From one Loire castle to another – by pedaling

Too often, holidaymakers visit the castles of the Loire at a frantic pace. To tell the truth, we too, but we replaced the car with the bicycle to combine visiting castles with discovering the landscapes of the Loire. In five days, we visited seven castles, and covered some 130 kilometres. The stages were short in order to have time to enjoy, a little (far too little!), Castle life.

Day 1. Tours – Montlouis. 13.4 km.
We decided to start our little journey in Tours and to get there by train. Near the station, we picked up our bikes reserved at Roue Lib.

After spending a few hours on the train, a little “saddle riding” is essential and we follow Simon, a passionate tour guide, for a tour of the city by bike.

If the passage in certain streets of the medieval quarter is not always easy (depending on the crowd), the bike tour allows you to discover a maximum of places in a short time, the banks, the bridges.

 

 

 

Because we don't want to hang around town for too long and prefer to join the Loire and Montlouis, our first stop.

Especially since the Le Clos du Roc guest house is a beautiful 19th century manor house with a small park with remarkable trees. The rooms are admirably furnished, the table d'hôtes (on reservation) delicious and the wines tasted on the advice of our host, completely to our liking!

Day 2. Montlouis – Amboise-Rilly – Chaumont-sur-Loire. 36.8 km. 
Our first castle is only a few pedal strokes away. Amboise proudly overlooks the Loire.

Too bad, the Saint-Hubert chapel which houses the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, is closed for restoration work.

The view from the castle terraces is magnificent. No wonder Amboise was one of the favorite sites of the kings of France during the Renaissance period.

With the histopad (free with admission), the visit is even more interesting, Anne of Brittany, François I, Leonardo da Vinci seem to come back to life.

 

 

 

Time passes too quickly and after a quick tour of the gardens to admire the thousands of box trees cut into balls, we get back on our bikes.

During a quick tour of Amboise, we buy some provisions at the market.

We pass in front of the Clos Lucé, place of life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, cross vineyards before finding the river.

Along the way, wine tasting and picnic (by reservation, tel. 06 43 09 30 93) at the Domaine des Pierrettes in Rilly.

 

 

 

It is better not to force the wine, because the arrival at the Château de Chaumont is via a nasty steep path, the only difficult passage on the route.

 

 

 

Large and small living room, library, dining room, billiard room, guard room, bedrooms…. Chaumont is certainly one of the most furnished castles in the Loire Valley!

Alternately owned by Catherine de Medici, then by Diane de Poitiers, the castle has welcomed famous visitors: Nostradamus, Benjamin Franklin, Germaine de Staël. The last private owner, the Princess de Broglie, took it to modernity. Today, the estate is the property of the Center Val de Loire Region and has become a Center for Arts and Nature.

In addition to works of art, tapestries and period furniture, some rooms host works by contemporary artists each year, creating a mysterious and poetic atmosphere.

 

 

 

The walk in the landscaped park with its remarkable trees leads to the stables, to the model farm.

 

 

 

The visit to the garden festival (which attracts several hundred thousand tourists every year!) is done almost at a run, since we have booked a trip on the Loire in a traditional boat offered by the Millière Raboton association from pier below the castle.

 

 

 

Evening begins to fall when we get back on our bikes to cross the Loire and reach Veuzain and our bed and breakfast, Les Douves d'Onzain. Our room is in the Hélion tower (a small section of the wall of which dates from the old castle. A boat allows you to take a ride on the moat that surrounds the building and the park. It would be a shame not to take advantage of a maximum of the site and, far-sighted, we had taken what to make a picnic with the market of Amboise.

The hosts, Octavie and Sébastien, regularly organize exhibitions and concerts.

 

 

 

Day 3. Chaumont-sur-Loire – Cellettes – Cheverny. 35.2 km
After following the Loire, we leave the river to take the route of the castles of the Loire by bike.

Less glamorous than the large neighboring castles - therefore less popular - but so welcoming, the Château de Beauregard in Cellettes.

It is well hidden in the middle of nature! To get there, we cross a vast landscaped park of 40 ha, where the signs invite you to walk on the lawn, where an 18th century icehouse bears witness to the know-how of yesteryear for keeping foodstuffs cool.

 

 

 

 

But still no castle in sight! We continue through a small wood with a path punctuated by illustrious characters. Anecdotes make us rediscover history in a playful way.

 

 

 

But here is finally the Château de Beauregard. A vast fleur-de-lis is cut out in the meadows.

 

 

 

François I's former hunting lodge is renowned for its Illustrious gallery, a fabulous collection begun in 1617.

327 portraits of key figures in the political history of France and Europe invite to a real history lesson.

If there are not many rooms to visit - the castle is small and still inhabited -, it conceals jewels such as a lapis lazuli ceiling, an exceptional paving made of 5,600 Delft tiles or even some remarkable furniture. .

 

 

 

 

Not to mention the magnificent musical clock in the antechamber of the castle. Although it dates from 1711, it still functions and reproduces its six melodies.

Passing through the old castle library, other portraits make us smile: those of the dogs of today's celebrities.

Before leaving, a walk in the extraordinary Portrait Garden created in 1992 is a must... It includes 12 "vegetal rooms reminiscent of the 12 groups of portraits in the gallery. Each of these “rooms” is associated with a dominant color.

We would still have liked to stay in this peaceful setting, especially since the owner of the place, Guy de Pavillon, was present for a guided tour rich in little stories.

But another castle awaits us and we get back on our bikes. The path is still just as pleasant.

Change of scenery at the Château de Cheverny, family property of the Hurault de Vibraye family for six centuries. In 1922, it was the first private château to open to the public.

 

 

 

With its Gobelins tapestries and exceptional pieces of furniture, it is considered the most magnificently furnished Château de la Loire. (the king's bedroom with the bed that accommodated Henri IV).

 

 

 

Equally impressive is the park with its impeccable themed gardens including the garden of love. Six monumental bronze sculptures by Swedish sculptor Gudmar Olovson are intended as a tribute to life, to love of course and to family.

 

 

 

The forest part of the park (more than 100 hectares), can be visited with a guide, on board carts and electric boats. We admire the alley of 157 cedars. The bald cypresses of the canal give an air of Louisiana.

 

 

 

 

 

In the kennel, the hundred tricolor Anglo-French dogs, a cross between English Fox Hound and French Poitevins, put on a show.

A nice nod: Hergé was inspired by the place to design the Château de Moulinsart. After the splendor of the castle, we find with pleasure the universe of Tintin in the permanent exhibition, "the secrets of Moulinsart". It is a pleasant immersion in the adventures of Tintin.

 

 

 

Just opposite the entrance to the château, the Maison des Vins de l’AOC Cheverny invites you to taste 100 cuvées from the appellation.

This evening, no picnic but an excellent dinner at the hotel-restaurant Relais des 3 châteaux.

Day 4. Cheverny – Villesavin – Chambord – Saint-Dye-Loire. 32km 
We leave the course of the Loire to discover another little less known castle.

Through bucolic landscapes, we reach the Villesavin castle with its country charm with its farm animals and its breeding of donkeys from Poitou.

Despite its apparent simplicity, details of the facades recall those of … Chambord. Nothing surprising in that when you know that it was built by Jean le Breton, governor of the works of Chambord. Hence its nickname of Chambord construction site cabin. The explanations of the guide make the visit much more interesting, raising details that we probably would not have noticed without her explanations!

 

 

 

 

Also worth seeing is the wedding museum with its collections of wedding crowns and...chamber pots, the chapel and the shed with the cars.

 

 

 

 

Today, Villesavin belongs to the Sparr family.

As we continue our way, we meet more cyclists. Obviously, we are approaching our next step.

 

 

 

After this very peaceful little stop in the heart of the forest, it is the effervescence of the crowd that welcomes us to Chambord, a magnificent emblem of the French Renaissance.

The castle is located in the largest enclosed park in Europe: 5440 hectares. Farmland, meadows, forests, lake, river, heather moors, vineyards and a village surround the castle.

 

 

 

It was François I who ordered, in 1519, the construction of a palace in the heart of the marshy lands of Sologne. A monumental palace, a symbol of power for the young king.

But it will be necessary to wait for the reign of Louis XIV for the building to be completed, and for the site to be cleaned up. The Sun King has resided there on several occasions and Molière is presenting the premiere of his Bourgeois Gentilhomme there.    

Since 1930, the national domain of Chambord has belonged to the French State.

To make the most of the visit to the many rooms and halls, follow a guided tour (allowing you to go through places closed to the public) or equip yourself with a HistoPad to decipher the secrets of the site.

 

 

 

At the heart of the château: the famous double spiral staircase inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. This upward spiral leads from the ground floor to the terraces.

After so many splendours, and so many people, we find the Loire. For our last night on the course, we chose to be closer to the river. Or rather on the river, aboard a comfortably furnished toue cabin. The picnic awaits us in the cool for a simple meal worthy of a king thanks to the sumptuous sunset. Olivier Lelong, the owner of this unusual accommodation, had the delicacy to add a bottle of good, chilled wine!

 

 

 

Day 5. Saint-Dye-sur-Loire – Blois: 24 km. 
After a night lulled by the lapping of the water, we leave for the last stage following the Loire. Many swans sail majestically on the river.

The arrival in Blois is impressive with the bridge, the castle, the churches and other buildings that stand out against the sky and are reflected in the river.

After a short climb, we arrive at the square in front of the château royal de Blois 

 

 

 

With its four wings of different styles, it is a real showcase of the architecture of the Loire castles, from the Middle Ages to the Classic period.

 

 

 

Here too, a guided tour is recommended to discover rooms closed to the public, small secret passages.

 

 

 

We end our trip along the Loire and through the History of France with a visit to an unusual museum, the Maison de la Magique, which faces the castle.

Impossible to miss when dragons appear through the windows!

This is the universe of one of the greatest magicians, Robert Houdin, a child of Blois. A visit that makes you dream!

 

 

 

At the end of the afternoon, after a last look at the Loire, we go back to Blois station for a return to Tours by train.

The Train Loire by bike makes getting around easier. Except that the 17 dedicated spaces are quickly booked up (17 places, especially during the summer period, and it is better to book) and that self-service boarding depends on the crowds.