loir

Invigorated from the hospitality, we returned to flower-laden Vendome, where the Loir river flows between washhouses, weeping willows and elaborate gardens.

Tourists often zip past the rural charms of the Loir valley, heading directly for the better-known Loire, further south.

But the Loir shares similar attractions crumbling chateaux and picturesque villages worth closer investigation.

La Loire - feminine, majestic, favoured by tourists - and Le Loir, its smaller brother which feeds the mighty river but retains its own identity.

Perhaps small is a misnomer for Le Loir is a fully fledged river in its own right.

The mainly 15th and 16th century chateau at Bazouges-sur-le Loir comes complete with watermill, while the chateau at Durtal, though now an old folks' home, still dominates the town.

Born in 1979, Sabin du Loir won 23 races and was so loved by Scudamore that the jockey nominated the horse as his luxury item on Sue Lawley's Desert Island Discs.

Initially, Sabin du Loir raced in France before being brought to Britain by Michael Dickinson in 1982.