Loire Valley

[Willsmum]

Am going on a short trip to the Loire with an active toddler. Does anyone have any recommendations? What about children friendly restaurants and playgrounds, are there any to look out for?

Willsmum, it's slightly to the south of the valley proper (but we did a day trip from Tours easily a few years ago), but we have booked in for a night at the Hotel de la Croix Blanche in Fontevraud on our way further south. We are travelling with two toddlers and the proprietor there could not have been nicer about sorting out adjoining rooms, high chairs, travel cots, early dinners etc. Of course we haven't been yet...but they sound like a very child-friendly venue for lunch. The hotel is in quite a few "charming budget" guidebooks and does veggie food which also suggests they are unusually progressive for provincial France (nb steak frites also served of course!) Fontevraud has a fab abbey with tombs of bad King John, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lionheart, and is a pretty little town.
Langeais chateau is also pretty with entertaining ramparts and an enclosed garden, and there is a fascinating troglodyte village at Troo.

Bon voyage from another "willsmum".

Thanks a lot, I will try to get there. Have read the Eleanor biography so it will be interesting to follow it up! We will be staying south of Tours, so it shouldn't take long.
Did you find any playgrounds worth recommending? I don't seem to remember that it was something the french were that keen on.

Ah, that was before we had a toddler! So I wasn't looking out for these things (how times have changed), but you're right, the French don't seem to go for playgrounds much. I did also remember the superb vegetable garden at Villandry (don't laugh!) after I posted. I would be interested to hear if you do come across one as it might come in handy on our long trek south in August.