Angers management

1:36pm Saturday 24th November 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

THE traveller leaving St Pancras on the new Eurostar route departs from a huge, cathedral-like building of beauty and ambition, only to arrive in the dim and uninspiring Gare Du Nord. It is, even lovers of France must admit, an unflattering comparison.

Definitely one-nil to England on that one.

But never mind, there is much more in France besides. The new St Pancras link brings the Continent a little bit closer to Yorkshire. Two hours courtesy of GNER from York to London, and a five minute walk - that's all it takes to get on a train bound straight for the heart of Paris.

Travelling last Friday on one of the inaugural journeys certainly felt like an occasion. Here, at last, was a viable alternative to flying for those who prefer to keep their feet somewhere near the ground, even if the ground is whizzing below you at 180mph.

Our destination for the weekend was the historic city of Angers, in the Loire Valley, capital of the Angou region.

Angers, the 16th largest city in France, is 90 minutes by TGV from Paris, or a little longer by car if the French train drivers are on strike, as they were last weekend, demanding their right to an early retirement (can we all have one too, Mr Brown?).

The city is compact and charming, known for its culture, food and wine, and is close to many chateaux, and handy too for water sports, hiking or cycling.

We spent two nights based at the Hotel d'Anjou, in the centre of town, and a further night in the countryside at Château de l'Epinay, at St-Georges-sur-Loire, a place of luxurious retreat.

Like York, Angers happily combines history with shopping. There is plenty of both, and a day can easily embrace the castle, a 13th century fortress overlooking the River Maine, and the Apocalypse Hanging, an astonishing medieval tapestry depicting the end of the world (I looked, but could see no striking peasants in its faded needlework), with shopping.

Angers is, again like York, a city with ancient roots, and is the cradle of the House of Plantagenet, who ruled England from the 12th century.

As well as exploring Angers castle, and admiring the tapestry, the longest in the world until it was chopped up during the French Revolution, we looked inside Saint-Maurice Cathedral, with its lovely rose windows, and visited the David d'Angers Gallery.

This gallery is one of the city's highlights, whether or not the sculpture by David d'Angers appeals (much of it did, to me, especially the statue of Gutenberg, the inventor of printing). But where this gallery truly scores is in its inspired use of space.

The 13th century abbey church it inhabits was almost destroyed during the revolution, but it found new life again in 1984 when a modern glass and steel-structured roof was fitted, creating a gallery flooded with light. Drenched in autumn sunlight, it is an uplifting mixture of the modern and the ancient.

On a day that was cold enough to freeze the local fountain, we also explored the Saturday market, weaving frozen-footed in and out of the stalls selling vegetables, fruit, meat, bread, honey and more besides.

After thawing with coffee or hot chocolate in a street-side café, we walked to the old city, close to the cathedral and castle.

An astonishing amount of medieval Angers remains, much more so even than in our own city, and it is a quiet treat to escape the shops and cafés to wind through narrow streets resonant with history.

No visit to France is complete without a few alcoholic treats. We visited the Cointreau distillery in the outskirts of the city, a tour worth taking for the smell alone.

The hit of orange is enough to send you reeling out - right into the bar, where Cointreau is tasted neat and in different cocktails. My favourite was Cointreau mixed with sparkling mineral water, lime juice and ice.

On a wet and chilly Sunday, we also visited Château d'Epiré, in Savennieres, a wine estate run by Luc Bizard. The proud owner insisted on a tour, so we tramped over the damp, slate-filled soil that gives the local wines their flinty edge. The Loire was viewed in the damp distance.

Then it was on to a tasting of white wines running from dry and steely through to sweet and honeyed. Lovely stuff, and worth the earlier dampness.

For anyone passing through, or wishing to break a long journey, Angers is well worth visiting. A compact and interesting city, it boasts enough culture, shopping and food to fill a weekend easily.

And thanks to that new train service, it just got a little bit closer.

Angers treats

• Chez Rimi, Boulevard Foch: Tiny, cosy restaurant with a limited but rewarding menu; three courses cost 23 euros (about £16).

• Faure d'Anne, Quai des Carmes: New restaurant in search of its Michelin star; beautifully fitted out quayside house, with a menu leaning to the trendy (foaming this and that); many courses, and a log fire too. Don't tell City of York Council, councillor Paul Blanchard or indeed my wife, but one dish featured a little fois gras. Curiosity took me there. The methods are cruel, the results rather too good; perhaps once will have to be enough.

• Atelier Culinaire, Savennieres: Gastronomic lessons from chef Frederic Tempereau, who looks a little like our own Heston Blumenthal, but is much less complicated in his approach. We prepared, cooked and then ate our own lunch (www.aterlierculinaire.com).

• Château de l'Epinay, St-Georges-sur-Loire (www.chateau-epinay.com): Lovely, 35-room chateau, with nine guest rooms, all recently restored and decorated to glossy magazine standard. Enormous grounds running to 57 acres, swimming pool for the summer, private lake; meals can be ordered, cooked by the owner (we had chicken liver paté salad, duck casserole, cheese, and pears in red wine).

• Le Café des Orfeures, Musée Des Beaux Arts: Tasteful, privately-run café just off the museum, serving good lunches and early evening meals.

• Cointreau, Boulevard des Bretonnieres (www.cointreau.fr): Guided tour of distillery, plus tasting in the bar afterwards.

• Château d'Epiré wines: Vineyard is open for tastings every day from 10am-12pm and 2pm-6.30pm except Sundays and public holidays. www.chateau-epire.com/eng/index

Fact file:

Eurostar: www.eurostar.com. Return fares from London to Angers start at £79 in standard class. All prices are per person and subject to availability. For bookings visit www.raileurope.co.uk or call 0844 848 4070. Personal callers are welcome at the Rail Europe Travel Centre, 178 Piccadilly, London W1.

GNER: www.gner.co.uk Angers: www.angesloiretourise.com