We have set out below the dates of the riding holidays for the season in 2008. If you are interested in different dates and that you have at least 8 riders, we can plan a riding holiday specifically for your needs.

Itineraries may vary according to weather conditions.

ITINERARY CHINON-SAUMUR

You will visit :

- the Chateau of Azay le Rideau, which nestles in a lush green and watery site, setting off the harmony and elegance of its Renaissance architecture. It was built by a great financier and then confiscated by Francois 1st

- the Chateau of Chinon with its ruined medieval fortress walls presiding over the town and borders of the Vienne river. From the walls emerge the fortress of Coudray, the “chateau of the Middle” and the clock tower ; the other attraction of Chinon is its well regarded wine which you will be able to taste

- the Abbey of Fontevraud, one of the most important monasteries in France and included five convents welcoming both men and women, each convent functioning with autonomy under the direction of an aristocratic female abbott

- the Chateau of Saumur, a fortress decorated like a fairy castle, hovering high over the old town quarters and over the valley of the Loire, and which houses three museums (one of which is the Museum of the Horse). Saumur is equally famous for its wines and cultivation of mushrooms

- the Chateau of Langeais which has not been altered since its construction in the 15th century and whose feudal façade and drawbridge sit in the heart of the little village, while the walls of the interior courtyard evoke a manorhouse with magnificent furniture and decorations

- the Chateau of Villandry is one of the last great chateaux of the Valley of the Loire built within the Renaissance and whose gardens are the original masterpiece of the italian gardners of that era, built along three levels, the water garden, the ornamental garden and the decorative kitchen-garden.

ITINERARY AMBOISE-CHENONCEAU

You will visit :

- the Chateau d’Amboise which was built on a rocky outpost above the town and facing the Loire, was extended in the 15th century, and where Francois 1st spent his childhood and the first years of his reign and gave sumptuous parties which were invented by Leonardo da Vinci

- the Chateau of Chaumont, which is a pleasant mixture of feudal and renaissance styles and dominates the riverside of the Loire and whose history is linked to the rival women of Chenonceau (Catherine de Medicis and Diane de Poitiers). You will be able to admire the luxury and ingenuity of the stables built in the 19th century

- the cave of Bourré (east of Montrichard) which has provided the stone used for the construction of the nearby chateaux. The quarries have now been transformed into troglodyte dwellings, caves for growing mushrooms, cellars for producing wine by the Champagne method and museum of old professions

- the Chateau of Montpoupon which has preserved architectural elements from different centuries and where the furnishings pays witness to the lifestyle of the chatelains in the 19th century. Its hunting museum will allow you to discover the world of hunting and the history of Montpoupon’s own hunt

- the Chateau of Montresor where only the outer wall remains from the fortress which was built by Foulques Narra in the 11th century. This wall encircled the residental chateau built in the 16th century in the middle of a small, semi wild park

- the elegant Chateau of Chenonceau (referred to as the Ladies’ Chateau) which straddles the Cher within an area of lush greenery, water and gardens with a history intimately linked with that of the women who have lived there, either as queens, wives or mistresses.

ITINERARY AMBOISE-MONTRESOR

You will visit :

- the Chateau d’Amboise which was built on a rocky outpost above the town and facing the Loire, was extended in the 15th century, and where Francois 1st spent his childhood and the first years of his reign and gave sumptuous parties which were invented by Leonardo da Vinci

- the Chateau of Chaumont, which is a pleasant mixture of feudal and renaissance styles and dominates the riverside of the Loire and whose history is linked to the rival women of Chenonceau (Catherine de Medicis and Diane de Poitiers). You will be able to admire the luxury and ingenuity of the stables built in the 19th century

- the Chateau of Gue Pean, which is a residence at the foot of a wooded valley, and served as a hunting lodge and was the trysting place for Francoise 1st and Mary of Scotland.

- the Chateau of Montresor where only the outer wall remains from the fortress which was built by Foulques Narra in the 11th century. This wall encircled the residental chateau built in the 16th century in the middle of a small, semi wild park

- the Chateau of Montpoupon which has preserved architectural elements from different centuries and where the furnishings pays witness to the lifestyle of the chatelains in the 19th century. Its hunting museum will allow you to discover the world of hunting and the history of Montpoupon’s own hunt

- the elegant Chateau of Chenonceau (referred to as the Ladies’ Chateau) which straddles the Cher within an area of lush greenery, water and gardens with a history intimately linked with that of the women who have lived there, either as queens, wives or mistresses.