Segway Tours in Tours

LES CASTELS CELEBRATES 50^th ANNIVERSARY

The French campsite group "Les Castels" is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year - originally founded in 1959, the group now boasts a total of 39 member sites & is hosting various special events throughout the year. They  have also added 4 new members this year; Domaine de Dienne in Poitou-Charentes, Domaine des Forges in the Vendee, Vieille Ferme on the French Riviera & Domaine de Keraval in Brittany.

ORLEANS AIRE AT LAST!

The large city of Orleans has after many years decided to provide an aire de service for motorhomes. The aire that was completed last year is located outside the Base de Loisirs - about 2kms to the east of Orleans, on the south side of the Loire -- next to a large leisure lake. The aire is in a tarmac parking area where there are 4 spaces reserved for motorhomes, bordered by grass verges & trees. The adjacent 28ha lake has various water based activities including canoeing, windsurfing, sailing, swimming & there is also a large fine sandy beach. Services include a Euro-Relais borne, drainage platform, water & electric. See the Aires directory for details.

CARNIVAL IN CHALON

The Carnival at Chalon-sur-Saone in Burgundy runs from 27^th February until 8^th March and is one of only a few in France to offer such a wide range of music groups, varied in terms of style and origin, putting it in second place after the Nice Carnival. There's a night time parade, sparkling cavalcades with colourful floats & music from all over the world.

CARNIVAL IN NANTES

From the 29^th March to 4^th April, more than 350,000 people will be in the streets of Nantes for its annual carnival; floats and dozens of marching bands aas well as musicians from all over Europe are going to turn the town upside down. This year, the theme is "Circus" & there is a daytime parade on Sunday March 29th, a special parade for children on Wednesday April 1, and a spectacular night-time parade on April 4^th.

ZEVISIT IN THE LOIRE

"Zevisit" is a sound system which allows you to download free guided audio tours in MP3 format, available in French and English, these audio tours can also be accessed by mobile phone. In the Loire Valley, you can now visit the Perche area, Chartres, the Royal Valley of the Eure, Beauce, or even the Haute Vallée du Loir in complete freedom and at your own pace thanks to the fifty nine audio points in Eure-et-Loir where tours are available for download. In Berry, the Département of Indre puts this pioneer system at your disposal to discover its remarkable church frescoes. For full details visit: www.tourisme28.com

TOURS BY SEGWAY

The town of Tours is one of the first in France to offer visitors a trip on a Segway, an electric mode of transport based on dynamic balance! Connected to two computers, two gyroscopes constantly calculate the angle of your body and communicate the necessary movement to the wheels for you to stay balanced whilst travelling at a speed of up to 20 km/h. After an introductory session, you can take a tour supervised by a guide, an excursion of just under two hours will allow you to discover St-Gatien Cathedral, the majestic Château, Pont Wilson bridge, the Loire quaysides & Place Plumereau surrounded by typical half-timbered houses.

SPECIAL OFFER IN AMBOISE

The Tourism Office in Amboise is offering a special deal to visit its chateaux; all you have to do is choose between the special offer options to discover Amboise the smart way! Proposed by the Val d'Amboise tourist office, the special pass offers tickets at attractive prices which allow you to visit châteaux and other tourist attractions. Two different passes are available: the 3 Châteaux Pass gives you the keys to the châteaux of Amboise, Clos Lucé and Chenonceau, and with the 4 Châteaux Pass you can also discover the intriguing Chanteloup Pagoda.

MOBILES IN FRANCE

Those of you who use a PAYG French mobile phone whilst in France are probably frustrated by the fact that if you don't use your phone credit within a certain time then you automatically lose it. A new solution however is now being offered by the Leclerc supermarket chain -- for a payment of 1.5€ per month any credits on your Leclerc Mobile will be retained for up to 12 months. Full details are available on: www.leclercmobile.fr

NEW BRITTANY FERRY

The state-of-the-art €120 million cruise ferry Armorique has been designed specifically for use between Plymouth and the Breton port of Roscoff & has entered service in February 2009. It incorporates the very latest technology and will be particularly fuel efficient as well as environmentally-friendly by keeping CO2 emissions to a minimum. The ferry has 2 cinemas, WiFi, a restaurant, café & lounge.