fontevraud is where the graves of (English) Kings John, Henry II and Richard the Lionheart lie (40 minutes). For time travel with a touch of pizzazz, it’s worth the hour’s trip to Puy du Fou, a theme park whose shows turn the past into a live spectacular.