Our journey begins on the coast at Saint Nazaire and the mouth of the River Loire.

And along the river valley are some of the finest castles, palaces and houses in France.

As we head up river past Nante, the main towns on our journey will be Angers, Tours, Blois

and Orleans.

Some of the palaces we will see are enormous, and built over 400 years ago.

Many of the castles date back even further in time.

At Orleans we head north east away from the river to end our journey at two palaces -- Fontainebleau,

and then on to one of the architectural masterpieces of Europe -- Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Saint Nazaire, on the north bank of the Loire estuary, came into prominence during the 19th

century when the harbour expanded, ship building began and the railway arrived.

The harbour is perhaps most famous for the daring, and successful, British Commando raid

during World War Two, when an old ship, full of explosives, was rammed into the dock gates

to prevent the use of the dry dock by large German battleships.

The Germans used Saint Nazaire as a base for naval operations in the Atlantic, and inside

the harbour is an enormous old German U-Boat pen with concrete in incredible nine metres

thick, and capable of withstanding any allied bomb.

Even today its construction makes demolition uneconomical.

The base is now used by cafes, a bar and on the roof is an exhibition about the harbour.

The river Loire is the longest one in France at 1,012 kilometres.

It has been referred to as the 'Garden of France' and studded with hundreds of historic

estates, as well as the many famous French wine regions that line the banks - Muscadet,

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé.

The city of Angers lies in the Loire Valley three miles north of the river on a small

tributary.

The Chateau d'Angers has a history stretching back to the Romans who had a fort on the site.

The seventeen massive towers were built in the 14th century, and reduced in height during

the 16th century with the stone used for developing the growing town.

Further damage was done to the castle during the German occupation of World War Two when

a munitions dump inside the chateau exploded.

But, even with all that's happened to the castle over the years, it's still an impressive

sight.

An equally impressive site and the first many on this journey is the Chateau du Plessis-Bourré.

It was built in only five years from 1468 and has been very little altered externally

since then.

It even has the original working drawbridge.

The style of conical roofs is something which can be seen in many of the houses and palaces

along the Loire Valley.

The river provides water for the fertile valley where farmland and vineyards are interspersed.

Large parts of the landscape are also forested, with many of them going back to medieval days

when they were used as hunting parks attached to the different chateau along the valley.

The Chateau de Saumur stands on the edge of a forest overlooking the river.

It was built in the 13th and later became the home of the Dukes of Anjou.

Over the centuries it has been used as a military barracks and a state prison under Napoleon

Bonaparte.

Today it is undergoing extensive restoration.

Another castle is ten miles to the south on a small tributary of the Loire - the Chateau

de Montreuil-Bellay.

The castle seen today dates from the 13th century, with the turreted curtain wall built

in the 15th century.

During the French Revolution it was taken over by the new government and turned into

a women's prison for suspected royalists.

Later it was bought by a rich local merchant and over the next two hundred years the Castle

has had several different owners who have helped preserve and restore the building.

Standing in the middle of farmland is the stronghold of the Chateau du Rivau.

The castle was once four sided with turret towers on each corner.

As the turrets projected out from the wall they were able to protect the entrance with

an enemy trying to get across the drawbridge.

Since 1992 the castle has undergone a great deal of restoration.

The design of the castle is in a classic 15th century French style and designed to show

off the power and wealth of the owner.

By the 17th century styles had changed and the Chateau d'Oiron, on the southern edge

of the Loire Valley, has been built as a house rather than a fortress, and the design has

been influenced by classical ideas from ancient Rome.

At the end of the 17th century the house was lived in by Madame de Montespan, King Louis

XIV's mistress, after he had tired of her.

The Chateau was then ransacked in the 1790's during the French Revolution and left largely

abandoned until it was bought by the State in the 1930's and turned into a very successful

modern art museum.

On the north bank of the River Vienne, close to where it meets the Loire is the Chateau

de Chinon.

This massive fortress was built in the 12th century by King Henry II of England, who was

also ruler of this area of France, which at the time was the separate kingdom of Anjou.

King Henry died in the castle and he and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, as well as his

son Richard the Lionheart, are all buried in a nearby abbey.

The castle was partially restored in the in the 19th century.

At the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers is the Chateau de Montsoreau, built

in 1455 as a strategic fortress controlling river traffic along the Loire.

Like so many other castles in the Loire Valley it was in near ruins by the end of the 19th

century, until it was bought by the local council and eventually restored and turned

into a museum

On another tributary of the Loire is the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau.

It was built by a rich financier who wished to establish his new nobility.

It was designed in the first stirrings of the new French Renaissance style of the early

16th century, and sits in a dammed section of the River Indre.

The 19th century writer Honoré de Balzac described the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau as

bathing in the Indre River like a princely creature.

The Chateau de Villandry is also built in the French Renaissance style and incorporates

a 14th tower fortress, but what marks this Chateau out from the others is the spectacular

formal garden.

Once owned by Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, the Chateau fell into disrepair and was on

the verge of being demolished before being bought by a Spanish doctor, Joachim Carvallo,

in 1906.

He then poured an enormous amount of time, money and devotion into restoring the chateau

and creating one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

And like many other Chateau of the Loire it is now a World Heritage Site.

The gardens are laid out in a classic formal style with several kilometres of box hedging.

There are all sorts of water features, ornamental flower gardens and even a vegetable parterre.

Ten miles up the Loire is the largest city in Central France -- Tours.

The 12th century cathedral stands on the south bank of the river.

It was the arrival of the railway in the 19th century that saw the city revive its fortunes

as it began to expand into the surrounding countryside.

And in that countryside are some of the hundreds of vineyards that lie along its banks.

And in the Vouvray wine region is the vineyard at the Chateau Moncontour, which is one of

the oldest along the Loire Valley.

Way back in the 10th century caves were excavated in the river bank to mature and preserve the

wine.

By the 15th century Vouvray's fame had spread across much of Northern Europe and the vineyards

cultivated in the best position overlooking the river.

The chateau itself dates back to the 15th century though it was severely damaged by

fire and nearly destroyed during the French Revolution.

In fact going back even further in time to the 4th century the estate belonged to the

Bishops' of Tours.

Vouvray is made from the Chenin Blanc grape, which can be enjoyed in dry wines, sweet ones

and also in a sparkling version.

Due to the abundant acidity Vouvray can age for quite some time, and also some varieties

can be drunk when young.

Up river is the royal Chateau d'Amboise, which King Charles VII seized from Louis d'Amboise

in 1434 after condemning him to death for plotting against the crown.

Charles then set about extensively rebuilding the chateau into a favourite of French kings

during the 16th century.

He also laid out the first formal renaissance style garden in France.

Like so many other palaces along the Loire it fell into disrepair over the centuries

and large parts were demolished, but it is still an imposing sight.

As is the Pagoda of Chanteloup, the only surviving bit of the now demolished Chateau de Chanteloup.

This Chinese inspired tower is 44 metres tall and rather like a wedding cake has seven tiers.

Inside a staircase allows visitors to climb to the top and look down into the semi-circular

reflecting pool.

The pagoda was built by the Duc de Choiseuil in 1775 when he was exiled to his estate for

defying King Louis XV.

He saw it as a temple of friendship for all his friends who came to see him during his

disgrace.

This is the Chateau de Chenonceau, and surely one of the most sublime in the Loire Valley.

With the palace built across the River Cher and the arches reflected in the still water

the sheer beauty of Chenonceau has made it the most visited of all the chateau of the

Loire.

The main chateau was built in the 1520's but was later seized by the crown for unpaid debts.

It was then given to the King Henry II's mistress Diane de Poitiers, who improved the house

and built a bridge across the river.

After the king's death his wife and regent, Catherine de Medici, had Diane de Poitier

expelled from Chenonceau by 'exchanging' it for the Chateau de Chaumont, which we will

see later.

In the 1560's Catherine de Medici would spend a fortune on the house, and most importantly

build a gallery on top of the bridge that gives Chenonceau its shape today.

She also replanted the garden in a formal style.

The queen held spectacular parties, often at night, and it is said she held the first

ever firework display in France.

After her death in 1589 the house went through a series of owners until one of them in the

early 18th century sold off all the contents.

The house was saved during the revolution because the bridge was the only one for many

miles.

In 1913 the Menier family, famous for their chocolates, bought the chateau, restored it,

and still own it today.

And in a final thought, Chenonceau played a part during World War Two, as the bridge

separated Nazi occupied France with the 'French free zone' on the opposite bank and was used

by many people to escape.

Continuing upstream along the Loire is the Chateau de Chaumont, which Diane de Poitier

moved to after being forced out of Chenonceau.

The chateau was built on a hill overlooking the river in the early 1500's in a medieval

fortress style but decorated with some early renaissance details.

In the 18th century the north wing of the castle was demolished to provide a better

view of the river.

After much neglect the state bought Chaumont in 1938 and it is now a museum.

Ten miles up the Loire is the town of Blois and the enormous royal chateau, a residence

of several French kings.

The Chateau de Blois was built between the 13th and 17th century and comprises several

buildings around the main courtyard.

The palace has 564 rooms, each with its own fireplace, 75 staircases and 100 bedrooms.

One of the best known parts of the palace is the monumental staircase built in 1515.

It is covered with decorative sculpture and dominates the central courtyard.

At the end of this long avenue is the Chateau de Cheverny, which was completed in 1650 for

the Hurault family.

The house has been built in a rigidly symmetrical design with a roof line which seem to break

the house into five separate sections.

During the French Revolution the family had to give up much of their wealth and were forced

to sell the house in 1802, but, bought it back in 1834.

In 1914 the chateau was opened to the public, one of the first great French houses to do

so.

Children visiting the chateau may well feel they recognise it, because the Belgian comic

book creator Hergé used Cheverny as the inspiration for Marlinspike Hall in his Adventures of

Tintin books

A few miles to the north on the edge of a large forest is the Chateau de Villsavin,

built in the 1530's for Jean Le Breton.

The chateau was constructed by the master craftsmen who had worked at the royal palaces

on the Loire.

This was because Jean de Breton was secretary of finance to King Francois I and also superintendent

of works for the 'hunting lodge' that the king was building in a forest four miles away

-- The Chateau de Chambord.

This is perhaps one of the best known and most recognisable chateaux in the world, because

of its enormous size and distinctive French Renaissance style.

It is a mixture of old medieval forms with new classical ideas from Italy.

The enormous roof line is a mass of intricate designs of chimneys and cupolas that almost

resemble a skyline of a fantasy town.

The project was so enormous and costly that it was never finished and only the central

section and north side were completed.

So who designed this enormous palace.

One suggestion is that Leonardo da Vinci, who had been a guest of King Francois at another

Loire chateau, was responsible for the original design.

However, there is no real evidence to prove it.

In fact it is still a matter of controversy as to who the architect of Chambord was

The king spent barely seven weeks a year at the chateau on short hunting visits.

And any visit at the time meant that all the furniture and wall coverings had to be transported,

unpacked and then packed up after the hunting trip finished.

Future kings largely abandoned Chambord and Napoleon gave it to one of his generals, who

then sold it.

After many owners, who tried to look after it, the state took over and it is now a very

popular museum.

Today the River Loire has around 150 bridges across it, with many going back centuries.

This is the bridge at Beaugency, which has a history stretching back to the 14th century.

Over the years the bridge has been extended, repaired and parts rebuilt.

The different shaped arches give a clue to all this work.

Over the centuries floods and ice in winter have caused much damage.

War also played its part, because in 1870 one span was destroyed on the order of the

French military during the Franco-Prussian War.

In the 1970's this historic bridge, which was becoming unstable, was completely restored

and shored up.

Today the River Loire is navigable for large boats for only about thirty miles, but Two

hundred years ago the river was an important trading route and flat bottomed barges could

travel over 200 miles upstream to Orleans.

The city is dominated by one of the largest cathedrals in France - Sainte- Croix d'Orleans,

which was first built in the 13th century and then rebuilt in the 16th century after

being damaged in war.

At Orleans the River Loire bends to the south and our journey heads north east to a royal

palace.

This is the Palace of Fontainebleau -- and the work of many French monarchs.

It was begun back in the 16th century, and is arranged around a series of courtyards.

It was Francois the first, creator of Chambord, who built the first courtyard.

Succeeding French kings then added the other ones

But by the middle of the 17th century Fontainebleau began a steady decline as the palace of Versailles

took over the interest of King Louis XIV.

During the French Revolution of the late 18th century the entire contents of the Fontainebleau

were sold off to ensure it could not be used as a royal palace again.

However, within a decade Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the palace into a symbol

of his grandeur.

And it was here in 1814 that he bade an emotional farewell to his Old Guard before going into

exile on the Isle of Elba.

A few miles to the north is the final destination of this journey and one of the greatest architectural

masterpieces of not only France, but of the world -- The Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte

In 1641 a young parliamentarian called Nicolas Fouquet bought an old castle and estate at

Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Fifteen years later he had risen to the powerful position of finance minister to King Louis

XIV.

And in this position he was able to amass a small fortune, which meant he could begin

construction of what was to become the finest chateau and garden in France.

The spectacular achievement we see today was the result of Fouquet picking the best people

to carry out his dream.

The first was the architect Louis Le Vau, the second was the painter and decorator Charles

Le Brun and the third was the garden designer Andre le Nôtré.

Working closely with their patron they were to create not only a spectacular house but

also a centre and haven for leading French artists of the day all of whom contributed

to the beauty of Vaux.

For the plan of the garden to work Fouquet purchased, and then demolished, three villages.

The displaced villagers were then employed in the upkeep and maintenance of the gardens.

It was said that he employed eighteen thousand workers to create the gardens at a staggering

cost in today's money of around 150 million dollars.

All this wealth and influence meant Fouquet had enemies and they conspired to ruin him.

In August of 1661 Fouquet held a spectacular garden party for the King to show off his

new house and garden.

It was to be his downfall, because it was not a good idea to outshine the king, who

had Fouquet arrested for embezzlement and imprisoned for life.

Louis then confiscated most of the furniture, tapestries and pictures, as well as all the

garden statues and orange trees.

He also took the three designers, Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Notre and put them to work

on his new palace -- Versailles.

By 1875 Vaux-the chateau was in a terrible state, but luckily for us today it was bought

by Alfred Sommier and slowly, along with his descendants, brought back to life, so that

visitors can marvel at this quite fantastic palace and garden -- a perfect place to end

this journey.