Before and after the Loire Gorges

Description

The Loire, deciduous forests, castles, islands, steep cliffs; guess where you are. In the Loire Gorges Nature Reserve, well done! 4,000 hectares of pure nature, 355 of which are in the Regional Nature Park – fresh air galore.

And it isn't just oaks that have popped up along the river banks – there are châteaux too. Essalois stands proud up on its rock, but actually it's a cool one to visit. It's open to the public day and night, and it's free. On the other side, there's Grangent. All alone on its island, it's hard to imagine it used to be perched at a height of 60 metres… Before the dam was built, the valley looked quite different. At Saint-Victor, they lost a railway line was lost, but gained a watersports centre. And with it a beach, a marina, boat trips and some fantastic angling, all within throwing distance of the city centre… And who do we thank then?