It’s the 500th anniversary of the “Disney’ château

This year is the 500th anniversary of the Loire’s famous Château de Chambord, home to a magical staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci and inspiration for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Here are four fairy-tale properties…

Think the Loire is expensive? Think again. This is a four-bedroom detached house, full of character, in a small village in Sologne. It is little more than €250k.

Also in the Sologne, this one has everything – a swimming pool, jacuzzi, boules court, neat garden and a separate studio. Plenty of room in the well-kept four-bedroom house.

In the heart of the famous chateaux and fine Loire wines, this is an equally elegant ‘demeure’ built in 1850 with nine bedrooms and five bathrooms. The ideal B&B property!

The Loire Valley was where the kings of France hunted, and this is a superb hunting lodge with fallow deer within its 36 hectares – the six-bedroom manor is a superbly private retreat.