Camping L'Ile d'Offard

In Saumur itself, wander through the network of little medieval streets and visit the château, which overlooks the river and was once used as a prison. Also in town are a motor museum and a tank museum. A little further out (15 minutes’ drive from the site) is the famed Cadre Noir military riding academy, where you can watch a splendid display of dressage-style horsemanship. Also worth a visit is the Château de Brézé, 20 minutes drive away, to discover the hidden dwelling lurking under the main castle. Bioparc Doué-la-Fontaine (a 25-minute drive from the site) has a rather unique claim to fame, as it’s the only troglodyte zoo in the world. Wander through the winding rocky tunnels and past waterfalls to see all sorts of animals including hippos, giraffes and monkeys. There are lots of ways to get out and about into the countryside around here. There are around 800 kilometres of cycle paths in the Loire area, so plenty of scope to pedal your way around the area; hire bikes from the site if you’ve not brought your own. Or you could take to the waters in a canoe or kayak from a watersports centre up at the other end of the island (20 minutes’ walk) to paddle along the wide, calm Loire river. If you’re partial to a few sips of sparkling wine, take an hour’s walk from the site to get to the vineyards of the Saint-Hilare-Saint-Florent area just north of the city. A particularly tasty treat here is to take a tour of Ackerman, the oldest producer in town – wander through the troglodyte cellars to see the wines and explore the art exhibitions that pepper the underground tunnels. Plus of course you’ll get to sample the wares. Cheers!