THE CHAMPAGNE TRAIL RIDE
INDICATIVE ITINERARY *
Day 1: Welcome riders at the at the "Champagne-Ardenne" TGV station at 6.30 p.m. then transfer to the hotel.
Day 2: Breakfast at 8 am, departure of the ride around 10 am, between vineyards and forests. You will leave for a loop in the Sermiers national forest, the "Virgin Oak" forest, which comes from the grouping of two national forests: the Virgin Oak to the east and Sermiers to the west. It owes its name to a legend from the Middle Ages, a period during which loggers would have found a statuette of the Virgin Mary in the heart of the tree ... This "miracle" is the subject of an annual pilgrimage, on the 3rd Sunday September. We return to the accommodation for the picnic. The afternoon is devoted to exploring the city of Reims, nicknamed "the city of coronations" or "the city of kings". Indeed, it is on the future site of Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral that Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi and that a large number of Carolingian and then Capetian kings were consecrated for more than ten centuries from Louis the Pious in 816 until to Charles X in 1825. Champagne, invented in the 17th century by Dom Pérignon at the Hautvillers monastery near Épernay, is one of the historical assets of the Reims economy.
Day 3: This morning, you set off for great gallops in the national Virgin Oak forest. You will have the picnic in the national forest of Verzy at the site of Les Faux. A Fau de Verzy is a twisting being. the Forest of Verzy is the main world reserve of forgery. In the afternoon, you continue riding South towards Trepail, a typical wine-growing village of Champagne where Chardonnay, a white grape variety, predominates. Overnight and meal in Bouzy.
Day 4: After breakfast, direction Mutigny through the vineyards. This village located on a promontory between vineyards and forests at an altitude of 240 meters, which allows exceptional views over the Marne Valley, the Black Coast and the White Coast. You will take the picnic in Hautvillers. If there is one place where the word Champagne takes on its full meaning, it is Hautvillers: a typically Champagne village, whose hillsides are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hautvillers is the cradle of Champagne. It was here that a certain Dom Pérignon developed the Champagne method, which made Champagne wine the king of wines. You descend into the hills to cross the Marne at Cumières. The Marne Valley allows long gallops. Overnight and meal in Epernay.
Day 5: You will ride up on the slopes where you will enjoy a view of Epernay. You enter the “Blanc de Blanc” vineyard. Picnic will be set in Cramant, where you will enjoy a champagne tasting. In the afternoon, you will visit Epernay. Starting point for the various tourist routes, and bringing together the various Champagne authorities (the Interprofessional Committee for Champagne Wines, the General Syndicate of Winegrowers, etc.), this town in the countryside is the economic heart of Champagne. Site of the great wine production and trading houses, classified as a Remarkable Taste Site, the majestic Avenue de Champagne has 110 kilometers of cellars. This is what makes it world famous and one of the most prestigious avenues in the world ! In addition to visiting the cellars of the most famous Champagne Houses, you will discover an eclectic architecture and numerous 19th century buildings. Overnight and meal in Epernay.
Day 6: You will leave Cramant for the Avize Montain with its limestone cliffs. You will arrive in the Darcy valley where you enjoy a beautiful view of Monthelon. You cross the Epernay forest, to reach again the Marne valley. You picnic in Chapotte, before crossing the Marne at Damery. In the afternoon, you follow the hillsides, keeping a view of the Marne, until Montigny where you leave the horses. Overnight and meal in Neuville aux Larris - Champagne tasting. Dinner and night in Neuville.
Day 7: After breakfast, you will find the horses. You continue your ride through the hillsides, overlooking Chatillon sur Marne where you can discover the statue of Pope Urbain II (33 meters), Eude de Chatillon in civil, who watches over the Champagne vineyards. Picnic at the Reims Mountain Natural Park house in Pourcy. You continue through the forest to arrive at your evening stage. Overnight and meal in Neuville.
Day 8: After breakfast, depending on train times, transfer to "Champagne-Ardenne" TGV station.
* Indicative program which may be subject to modifications if necessary.
