Woohoo, the day has finally come! You’re about to set off across the spectacular Loire Valley on your perfectly matched trail horse! Does it get any better than this, globetrotters? Nope, didn’t think so. If you’re catching the transfer service your hosts offer, you’ll be picked up from Montrichard train station in the late afternoon and driven to your first night’s accommodation in Pontlevoy. You’ll have a group dinner with your French guides and hosts, David and Britta, and get a run-down of the week’s riding. Bring it ON!

Things are starting off with a bang today with not one, but TWO castles (or should we say châteaus) in your sights. After meeting your herd of horses who will transport you safely across the French countryside throughout the week, you’ll ride to Fougères sur Bièvre, a 16th century castle. It may be small as castles go, but packed into its walls are a curtain wall, dungeon, gunboats and some impressive defences. After enjoying lunch beneath the castle, you’ll carry on to Cheverny Castle, which has been lovingly maintained by the same family for more than 600 years! Finally, you’ll ride to a hotel for dinner and some well-earned rest.

After breakfast you’ll mount up for another history-filled day, travelling through a beautiful and ancient forest, stopping in the middle for a relaxed picnic lunch. Then the trees part to reveal the jaw-dropping Château de Chambord, the largest and most architecturally stunning castle in the Loire Valley. After a look inside, you’ll ride on to 16th-century Villesavin Castle, where you can get a sense of how these incredible buildings must have looked and felt back in their heyday. Again, you’ll ride to a hotel and dine on regional cuisine before hitting the hay.

The morning brings yet another delicious French breakfast (pastries, croissants, cheese!) and yet another serene forest ride, where the timelessness of the landscape and the history-filled itinerary will have you feeling like part of an Aristocratic hunting party – who knows, you might even spot a deer flitting away through the trees! Today’s picnic lunch is set in the former hunting farm of Chambord, on the lawns surrounding Beauregard Castle. You’ll step inside the castle and walk through the gallery of 327 portraits before getting back in the saddle to ride to the village of Candé-sur-Beuvron, where more French hospitality awaits to sate your hunger and lull you to sleep.

Today, after breakfast, you’ll ride along the beautiful Loire River to Chaumont-sur-Loire, a charming village and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village is known for the impressive 15th-century feudal castle that towers over it from a nearby hilltop. You’ll ride up the hill and rest the horses while you enjoy your picnic lunch, then head inside for a tour of the castle. The horses can’t come in, though, or they may never be convinced to leave – the 19th-century stables are some of the most luxurious of their time. In the afternoon, you’ll make your way along sun-dappled paths within Sudais Forest to reach your destination, another quaint French B&B or hotel.

You’ll have breakfast and be in the saddle by 10am, crossing back over the hillside to head towards Amboise, a beautiful town on the banks of the Loire. On your way you’ll pass swathes of vineyards and crops, before picnicking in the grounds of Château d’Amboise, a 15th-century castle famous as the residence of Charles VIII and the location of Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb! Charles VIII wasn’t the only ruler to live in this luxurious castle, and you’ll hear plenty of juicy stories from centuries past before riding on. After passing through Amboise Forest, you’ll arrive in the village of Saint Martin le Beau. Here, the Guestault family will be your hosts, inviting you to taste wines from Touraine and Montlouis, treating you to dinner at the family restaurant, and bedding you down in their hotel.

Your last day of riding is made all the sweeter as it brings you down into the Cher Valley and alongside the Cher River, where you can canter to your heart’s content. Today’s castle, Chenonceau, was built over the river in 1513 and is nicknamed ‘Château des Dames’ thanks to the many women who have owned, lived in, developed and protected it over the centuries. After lunch and a castle tour, you’ll leave the river and ride to your hotel in the town of Pontlevoy.

Today you’ll bid adieu to your trusty steeds and be transported to Montrichard Train Station, where you can farewell your fellow globetrotters and travel onwards as per your plans.

A transfer service is available from Montrichard Train Station on the first and last days of the itinerary for €20 per person round trip (to be paid in cash upon arrival). We recommend guests fly into Paris International Airport a day or two prior to the start of the ride. From there you can catch the train south to Montrichard (you’ll have to change at St-Pierre-des-Corps in Tours) which will take approximately 2.5 – 3 hours. You’ll need to meet the transfer at 6.30pm out the front of the Montrichard Train Station. On the last day, you can book your train tickets anytime from 9.30am.

Self drive to Pontlevoy is also an option as you stay in the same accommodation place on the first and last evenings of the ride.

Globetrotting is happy to provide a competitive quote on international flights, travel insurance, hotels and any extensions before and after your ride.

This itinerary is suitable for non-riders who have their own car and want to follow the riders and meet up to enjoy meals and share accommodation with them. The non-rider price includes meals and accommodation.