Loir-et-Cher is a département located within the French region called Centre-Val de Loire . The name comes from the two rivers crossing the département. The main city is Blois, and the code of Loir-et-Cher is 41.
Geography
The Loir-et-Cher département stretches along the Loire valley. Its North limits are the Loir valley, down to the hills of Perche in the South. From the Loire River to the Loir River, you will find the lower plateaus of Vendome and Blésois, and between the Loire River and the Cher River, there is the Sologne region, crossed by numerous rivers. The département has several forests including the landes boisées of Sologne, Chambord forest, Fréteval forest, Marchenoir Forest and Russy forest.
History
The Loir-et-Cher department was established in the year 1790 during the French revolution. It corresponds to the unification of three provinces.
Climate
The weather in the département is rather temperate. The oceanic influences are present in the Western part of Loir-et-Cher, whereas the Eastern part remains with a continental climate. Winters can be fairly cold, but summers are often warm and last longer in comparison to some of the other areas in France. It can even be a little dry, which allows the opportunity to discover the numerous lakes and the Loire River, which offer pleasant and refreshing walks.
Gastronomy and tourism
The castle of Chambord is so famous that it simply can’t be ignored. It is set in a spacious park, a few miles from Blois. Among all the castles of the Loire River, this one is a jewel of architecture that must be seen when visiting this department.
The département produces wines that have, like most of the wines from the Vallée de la Loire region, a guarantee of origin called AOC (appellationd’Origine Controlée). This means they can’t be produced somewhere else with this name: the AOC Touraine, Touraine-Mesland, Cheverny, Cour-Cheverny, Coteaux du Vendômois, Valençay and Crémant de Loire. Most of them are white or rosé wines.
The tarte Tatin, a popular dessert eaten throughout the entire country, was originally made in Loir-et-Cher. It is an upside-down tart with caramelised apples. There is also a cheese called Selles-sur-Cher, which has an AOC as well, and is made with goat’s milk.
Useful information:
Tourism office in Centre:
www.francetourism.com
Maps of Centre:
www.ign.fr
www.viamichelin.com
Gites in Centre:
www.1000gites.com
Travel from the UK
By plane: From London Stansted, Manchester, Dublin, to Tours with Ryanair. There is no airport in Blois.
By train: From London Saint Pancras to Paris Nord, then from Paris Montparnasse to Blois (no direct line).
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Centre. We have a large network of partners in Centre. All of them are registered French real estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Centre matching your requirements.