 |
| La Loire at Saumur |
Leaving Amboise, we
stick with the north bank of the river and the D952. This route once passed through the heart of the city of Tours – a place I have visited many times, and if you want to catch up with those visits, you can read them Here and Here. Today, there is a ring road that takes you on a circuitous route around the north of the city. But the old road is still there, and if you follow the signs for the Abbaye de la
Lanterne Marmoutier, you can thread your way along the road that runs beside
the river. The old abbey is also worth a
visit.
From Tours, the D952 continues its route along the riverbank through to Saumur – there’s a fascinating Tank Museum here that will take a whole day out of your trip, but it’s worth it. From Saumur, the same road follows
the river all the way to the southern side of the vast city of Angers. From Pont de Dumnacus you see the full scape
of La Loire. It’s wide, with long, sloping silt shelves on either side and long, low bridges crossing it. Not exactly noteworthy photo shots. Just to the west of Angers, the Loire subsumes the river Maine, and the faster-flowing water makes its way to the old town of Ancenis.
With a population of
under 10,000, this small town has some interesting historical connections, and it will be our last stop on our journey along La Loire. As with many ancient towns, there is a château here, but perhaps the term
‘castle’ is a more fitting description.
Built in the late tenth century by Aremburga, the widow of Guerech, Duke of Brittany, the original motte-and-bailey castle had simple defences: a moat, a palisade, and an enclosed interior to protect the inhabitants. Because of its location by the river, it became a strategic point for
observing the river, the traffic and an opportunity to make money from tolls! Records exist from the early fourteen
hundreds decreeing that the then owners of the castle must desist charging
river traffic for transportation of cargo.
From the 12th
to the 16th century, the fortress was attacked many times, not only
by French Kings and Dukes but also by our own Henry 2 and King John. From the 17th century, the military significance of the castle diminished, and in 1626, Cardinal Richelieu ordered that the castle be dismantled. What we
see today are the remains of the original building in a new setting, as the moat
was filled and new wharves created. In
the mid-nineteenth century, with the establishment of an Ursuline boarding
school, the site was further damaged and adapted for the needs of the nuns and
the children they educated.
Now, the château sits a short walk away from the
river it once overlooked. But Quai de la
Marine runs behind the castle grounds and along the bank of La Loire. It’s only when you stand on the esplanade and
look the length of the river that you see the vastness. It’s hard to believe that this great river
started life as a ‘particularly disappointing pool of brownish
water’.
From here
in Ancenis the river flows westward towards the city of Nantes, the naval port
of St.Nazaire and the Atlantic Ocean where the waters of La Loire are finally
dispersed.
This is
the final post for my journey along La Loire.
If you would like to read the earlier posts, just click the links below:
No comments:
Post a Comment