Day 1: Arrival in Blois.

Discover the town with its handsome streets and its château offering a brilliant illustration of the evolution of French architecture from the Middle Ages to the 17th century. Overnight and dinner.

DAY 2: CHAILLES – CHAUMONT SUR LOIRE : 18 Km

After breakfast there is a short taxi ride to the village of Chailles where your walking route begins. The first day’s walk takes you along a winding path through a forest passing through several small villages all built of the local white stone, tufa.  The final part of the day’s walk takes you along the banks of the Loire.  If you have time on arrival, you may be able to visit the Château de Chaumont which overlooks the river Loire. This chateau was rebuilt at the end of the 15th and during the 16th centuries. Overnight and dinner

DAY 3 : CHAUMONT SUR LOIRE – AMBOISE : 24 Km  

The walk continues along the banks of the Loire, exploring some of the slopes and nearby plateaus before reaching the Forêt d’Amboise. You enter the Department of Indre et Loire in the district known as Touraine. At Amboise there is the opportunity to go around the chateau overlooking the Loire. You can also visit the Clos Lucé. This is a house where Leonardo da Vinci lived for a time.  Overnight and dinner

DAY 4: AMBOISE – CHENONCEAU : 13 Km  

Leaving Amboise, this short day’s walk takes you principally through a national forest, the Foret domaniale d’Amboise, and if you keep your eyes open you may see a good number of wild animals (deer, wild boar and birds). The shortness of the day’s walk should give you ample time to enjoy an unhurried visit to the Château de Chenonceau and its gardens.   Dinner and overnight

DAY 5: AMBOISE – VOUVRAY : 23Km

Transfer after breakfast back to Amboise and from there walk to Vouvray and its world-famous vineyard, celebrated for its AOC (“appellation d’origine contrôlée” = locally-produced, distinctive and strictly quality-controlled) white wine. Further walking through villages and vineyards takes you through Lussault and then Montlouis, famous for its tradition of producing the drink “pineau de Loire”, before returning to Vouvray and its wine-cellars which are dug out of the living “tufa” rock.  Dinner and overnight

DAY 6: ROCHECORBON – VILLANDRY : 28 km

This is a 26,5 Km day’s walk which takes you across the town of Tours. You can explore the town following various marked pedestrian routes through the old quarters, but you can equally use public transport to get straight out of town to the bridge called Le Pont Sanitas to the south of Tours, where you can get on to the GR (long-distance track, way-marked in white and red). From the southern side of the town until you come to Savonnières, you will partly follow the cycle track known as the « Loire en vélo» which goes all the way to Nantes. The track runs along the picturesque banks of the river Cher, where you can still see the old traditional boats (barges or lighters, with flat bottoms and cabins, known as “gabares”) moored, all the way to Savonnières.  The final walk takes you through Villandry, where it is well worth stopping to visit the 16th century chateau, and its unique and famous gardens. Dinner and overnight

DAY 7: VILLANDRY – AZAY LE RIDEAU : 14 Km.

This final short day’s walk takes you Azay le rideau, which has a splendid Renaissance chateau on the edge of the river Indre.   Dinner and overnight 

DAY 8: Your holiday ends after breakfast.  

Hotels

A mixture of 2 and 3 star hotels and guesthouses – all rooms ensuite

Getting there/going home

There is a train station Blois and Azay