Odd characters fleeing flood in Rye Valley (5)
I believe the answer is:
loire
'valley' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for loire that I've seen before include "French runner" , "department in France" , "Longest French river" , "French department" , "flower found amid vineyards" .)