What to do in Loire Valley

The Loire Valley does châteaux the way Provence does lavender: by the field-load. Chambord, François I's extravagant hunting lodge, is best explored by bike through its vast walled forest. Chenonceau, the "ladies' château", straddles the Cher and looks even better from a kayak slipping beneath its arches. In Amboise, follow Leonardo da Vinci to Clos Lucé, where he spent his final years, then float over the lot in a hot-air balloon at dawn. Between castles, taste Vouvray and Chinon over a picnic amongst the vines, shop the market in Tours before a cooking class, or learn to fence like a musketeer (a hit with children, and with fathers who should know better). In July and August the headline châteaux are heaving. Go in May or September. Same castles, fewer selfie sticks.