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Horseback riding in Loire, France

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Castles of the Loire

Loire France

The Loire Valley with its beautiful river Cher offers rides into the past with hundreds of castles, cloisters, cathedrals and fortresses, vast forests and great riding trails. The region is also known for its mild climate, vineyards and roses. This is one of the most historic trips in France with abundant riding for experienced riders.

The eight-day trip through the valley of the Loire and its tributaries Cher and Indre with their large forests, where, in the winter, the famous "Chasse à Courre" (hounding) takes place, is a journey through history. The Middle Ages and especially the Renaissance - the time when the king's court of Valois-Orléans-Angoulême had the power and the money to build palaces for pleasance instead of castles for protection - provide the backdrop. Rarely a village or ridge can be found that is not embellished with one of these splendid constructions. But the valley of the Loire has much more to offer! The climate is mild and the soil is fertile. Poplar avenues reflect in rivers, cloisters and cathedrals hide behind cedars and willows and - again and again: castles. Contemplation is first priority. The discrete charm of French provincial life, the scent of spicy herbs, pies and pâtés - zest of life is as deeply rooted as the vines Chinon and Sancerre.

Meeting:	Blois
Airport:	Paris
Transfer:	Not available- please take train from Paris to Blois and then a taxi to your first night's accommodation.
Riders:	Min 6 riders Max 12 riders
	Trip Rating

Itinerary for Castles of the Loire

Day 1: Arrival in Blois, a city full of history. Afternoon transfer to a nearby country estate. Dinner and overnight.
Day 2: The morning ride leads us to Château de Chemery, a very interesting mixture of medieval and renaissance architecture. After a picnic you have time to visit the castle. In the afternoon extended canters will take us along lakes to the banks of the Cher River, where we leave our horses for the night and drive a short distance to our lodgings - a historic estate dating back to the 15th century. The building and rooms are tastefully decorated in a noble style. Dinner and overnight.
Day 3: After breakfast short transfer back to the horses. We cross the Cher River to vist the Château de Montpoupon. The château takes its name from a Germanic tribe, the Poppo, who settled here on the rocky promontory at the time of Charlemagne. The site thus came to be known as Mons Poppo (the hill of the Poppos).With the passage of time this evolved into Montpoupon. This impressive medieval fortress give us a real impression of how live was a few hundred years ago. After lunch we ride through forests and along open fields back to our accommodations. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Today we ride to the picturesque Château de Chenonceaux, an architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance. It was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before its first mention in writing in the 11th century. The current manor was designed by the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme. In rebuilding the Chenonceau château in the 16th century, Thomas Bohier razed the castle-keep and the fortified mill of the Marques family, erecting the new château upon the piers of the former mill and keeping only the ancient donjon: The Marques Tower, which he transformed in Renaissance style. The forecourt reproduces the layout of the former medieval castle demarcated by the moats. Next to the tower, there is also a well decorated with a chimaera and an eagle - the emblem of the Marques family. The monumental entrance, dating from the period of Francis I, is made from sculpted and painted wood. It has: on the left, the coat of arms of Thomas Bohier, on the right those of his wife Katherine Briçonnet - the builders of Chenonceau - topped by the salamander of Francis I and the inscription "François, by the grace of God, King of France and Claude, Queen of the French". We will enjoy our picnic in front of the castle and then ride through the Forest of Amboise, one of the hunting reserves of the kings, to reach our lodgings for tonight, a peaceful country estate. Dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Today we follow the Loire on horseback on extended trots and canters. In the late afternoon we normally still have time to visit the Château de Beauregard.
This magnificent Chateau with origins dating back to the 11th century is perched atop a hill overlooking the Isere River valley with breathtaking views in all directions, over mountains and valleys, in a private estate of twenty-five acres of rolling farmland and countryside. This castle has been inhabited since the 15th century and impresses with its original decor, paintings and antique furniture. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 6: We ride to the small fortified castle of Fougères sur Bièvre. The imposing curtain wall was built around 1470 and contrasts with the picturesque small inner courtyard, flanked on two sides by buildings dating from 1450-1475 with doorways crowned by elegant Gothic sculpted pediments. The inside layout is typical of the Middle Ages. In the early 16th century, the building was closed off by a gallery with lowered arcades that is similar to that at the Chateau of Blois. The courtyard wall is decorated in the Renaissance style, with in particular the addition of pilasters with foliated scrolls and capitals. The river Bièvre flows through the garden, which is a lovely place to stroll around. The kitchen garden is composed of raised flowerbeds consolidated with planks or woven chestnut trellises. Dinner and overnight in a historic Country Estate dating back to the 18th century in the midst of a beautiful park.
Day 7: We enjoy a nice ride through the beautiful countryside of the Sologne, a naturepark with extensive woodlands, lakes and meadows. Picnic break today is at the Château de Villesavin with its impressive "wedding Museum" with over 1500 original pieces of the 18th century. In the afternoon we then visit the impressive Chateaux Chambord. The Chateau of Chambord is one of the loveliest Renaissance buildings in the Valley of the Loire. The chateau of Chambord was a retreat for French kings, especially Louis XIV. It was under his auspices that French dramatist Moliere's Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme were first produced there. The building of the chateau was begun by Francis I in 1519, and was completed in 1547. Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci paid a short visit to the building during its construction and added a few embellishments to it. The structure, containing 440 rooms, 365 fireplace, 13 great staircases, and stables to accommodate 1200 horses, stands in a park surrounded by a wall of 22 miles in circumference. 1800 men worked on the chateau. With a special permission we have the opportunity to take a nice canter through the castle park - a finish of a wonderful riding tour - fit for kings. Dinner and overnight as on Day 1.
Day 8: Departure after breakfast