TRAVEL: France for all the family

Odette Siko, the first woman to complete
 Le Mans 24hour race

STORIES of derring-do led on to rows of gleaming racing cars in this temple to testosterone. We had come to the Musée Des 24 Heures-Circuit at Le Mans to find out more about the characters and cars who had faced the ultimate motor-racing challenge.
Famous competitors included Hollywood actor Paul Newman who came second in the 47th race in 1979. It was life imitating art: just a few years earlier, film star Steve McQueen played a racing driver in the movie, Le Mans.

However, as I toured the museum, I found a story equally worthy of Hollywood treatment. Back in 1930, Odette Siko made history as the first woman to compete and finish the race when she brought her Bugatti T 40 home in seventh place. The original Bugatti is now on show in a far corner of the museum. After immersing ourselves in the high-octane world of motorcars for the morning, it felt rather flat climbing into our boring family hire-car for the short drive into Le Mans city centre.

But we had a tour of the historic city booked - and within half an hour we were transported back to the time of the Plantagenets. As we followed our guide around the imposing gothic cathedral which dominates the centre of Le Mans, we learned how it was within these walls that Geoffrey V of Anjou married Matilda, heir to the kingdom of England. Their son was Henry II, the first of 15 Plantagenet monarchs who ruled England until the line died out in 1499.

At its heart, Le Mans has an impressively preserved medieval centre, with a warren of streets to explore as well as one of the finest examples in the world of original Roman walls.

We were on holiday in the Sarthe region of France with our ten-yearold daughter, which meant we had to make room for child-friendly activities every day.

Historic Le Mans

That wasn't difficult given our base at Luché-Pringé, a sleepy village about 40 minutes' drive south of Le Mans. We stayed at the wellappointed Camping La Chabotiere, in the centre of the village, with a pleasing aspect on to the river Le Loir. Our chalet was luxurious by traditional camping standards; it came with a kitchen, shower room, inside loo and dishwasher, with a washing machine in an adjacent hut. The site had a swimming pool and tennis court as well as plenty of table tennis stations.
There was a green field on which to play football and a sand pit for boules. Our daughter found it easy to make friends despite the language barrier - she soon discovered you didn't really have to converse too much when there was a football to kick around.
She particlarly enjoyed a visit to Papéa Park at Le Mans, a sprawling amusement and water park with rollercoasters and a leisure pool, where getting wet was the name of the game.
The zoo at La Fleche is a regional attraction and rightly so. It boasts rarities such as white lions and black panthers. It is open until 7pm; we arrived in the cool of the early evening and were rewarded by seeing the animals in energetic form, particularly memorable were the chimps play fighting.
Our days quickly took a new shape; a tourist visit in the morning and afternoon sandwiched either side of a long and leisurely lunch. At Malicorne, an arty village known for its local pottery, we savoured local dishes at the traditional restaurant La Petite Auberge.
Sitting outside on a riverside terrace, we took our time to work through the lunch menu which consisted of a scallop terrine, followed by guinea fowl and floating islands for dessert. Later we toured the impressive Espace Faience, the pottery museum, and bought some one-off pieces in its shop, making the most of the much improved exchange rate between the pound and the Euro.
We finished off the day trip by taking a motor boat out on the river.
Gardeners should not miss a visit to the Petit-Bordeaux Garden, an oasis of the exquisite, tucked away in a secluded spot at Saint-Biez-enBelin. The 1.5 hectare garden boasts some 3,800 varieties of flowers, shrubs, trees and grasses, looked after by a husband and wife team. There are ample seating areas around the garden, inviting you to linger over the loveliness.
More joy, this time of a culinary nature, came with lunch at the award-winning Le Poesies Palatines at the neighbouring town, SaintOuen-en-Belin. The set menu, for about £15 a head, was a steal. The setting was stunning; in a rural farmhouse, the dining room set with white linens and giant mirrors. Another husband and wife team were at work here, but this time it was madame who was in the kitchen.

The farmhouse paté was served in a robust, rustic style, artfully accompanied by home-made bread, mini gherkins, and a red onion chutney. Next came a choice of grilled salmon with a rich creamy sauce or roast duck. We finished with a dish of perfect crème brulée and a deeply satisfying chocolate mousse.

The next day, driving home after a ferry crossing from Caen to Portsmouth, we stopped at Little Chef for lunch.

Stabbing at my rock-hard jacket potato, there was no surer sign that the holiday was over.

FACT FILEFor a range of ideas for holidaying in the Sarthe area visit:

tourisme-en-sarthe.com

Brittany Ferries (britannyferries. com or 0871 244 1400) has return channel crossings from Portsmouth from £89pp for a car and two passengers