River of dreams
We go in search of France’s most romantic castles – along the banks of the Loire
IT’S EASY TO imagine d’artagnan and the other Musketeers swashbuckling their way though the Loire Valley in a flurry of flashing swords, clattering hooves and swooning maidens. My first visit was less auspicious, wheezing into the castle car park at Sully-sur-loire on an ailing two-stroke, swathed in smoke that prompted protests from pensioners getting off a nearby tour bus. As the blue haze cleared and I stared slack-jawed at the monumental chateau, I knew I’d found a special place. I just wasn’t sure then what to do with it.
I’m ashamed to confess it took me years to work out that a perfect pillion tour needs more than just miles of great roads (usually it’s too many miles that cause any problems). Eventually I realised that a good two-up trip needs a bit of romance – and what’s more romantic than a French chateau? I remembered my visit to Sully…
I was full of good intentions when we rolled off the ferry at Ouistreham. I’d planned sensible routes sticking to smooth, flowing roads rather than dull motorways or bumpy back lanes – with a couple of hours off the bike guaranteed by visiting a chateau a day to keep the boredom away. We made it as far as Caen before the bike broke. Recovered to the port, we got an early ferry and another flatbed home without even unpacking the tent…
Now I’m back again, armed with a reliable new Yamaha FJR1300, to try visiting the castles. The catch is that I’m flying solo while my wife’s at home with the kids, but I’m sticking to the original plan – though the routes have been refined (and I’ve ditched the tent in favour of hotels). There are no false starts this time, as I roll smoothly out of the port, down the dual carriageway to Caen and then head out across the Normandy countryside.
It’s a fair way from the Channel to the Loire – though the overnight Portsmouth-caen crossing starts you a lot closer than a Dover-calais service. The ferry also ensures an early start so I can avoid the autoroute and enjoy the quieter roads. This is lovely, relaxed riding – the kind of flowing roads my wife would love. I make good time and shortly after 2pm I’m crossing the Loire at Blois – in the shadow of one palatial chateau – and heading down to Chaumont-sur-loire to visit the castle there.
My overnight stop is a few miles further on in Amboise, a small town with a huge chateau. The concentration of castles along the length of the River Loire is simply staggering: there are 20 just on the stretch between Nantes and Sully-sur-loire. Amboise actually has two – the main Chateau d’amboise and the smaller Chateau de Clos Lucé, which is more of a small stately home that was once home to Leonardo da Vinci. I arrive there about an hour before it shuts – enough time to get the flavour of it, but not quite long enough to do it justice.
Next morning I head to one of the most mind-boggling buildings I’ve ever seen: Chateau de Chenonceau. Forget
Disney, this is a proper fairytale castle. It’s built out across the River Cher, a few miles before it flows into the Loire. It’s only a few miles from Amboise, so I’m there early and have the place more or less to myself, though it’s getting busier as I leave – I definitely visited at the right time of day.
My route loops south through Loches, though I don’t stop at the chateau that dominates the town. This one’s at the other end of the scale to Chenonceau: it isn’t about elegantly expressing the wealth of its builder; it’s a huge, hard-faced fortress, with sections dating back to the ninth century. It’s of a similar vintage to my next destination, the sprawling Chateau de Chinon. This has a great visitors’ centre and after a short visit I grab lunch, then get my head down for a solid afternoon’s riding. The roads are lovely – broad and smooth and empty. I make good time, getting to my hotel in Mansle at about 5pm, so perhaps I could have stopped in Loches?
Next morning I head into one of my favourite riding areas, the Limousin. It’s the least populated part of mainland France, full of quiet forests and rolling hills crisscrossed by empty roads. It has castles, too – there’s a whole trail of ones that, like Loches and Chinon, were once owned by Richard the Lionheart. I’m starting with a visit to a later one: the 13th-century Chateau de Rochechouart, which now houses a modern-art gallery.
From there I head off on the best roads of the trip so far, to the huge Chateau de Pompadour (once home to one of Louis XV’S mistresses). It’s very grand but the exhibits inside are geared more to the horses that are raised, trained and raced here than the history of the castle or its former inhabitants, which is a bit of a shame.
Getting back on the bike feels like a treat and the ride through the Corrèze region to my overnight stop is sublime – even better than the morning’s ride. The roads are stunningly serpentine but almost deserted. If I had the time I’d spend an extra day here to ride a bit more, but I’ve booked my return ferry for Friday night so next morning I’m heading north towards the Loire again.
This is a relaxing ride as the roads are so quiet, with longer straights as the day wears on. I reach the Loire at Gien, where the chateau houses another museum. From there I follow the river to Sully-sur-loire and the castle that inspired me. It still impresses – a round-towered, moated slice of history that welcomes visitors. I have a pang of regret that I’m not actually touring with my wife: exploring places like this is an experience best shared, after all. I’m in a reflective mood as I take the short ride from Sully to my overnight stop just outside Orléans.
My final day’s route is longer than the others have been, as the overnight ferry from Ouistreham is a late sailing so there’s no point getting there early. I pick my way round the outskirts of Orléans and then head past Chartres to another palatial chateau in the nearby village of Maintenon. I admire Chateau d’anet from the outside – but I’ve seen enough castles that I don’t feel the need to join the French-language-only tour to appreciate its interior. Instead I head further north, to La Roche-guyon.
This quiet village on the banks of the Seine is a popular meeting point for bikers escaping Paris at the weekend. While I’ve been here a couple of times before, I’ve never actually visited the chateau that looms above the chalk cliffs that rise beside the river. It’s a pleasant place to while away an hour or two. From there it’s a short ride to the ruins to Chateau Gaillard – another of Richard the Lionheart’s strongholds – which is my final French fortress before heading back to Normandy and the ferry. I stay off the motorways, stopping for an early evening meal in Caen before checking in at the port.
It’s been a great trip and, now I’ve tested the route, I’ll have to do it again with my wife back on the bike. It’s the kind of trip she’d enjoy – with maybe just a hint of romance from visiting all those chateaux.
Turn over to take our Loire and Limousin tour