If you are looking for a restful
holiday with some bird watching, then why not try
a visit to the Loire Valley where a birding list
of 70+ is easily obtainable without very much
effort.
During June 2007 I stayed in an
accessible gite in the Loire Valley, France. And
the purpose of this article is to let disabled
know that there are two gites accessible to
wheelchair-users, and one upstairs gite that may
be suitable for ambulant disabled called “Owl”.
I will detail the accessibility of
the gite my wife and I stayed in called
“Goldfinch”, and can tell you that the larger
ground floor gite(Heron) was equally accessible,
but I did not look at all areas of that gite
because of guests already staying there.
The gites are owned by Stu and Syb
Bradley and they run a combined gite/caravan/camping
site that is small and convivial. It is situated
near a village called Mouliherne which is in the
heart of the Loire region between Angers and Tours
and within easy range of Saumur, Chinon, Bourgueil,
Bauge etc.
Fuller site details can be seen on
the website by looking at:
http://www.loire-gites.com/web/default.asp
“Goldfinch” gite – accessibility
details:
The site has a closed main gate
which has to be opened and closed by the
driver/passenger, or if this is a problem a member
of Stu’s family is around to open and shut,
especially after their friendly dog “Bracken”
lets you know someone is waiting.
“Goldfinch” gite is just a few
yards on the left and the car can be parked close
to the accommodation as is shown in the picture of
the gite below.
The only door to the gite is wide
enough for most wheelchairs with only a very small
lip into the main living area.
The living area includes a large
double bed (not a separate bedroom), a dining
area, a leisure space which includes a settee and
satellite television (with DVD player), and
finally a fully fitted kitchen, including a
microwave cooker, and a washing machine.
The room was large with plenty of
space to manoeuvre a wheelchair.
There was, of course, a spacious
bathroom that included a bath (with shower
attachment), a bidet, a wash basin, toilet and
radiator. The site owners have a bath chair that
can be loaned, if necessary.
The wash basin was of a suitable
height for a wheelchair user, as I was able wash
my hair comfortably. It also had a wall mirror at
the right height for shaving etc.
The bath was quite deep, but with
the use of the bath aid this would not be a
problem. Access – in wheelchair terms – was a
little difficult because the bidet got in the way.
The owners have agreed with me that this could be
removed to allow better access.
I have also had the owners promise
that shelving for toiletries etc. would benefit
the area around the wash basin; and that more hand
rails should be provided around the toilet.
Despite these minor improvements I
was able to manage everything from the chair, and
felt comfortable with the accommodation.
Access to the rest of the site is
over mown grass with some gravel driveways areas.
There are showers and toilets available for users
of the site and one of the showers is accessible
to a wheelchair user.
There is also an area for clothes
drying and an ironing board is available.
Outside the site is a very quiet,
and flat, country road that is good for gentle
walking and good for birding. The countryside is a
mixture of open farmland and forestry with a small
river a few hundred yards form the gites.
Just behind the site is a footpath
to the river and a nearby wood that is the
property of the owners, except that the wood is
not accessible to a wheelchair. The path is o.k.
and I was allowed to drive the car along it.
The bird list attached gives
details of the 79 species seen, most of which were
seen around the site. A number of the species I
saw around Lac de Rille which is about 15
kilometres to the east of Mouliherne e.g. Common
Tern, Pied Flycatcher, and Skylark
In and around the site produced
buzzards, Hoopoe, Cirl Bunting, Woodlark, nesting
Black redstarts, nesting Tawny Owl, nesting
Goldfinches in the ivy attached to “Goldfinch” and
we even had a brief visit from Golden Oriole in
the poplars outside our gite.
In a small village towards
Mouliherne (L’Oisellerie) I came across a family
party of Hoopoe, with an adult bird feeding a
chick, which was an unexpected treat.
In the field behind the site I had
my first ever Middle-spotted Woodpecker, and also
saw Red-back Shrike, and Hobby. There were also
breeding kestrels in that field area.
We also saw a few deer, lizards (on
our window sill, and bats flying away from the
front door lintel where there was a gap for them
able to roost.
All in all Le Chant d’Oiseau was a
very nice place for a holiday with some great
birding.
Brian Anderson
Treasurer – Disabled Birders
Association
Registered Charity: 109517
Email:
BAnderson1550539@aol.com
Bird List below:
Brief Notes On Birds
Identified Whilst staying At Le Chant d'Oiseau
Between 1-10th June
1993
The following is a
list of birds identified during a holiday at Le
Chant d'Oiseau between 1st & 10th June 1993 by
Peter & Phyl Montgomery, and by Brian & Joanna
Anderson - between the 9th and 30th June 2007 All
of the birds recorded were identified from either
the car or wheelchair Unless otherwise stated,
birds were seen either from the campsite or within
a few minute's drive from site:
|
Vernacular Name |
Scientific Name |
Remarks |
|
|
|
|
|
Great Crested Grebe |
Podiceps cristatus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Grey Heron |
Ardea cinerea |
|
|
Mute Swan |
Cygnus olor |
Lac de Rille |
|
Mallard |
Anas platyrhynchos |
|
|
Honey Buzzard |
Pernis apivorus |
|
|
Hen Harrier |
Circus cyaneus |
|
|
Sparrowhawk |
Accipiter nisus |
|
|
Buzzard |
Buteo buteo |
|
|
Kestrel |
Falco tinnunculus |
Breeding |
|
Hobby |
Falco subbuteo |
Breeding |
|
Red-Legged Partridge |
Alectoris rufa |
|
|
Grey Partridge |
Perdix perdix |
|
|
Pheasant |
Phasianus colchicus |
|
|
Moorhen |
Gallinula chloropus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Coot |
Fullica atra |
Lac de Rille |
|
Black-Headed Gull |
Larus ridibundus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Herring Gull |
Larus argentatus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Common Tern |
Sterna hirundo |
|
|
Little Tern |
Sterna Albifrons |
Lac de Rille |
|
Stock Dove |
Columba oenas |
|
|
Wood Pigeon |
Columba palumbas |
|
|
Collared Dove |
Streptopelia decaocto |
|
|
Turtle Dove |
Streptopelia turtur |
|
|
Cuckoo |
Cuculus canorus |
Breeding |
|
Barn Owl |
Tyto Alba |
Breeding |
|
Tawny Owl |
Strix aluco |
Breeding |
|
Nightjar |
Caprimulgas europaeus |
Heard only |
|
Swift |
Apus apus |
|
|
Kingfisher |
Alcedo atthis |
|
|
Hoopoe |
Upupa epops |
Breeding |
|
Middle Spotted Woodpecker |
Dendrocopos medius |
|
|
Green Woodpecker |
Picus viridis |
|
|
Black Woodpecker |
Dryocopus martius |
Heard only |
|
Great Spotted Woodpecker |
Dendrocopos major |
|
|
Crested Lark |
Galerida cristata |
|
|
Woodlark |
Lullula arborea |
Breeding |
|
Skylark |
Alauda arvensis |
Breeding |
|
Swallow |
Hirundo rustica |
|
|
House Martin |
Delichon urbica |
|
|
Tree Pipit |
Anthus trivialis |
|
|
Meadow Pipit |
Anthus pratensis |
|
|
Yellow Wagtail |
Motacilla flava |
Blue-headed |
|
Grey Wagtail |
Motacilla cinerea |
Lac de Rille |
|
White Wagtail |
Motacilla alba |
|
|
Wren |
Troglodytes troglodytes |
Breeding |
|
Mistle Thrush |
Turdus viscivorus |
|
|
Song Thrush |
Turdus philomelos |
|
|
Blackbird |
Turdus merula |
|
|
Nightingale |
Luscinia megarhyncha |
Breeding |
|
Robin |
Erithacus rubecula |
Breeding |
|
Black Redstart |
Phoenicurus ochurus |
Breeding |
|
Stonechat |
Saxicola torquata |
|
|
Wheatear |
Oenanthe oenanthe |
|
|
Pied Flycatcher |
Ficedula hypoleuca |
Lac de Rille |
|
Goldcrest |
Regulus regulus |
|
|
Sedge Warbler |
Acrocephalus Schoenobaenus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Reed Warbler |
Acrocephalus scirpaceus |
Lac de Rille |
|
Chiffchaff |
Phylloscopus collybita |
Breeding |
|
Willow warbler |
Phylloscopus trochilus |
Heard only |
|
Blackcap |
Sylvia atricapilla |
|
|
Whitethroat |
Silvia communis |
Heard only |
|
Long-Tailed Tit |
Aegithalos caudatus |
|
|
Marsh Tit |
Parus palustris |
|
|
Coal Tit |
Parus ater |
Foret de Chandelais |
|
Great Tit |
Parus major |
Breeding |
|
Blue Tit |
Parus caerulens |
Breeding |
|
Nuthatch |
Sitta europaea |
|
|
Treecreeper |
Certhia familiaris |
|
|
Golden Oriole |
Oriolus oriolus |
|
|
Red-backed Shrike |
Lanius collurio |
Breeding |
|
Magpie |
Pica pica |
|
|
Jackdaw |
Corvus monedula |
|
|
Carrion Crow |
Corvus corone |
|
|
Starling |
Sturnus vulgaris |
|
|
House Sparrow |
Passer domesticus |
Breeding |
|
Chaffinch |
Fringilla coelebs |
Breeding |
|
Goldfinch |
Carduelis carduelis |
Breeding |
|
Linnet |
Acanthis cannabina |
|
|
Cirl Bunting |
Emberiza cirlus |
|
|
|
|
|
|
79 species as at 30/6/2007 |
|
|
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