Aux Insolites du Bonheur de Vivre

There’s lots of exploring to be done around the village of Maigné (five minutes’ walk), which has a lovely old church, a couple of mills and traditional manor houses. Just a little further afield, the apartments and formal gardens of elegant Château de Villaines (10 minutes’ drive) are open for guided tours by its owners, and other lovely historic mansions to explore include Château de Varennes l’Enfant (half an hour) and Château de Martigné (25 minutes). If you’re holidaying with kids, spend the morning losing them (and finding them again) at Labyrinthe chez Alice (35 minutes) or take them to see big cats and elephants at Zoo de la Flèche (40 minutes), where there are also sea lion shows and raptor flight displays. For a couple of leisurely days out in tranquil countryside, go fishing for trout at Hubeau Mill (45 minutes) or play a round of golf at the riverside course in Montjoie (half an hour). Up the activity pace considerably by following in the footsteps of motor-racing greats around the Le Mans 24-hour road-race circuit (20 minutes).