The Hotel des Marais Salants was delightful. We had the hugest bed and a room overlooking the Place de la Gare that was a riot of nodding Gaura flowers. The station is in use but we were not disturbed and this morning I realised why. The trains are almost silent and the da, da, da-da announcement tune is cleverly angled away from the road.
We watched the 7.30 commuter set whisper away in the dawn to St Nazaire - all modern with proper bicycle spaces. We followed by car, amazed at the volume of traffic on the fast road going into St N. Thankfully we were heading the other way into the mist of a Loire Estuary morning complete with a blazing red ball of Sun rising above. Gorgeous.
Once again, breakfast eluded us. My fault as I forgot to look for likely bars when we were passing through the early pretty villages. Not hungry! Then when we realised it was gone 9 all we passed were either desolate ribbon development or big places full of building works. Anyway at Varades just before crossing the Loire we stopped and had good coffee and bakery produce plus purchasing some poulet salade mayo baguettes for lunch. Then ta dah…Real France was entered. The Loire was looking at its placid limpid best in the sunshine. We eventually crossed back to the north bank at Angers and gave a nod of recognition to Choking Picnic Spot (Adam knows!) where I once nearly expired as my menfolk looked on in puzzlement.
A smooth run up river past famous places and oft visited riverside villages. Loads of birds - cormorants wing drying, geese flying, herons, terns, gulls, lapwings and the usual twittering anonymous ones. We were very Goldilocksy in our search for the ideal lunch spot but finally we settled on this bank in La Chapelle sur Loire. Even had a bench by the water, and proper wooden bins with lids.
Then a beer and apple juice up in a roadside pizzeria (empty of clientele sadly). The pass sanitaire is working.
And now…the whole reason for this detour. Oisly Thésée wine producers. They were closed last time but today we were sure they would be open. So we took a quick motorway section to avoid Tours and soon we were passing the châteaux of Chenonceaux, Chissey, Montrichard, etc and into the lanes crisscrossing the open plains of Touraine. Vines à perte de vue.
There was a lorry in backing up to the grape hopper - good sign. And the door yielded to our touch. Looking positive. Man enters and we ask for Côt. His face falls…alas he has none. Well he has but he can’t sell it because the labels haven’t arrived and it is against the ruddy law to sell sans etiquette! But he does have a blend that contains about 40% Côt. Would we like to taste? We would. And it was good so 12 bottles were purchased, plus two bibs of Touraine Gamay and three bottles of Sauvignon. He gave us a couple of freebies too so it was definitely worth the detour.
Smug and content we negotiated country lanes back to the main road and seemlessly down to Ibis B Châteauroux. We might slum it in a Poivre Rouge tonight - it’s only across the road after all.
