For 鈧�700,000 you can buy a private island in the middle of the Loire, about 10 kilometres from Saumur and its famous chateau.
"It is a land rarity, an environmental haven," Guillame Denniel, the estate agent handling the sale, told The Connexion.
All photos credit to Denniel Immobilier
The property is listed on the Denniel Immobilier , an agency which specialises in older or heritage buildings.
From September to May, access to the island is possible via a ford, then by boat for the rest of the year.
Hunting lodge to restore
With over 33 hectares of land for agricultural use, the island consists of a hunting lodge and two agricultural barns.
鈥淓xploited in the past for agriculture and vines, it became a holiday resort in the nineteenth century when a large Saumur wine family, Bouvet Ladubay, built the current hunting lodge on a hill,鈥� explained the listing agent.
鈥淭his charming property with its neo-medieval architecture is in need of a complete restoration having been uninhabited for a century.鈥�
The island boasts a 鈥渟uperb environment both natural and historical. It faces two charming villages on each bank 鈥� on one side one of the largest churches in the area and on the other hand a classed mediaeval tower.鈥�
Ad
鈥淢eanwhile, with immense Atlas cedars that are centuries old, nature stretches as far as the eye can see and when we went there swans were flying flush with the water.鈥�
Although there is no connection to mains water or electricity, the island does have a well.
A sought-after department
Maine-et-Loire is on the main route heading south from the ports of Normandy and Brittany.
It is a rich, green, agricultural department, with several large rivers, including the Loire, Mayenne and Sarthe.
Part of the Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire in Loiret and Chalonnes-sur-Loire in Maine-et-Loire has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Tourism has become one of the region鈥檚 main industries, with good cycle routes adding to its attraction.
Nearby Saumur is a pleasant, prosperous medium-sized town 鈥� many 麻豆传媒映画 still associate it with horses as in the past, it was the main training centre for cavalry regiments.
