Horseback riding trip LOIRE CASTLES : CHEVERNY - CHAMBORD - BEAUREGARD - CHENONCEAU

 
THE LOIRE CASTLE TRAIL RIDE
INDICATIVE ITINERARY *

Day 1: Welcome riders in Pontlevoy. Late afternoon transfer from Montrichard train station.

Day 2: After presentation and distribution of the horses, we set off for Fougères sur Bièvre. We have lunch at the foot of the castle. It offers the ideal image of a small late-15th-century fortified castle, with curtain wall, keep, arched and cannoniered battlements, parapet walk and machicolation. At the end of the afternoon, we also visit the magnificently furnished Château de Cheverny. The estate has been owned by the same family for over six centuries. From the Botanical Park to the splendid interior of the château, from the Tintin exhibition to the forest park, the owners invite you to discover a fantastic heritage, authentic and very much alive. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: In the morning, we ride through the Cheverny forest, between wooded paths and wild moorland, where deer, roe deer and hares, if you're lucky enough to spot them, can be found. For a picnic lunch, we stop off at Château de Villesavin. Dating from the 16th century, it was built by the same French and Italian masters and craftsmen who built the great royal residences. It has survived four centuries in near-perfect condition. After lunch, we take time to visit the castle. Free afternoon at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4: After breakfast, we head for Chambord, where we have a picnic. Chambord is the largest of the Loire castles. It's an unrivalled feat of architecture, with its central double-revolution staircase, a marvel of elegance, set in the heart of a vast 5,440-hectare nature reserve where deer are king. We visit the château after lunch. Through the Bracieux forest, we return to Château de Villesavin in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at the hotel

Day 5: We ride through the forest to Château de Beauregard, where we stop for our picnic. Formerly Chambord's hunting lodge, built on the orders of François I, it has always been known for its famous Galerie des Portraits. A monumental work of 3 generations, it features 327 portraits of illustrious figures, a remarkable lapis lazuli ceiling (7 times the value of gold) and an exceptional paving of 5600 Delft earthenware tiles. After visiting the château, we set off with our horses for the village of Candé-sur-Beuvron. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 6: Along the banks of the Loire, we reach the village of Chaumont sur Loire. A charming village, listed as a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage Site, Chaumont is also famous for its feudal castle, which dominates the valley and the village. Picnic where we leave the horses for the afternoon. Afternoon free to visit the Château de Chaumont sur Loire (hotel at the foot of the château). Dating from the late 15th century, it illustrates both the defensive architecture of the Gothic period and the pleasure architecture of the Renaissance. Don't miss the 19th-century stables, considered the most luxurious in Europe at the time. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7: After breakfast, we'll enjoy a long gallop through the Amboise forest to reach the Château de Chenonceau, built on the Cher River. Named A "Château des Dames" in French history, built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet and successively embellished by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis, Chenonceau was saved from the rigors of the Revolution by Madame Dupin. It is the jewel of the Loire Valley. We have lunch on site and visit the château. In the early afternoon, we leave the banks of the Cher for the horses' evening stopover in Pontlevoy. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8: End of your ride after breakfast. Transfer to Montrichard

* Indicative program which may be subject to modifications if necessary.