As dawn breaks we hear cars pulling in all around us, doors and boots banging and bits of chatter; the pickers arriving to start their work. Once we are up we can see them bobbing up and down between the rows of vines. Some cut the grapes and place them in buckets, others walk to and fro with tapered plastic barrels on their back into which the buckets are emptied. When the backpacks are full they are tipped into trailers which are drawn by little tractors up to the pressing house.

When we go to say goodbye the owner's wife tells us we can pick a few bunches to take away with us.

Today Chris and Paul are going their own way although they say they might meet us again later at the aire we have chosen for tonight and we set off before them.

As we drive out through the vineyards some of the little tractors and machinery are simply modern versions of the ones we saw at the museum the other day. But one large tractor is equipped with stilt-like legs, side cutters and a hopper and tank. We slow down and watch as it picks the grapes and trims the vines on both sides. This is why we've seen fruit hanging under the vines waiting to be hand picked.

A steep hill leads us down to the river at Saumur. We pull into a car park beside the Chapelle Royale de Notre-Dame des Ardilliers, a large cream limestone structure with an ornate columned facade and 30m dome or rotunda. Ali takes some photos of its interior; plain walls and pillars, a magnificent altarpiece and the rotunda with stained glass windows. The only noise is of an elderly woman sweeping the floor with a bissom.

While Nick waits with the van C+P pull in alongside, say a few words and carry on.

We ponder getting out to visit the town but despite the sunshine it's a chilly day with a lazy wind so we drive along the embankment, cross the bridge and turn around to re-cross it, getting views of the chateau, then turning right and continuing along the south bank. Minutes later we cross again on the newer motorway bridge, climbing a little into farm land and away from vines, until we reach the aire in the town of Longue Jumilles. We've read there is a museum at an hydroelectric mill here and right by the aire is a sign, 'Moulin l'Hydronef'. We have a sandwich then, before getting the buggy off, Ali wanders up the track to see where it is and if accessible but it must be a good way out through the town. But the aire is lovely beside a flowery park, and all along the leet there are ancient lavoirs or wash houses. Some of these have adjustable floors for different water levels and one has old mangles still in place. We chalk it up for a proper visit another day and drive south, rejoining the Loire at les Rosieres.

A few miles on, at Port St Maur, we spy a familiar van in the picnic area and pull in, creeping alongside until we completely block their view of the river. Chris looks up with fierce indignation then, seeing who is spoiling their day, collapses with laughter. They are having fridge trouble and are going to see if the repair centre in Angers can help and then coming to our suggested aire.

We leave them and drive a few more miles along the levee to Port Maillard at La Dagueniere.

A slope down from the levee leads to parking under trees on the flood plain and right beside a slipway.

The port, whose history has been traced back to the 1st century, was once an important trading point with a cut that allowed boats to load slate from Trelaze. Each boat carried 300,000 slates and the boats worked in pairs for safety in the dangerous river.

Today a sign warns of the dangerous currents and unstable sandbanks, and there is a small tribute to a recently lost young life.

In the next field a few travellers have been running a little business through the summer, selling beer and telling fortunes but today is their last here and they are packing up.

Chris and Paul arrive, the fridge repair man couldn't help until Thursday, by which time they'll be on the ferry home.

We have our final evening together, a meal of chilli con carne a maybe a little more wine than is recommended but it's been a great few days together.

They have learned how easy and enjoyable the France Passion scheme can be and we have seen a side to the Loire Valley that we had not appreciated on previous visits.

And to round it off we are treated to another fabulous sunset.