LOIRE VALLEY : SANCERRE

 
THE SANCERRE TRAIL RIDE
INDICATIVE ITINERARY *

Day 1: If you're coming by car, meeting at the hotel in Sancerre by 6pm. I you're coming by train, riders will be collected from Tracy Sancerre train station at 6pm.

Day 2  (morning riding only): After breakfast and the distribution of horses, we set off along thepaths of the Sancerre vineyards to Chavignol, where we have apicnic. The village of Chavignol is actually a hamlet of Sancerre. Setin a basin in the middle of the vineyards, this winegrowers' village is organised along a road that climbs towards the church and then up to the Graveron lookout, from where the view over Sancerre is magnificent. This hamlet is the origin of the crottin de Chavignol (goat cheese). At the end of the 19th century, when the phylloxera epidemic devastated the vines, a large proportion of the land was recycled for goat rearing in the Sancerre region. The afternoon is free for you to discover Sancerre. Sancerre is a charming old medieval town where you can enjoy strolling through the picturesque streets with their ancient names: rue des Pressoirs, place du Puits-du-Marché and rue des Trois- Piliers. Through the cobbled streets, the Tour des Fiefs, the town's only defensive tower and the last vestige of the Château of the Counts of Sancerre, offers a panoramic view of Sancerre and the region from the top of its 40 metres and 195 steps. Overnight stay and dinner in Sancerre.

Day 3: We continue our discovery of the Sancerrois landscapes with the Pays Fort. On our way to the village of Assigny, we leave behind the rows of vines to discover a landscape of crops. We'll have a picnic in Assigny, where the highest point in the Cher is located, at Fait des Marnes, a promontory of the Pays-Fort (365 m altitude), offering a semi-circular panoramic view (orientationtable) over the Loire Valley, Puisaye, Nièvre and the Piton de Sancerre. After a refreshing siesta, we set off for Vailly surSauldre and the Pays Fort. Backed by the vine-covered hills of the Sancerrois region, the Pays Fort stretches out over fertile bocages (from which it takes its name) covered with oilseed fields, hedged meadows where cows and goats graze, winding streams, sunken lanes and country roads... The Pays Fort boasts a rich rural heritage: old timber-framed dwellings (Manoeuvrerie du Noyer,16th century), old mills (Moulin au Riche de Concressault, 16th century), wash-houses and the famous pyramid-shaped barns (17th and 18th centuries), typical curiosities not to be missed in the area. Overnightstay and dinner at Vailly sur Sauldre.

Day 4: Horseback riding only in the morning: For this third day on horseback, we are still in the Pays Fort. For lunch, we head to Blancafort and its castle. We will have a picnic on the banks of the old Sauldre Canal, a canal without a connection to a navigable waterway. In the afternoon, we visit the 15th-century Blancafort Castle, restored by the Boucard family on the site of an old lordship dating from the 11th century, it was transformed in the 17th century. This fortified house with beautiful bricks stands on the banks of the Sauldre Canal, in a pleasant setting enhanced by a French-style garden. After this visit, we head to Aubigny-sur-Nère, and this time we are in Berry. There was a time when alliances offered original concessions. This was the case during the famous Hundred Years' War, when Charles VII, King of France, gave the lordship of Aubigny to John Stuart of Darnley, a constable in the Scottish army. For nearly 4 centuries, the village lived in Scottish style, with kilts, bagpipes and whiskeys lining the streets and Shakespeare's: a language that holds no secrets for anyone. Returned to French territory at the beginning of the 19th century, the Scottish heritage is still very much alive today. Night and dinner in Aubigny sur Nere.

Day 5: After breakfast this morning, we head to the Château de la Verrerie in Oizon for a picnic. The Château de La Verrerie is a Renaissance gem built by Béraud Stuart. The site is full of trails where Alain-Fournier, the author of Le Grand Meaulnes, loved to stroll. It belonged to the Stuarts for two centuries, before being given by Louis XIV to Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth. The afternoon is free to visit Aubigny sur Nère. From the Château des Stuarts, now the town hall, to the unique group of half-timbered houses, Aubigny Auld3 The Alliance whisky brand proudly displays the terroir located on the Jacques Coeur Historic Route, is complemented by some beautiful heritage elements such as the Philippe Auguste enclosure, the Gothic church of Saint-Martin and the Augustinian cloister. The superb large gardens, inspired by Le Nôtre, were born, bequeathed by the Duchess of Portsmouth. Overnight stay and dinner in Aubigny-sur-Nère.

Day 6: After breakfast, we join the horses. We head for La Chapelotte for a picnic. In the heart of the Pays-Fort between the vineyards ofMenetou-Salon and Sancerre, close to the pottery village of La Borne. The rolling landscape, with the Vernon river running through it, is afavourite with hunters, anglers and walkers. After a good lunch break, we continue on our way through this undulating landscape to Sens-Beaujeu, where we leave the horses. Sens-Beaujeu lies between the Pays Fort and the Sancerrois, just a stone's throw from the Champagne plain. The Grande Sauldre river and its tributary, the Etang de Couët stream, cut through much of the area's plateau, forming wet valleys in a landscape of hedged farmland. Overnight stay and dinner in Sancerre.

Day 7: Today, we ride to the Tour de Vesvre in the commune of Neuvy Deux Clochers. This fortified house with its massive, thick walls stands on the Vesvre site. Designated a "Domus fortis", it is one of those rare fortified structures that appeared late in the 13th century. We'll take time out to enjoy a picnic in this beautiful setting. It was built at the end of the 12th century, on the remains of an ancient seigniorial residence dating back to the 9th century. Its history is inseparable from that of the Site de Vesvre, which included the neighbouring motte castrale in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Tower was listed as a historic monument in 1993. The adjoining 13th-century farmhouse was a fortified farm with a stable, dovecote and barn. The barn and dovecote have recently been restored. We finish this last day at the Bête Noire farm, where we started the trail ride. Overnight stay and dinner in Sancerre.

Day 8: End of your ride after breakfast. Transfer to Tracy Sancerre train station.

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