05-01-2012

  Whilst there we visited several delightful places, there's châteaux, old towns, woods and riversides to see.  It's an area that is often overlooked by British tourists racing on further south, but one that is worth taking some time to visit.

  The first three pictures are actually in Brittany, right on the border with Mayenne, at Fougeres.  They are views from the walls of the château over the surrounding area.  The fourth is of the three waterwheels at the mill by the château entrance.

Next is some views of the town of Mayenne, its not the prefecture of the département, that is Laval, but it is an historic old town.  On the left is one of the medieval town gates, on the right one of the cobbled streets in the old part of the town.  The Grand Hôtel in Mayenne had an amazing range of Malt Whiskies, as well as a very good restaurant but the best on our visit was the meal at l'Hermitage at Saulges, but the Hôtel de Grand Cerf in Ernée also did us proud.  France is a great place if you like to eat well, and the Logis hotels that we stayed and ate at were fine examples of family run traditional French hotels with superb cuisine.

Two views of the river Mayenne, which enters the Loire at Angers, on the left from a high bridge over it at Mayenne, on the right a little further south at Château Gontier.  In Château Gontier there is a zoo, la Refuge de l'Arche, all the animals in which have been rescued, many of them having been decidedly unsuitable pets, some rescued by Bridget Bardoe.  The large colony of monkeys on an island in a lake are worth the visit on their own but there is much, much more.

On to the village of Montsurs, on the left the château, on the right the old communal clothes washing place.

The château at Ste. Suzanne and a new statue in an old village that I snapped in passing.