Exploring Turquant and its Trodglodyte Dwellings
We visited Turquant in the Loire Valley on the recommendation of the tourist information office in Montsoreau . We were told they had a very good troglodyte restaurant. As it turns out they have more than one troglodyte style restaurant plus a large quantity of trodglodyte artisanal shops and wineries! If you haven’t already read my other posts on trodglodyte dwellings I should stop here and add a little explanation.
This area of the Loire Valley is filled with caves and those people who lived in these caves were called trodglodytes. People lived in these caves up until the late 1930s in this area. These are not your typical caves. The troglodyte caves were created when tufa limestone was removed to create the beautiful white stoned buildings and cathedrals in this part of France. Today, people are restoring these former dwellings and turning them into restaurants, shops, and B&Bs. Staying in this B&B is on my “bucket list”
One of the artisan’s studios built into the stone.
The Flavor of the Village
Turquant is a small village of about 600 inhabitants that is literally built into the hillside. This hillside of tufa stone is the reason for so many troglodyte establishments! It’s just 3.6 km from Montsoreau and its beautiful Château so it is literally within walking distance! However, you might want to save your energy for Turquant’s well-marked walking trail. It’s a “must do” in my opinion. Following the trail led us past all the troglodytic establishments, through a vineyard where the grape harvest was in progress (we were visiting in October) and then back into town.
One of the ateliers we passed on our walk. This artisan had beautiful pottery.
When we arrived in town, we decided to park the car at the first parking location we saw. It was located next to a small park and several small camping vehicles were already parked there. We were delighted to get to see this one old-style camper. I would have loved to have seen the inside but just couldn’t work up the courage to ask when the man and his wife emerged shortly after we had arrived.
What a fascinating 1956 Citroen H camping van!
It is in this little park that we discovered the start of the walking trail.
Turquant Park and the start of the walking trail.
Following the Markers
We followed these delightful little markers for our explorations. The walk took us by the ateliers (artisanal shops) and then off the beaten path as we climbed higher and higher. The views were amazing and when there was a specific site to note, the village had bilingual descriptive signs to guide you.
Trail markers that directed our walk!
Also in the park was this wonderful water source:
Water source
Close-up of the tile work on the water source.
Taking this walk and following the markers really forced me to trust! Just about the time I would decide we had to be lost, another marker would magically appear and we knew we were on the right path. About half way in to the walk I finally relaxed and accepted that if we continued straight on in the direction the marker had pointed then the next marker would appear when we needed to make a turn.
The markers are about 18 inches (45 cm) tall and we learned to be observant so we wouldn’t miss a turn. The pointing finger never mislead us!
The Windmills
The windmills of Turquant are one of those important “sites to see” because one day, they will be a thing of the past. In 1850 there were 2000 mills in this area, today there are only 34. Modern technology is slowly replacing the mills.
Historic Turquant windmill
The full walk was approximately 5 km and when we reached the vineyards, we had the option to continue on through the vineyards or take the small path back down into the village. We chose to return to the village since we had now worked up a serious appetite and it was approaching 1:00 p.m. The restaurant was filled with locals – a true sign to me that you’ve chosen a good restaurant! We were not disappointed!
Vineyard at the top of our climb.
Path back down to the village
Time for lunch!
Lunch at the Turquant trodglodyte restaurant
Église St Aubin
After our meal, we walked to the Église St Aubin. This is a beautiful little church with a great story behind its windows. In 2002 the building was restored and at that time, nine windows were restored using the actual 16th century methods by which they had been originally made. The artisan from Saumur who completed the windows was Phillippe Brissy.
Eglise Saint-Aubin in Turquant
What a perfect day! We headed back to our gite in Verigny-en-Verrone for a glass of wine while watching the sun set.
Destination Turquant
Turquant is marked with the heart and I added a few destinations that are a quick drive from Turquant.
Mon histoire de Turquant (en bref) en français…
La ville de Turquant était une découverte bien accueillie. C’était l’office du tourisme de Montsoreau qui le proposait. Nous cherchions un bon restaurant troglodytique et dans ce petit hameau, il y avait plus d’un ainsi que quelques petites boutiques troglodytiques.
Cette région de la vallée de la Loire est criblée de grottes. Jusqu’aux années 1930, ces grottes étaient habitées par des gens de la région. Aujourd’hui, ces maisons fonctionnent comme des gîtes, des restos et des boutiques. Savez-vous que les grottes ont été créées quand la pierre de tuffeau a été retirée pour construire les bâtiments et les cathédrales dans cette région ?
Turquant est très proche du château de Montsoreau. Il y a un sentier pédestre bien entretenu entre les deux. Si on allait à Turquant pour aucune autre raison, il faudrait prendre cette randonnée. Nous y étions en octobre et c’était très beau de marcher près des vignes.
Notre promenade de cinq kilomètres a commencé dans le petit parc de pique-nique qui a une source d’eau douce faite des carreaux céramiques. D’ici, nous avons suivi les petits marqueurs qui étaient de temps en temps presque cachés par le sous-bois. Nous avons vu une éolienne près du sentier. Les éoliennes de Turquant sont des sites obligatoires de voir parce que seulement 34 en restent aujourd’hui de 2000 qui existaient en 1850.
Après notre randonnée, nous avons visité l’église Saint-Aubin. En 2002 l’église était rénovée. Philippe Brissy, un artisan de Saumur, a reconstruit les vitraux en utilisant les méthodes du 16e siècle. La visite a été intéressante! La plus drôle chose que nous ayons vue à Turquant était un vieux camping-car, une Citroën H 1956. J’avais envie de voir l’intérieur mais j’ai manqué le courage de leur demander.
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