Le Loir Riverside Walk & Canal de Vendôme
The Loir river curls around Vendôme in a series of braided channels, mill-races, and a navigable canal that once linked the town to the Loire — and today offers one of the most serene waterside walks in the entire region. Weeping willows trail in the current, herons stand motionless on mossy sluice gates, and the reflections of old tanneries and mill houses shimmer in water so clear you can count
The Walk Itself
Start at the Pont de la Porte d'Eau (the old water gate) in the town centre and follow the towpath south along the Canal de Vendôme. Within five minutes the town drops away and you're in a corridor of willows and alders, with the occasional stone lock-keeper's cottage still inhabited and its garden tumbling to the water's edge.
Continue for about 2 km to reach the Moulin du Coudray, a working mill that has ground grain here since the 17th century. The mill pond is a favourite spot for local anglers and the reflections on a still morning are genuinely spectacular.
Wildlife and Seasons
The Loir corridor is a recognised biodiversity corridor: kingfishers are common year-round, European otters have been spotted by patient observers at dusk, and in May the riverbanks are thick with yellow flag iris and purple loosestrife.
Autumn is perhaps the most beautiful season: the poplars and willows turn gold, morning mist hangs over the water, and the whole valley takes on the quality of a 19th-century landscape painting. Hire a canoe or kayak from a local outfitter in summer to experience the river from the water.
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