The best walks and hikes around Vallières-Les-Grandes

...and don't make the same mistake we made... shortly after the washhouse the path forks... we took the left one, which was barely a field path at the end, and then went back across the middle of the (harvested) field. Take the path on the right and stay on the paved path.

Church of Rilly sur Loire, built in 1855

The Trouillat promenade is a strip of bitumen that runs along the Loire, in the foothills of Chaumont-sur-Loire. Borrowed by cyclists who travel the Loire à Vélo, it also becomes a paradise for walkers and swimmers in summer.

The Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire is an opulent building whose first stone dates back to the 15th century. In 1840, it was listed in the register of historical monuments. The castle bears the nickname "château des dames" thanks to great female personalities such as Catherine de Medici or Diane de Poitiers, who actively participated in the development of the estate. Today it is open to the public. Beyond the castle, it is also possible to visit its gardens and its stables. More information here: domaine-chaumont.fr.

The castle has a beautiful park where many different artists have built their sculptures and arrangements.

In the summertime, it is worth visiting the castle a little earlier, before the largest rush of visitors at 10:30 a.m. This saves waiting time and you can enjoy the tour in peace and without crowds. Using the digital tour pad takes a little getting used to, but is very exciting for children.

30 YEARS OF THE INTERNATIONAL GARDEN FESTIVAL After 30 years (1992-2022) of creations inspired by historical or poetic, educational or ecological themes, hasn't the time come to reflect on what would be or should be the "ideal garden", at a time when our relationship with nature and plants has evolved considerably, due to intensive urbanization, global warming, increased desire for nature and food concerns. A work of art ? A nourishing vegetable garden? A therapeutic space? A place of organic cultivation? Can't the ideal garden bring together all our expectations and all our requirements: philosophical, aesthetic, ecological, gustatory? Be at the same time beautiful, good, organic, restorative, comforting, innovative, water and energy efficient, but above all to exalt harmony and taste, to generate well-being and happiness? Bringing all these properties together, is it possible or illusory? Realistic or contradictory? This was the challenge launched to the designers of the gardens of the 2022 edition, who had to propose projects attempting to synthesize all these qualities. and offer a concentrate, a synthesis of what man and the living can create together to generate a better world. In this ideal garden to be invented, all the virtues, all the qualities of the garden and all the constraints of our time had to be considered. and proposed by the designers, who were not to give up any innovation, any proposal, to make their plot a concentrate of beauty, emotion, benefits, but also knowledge and know-how. New materials, new plants, new stagings, new techniques… were welcome to surprise and amaze visitors. The designers of the 2022 edition, the anniversary date of the creation of the Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire, knew how to stand up, through their inventiveness, to an event recognized for its resolutely positive, free and innovative vision of this art in its own right.

Castle tour at the Chateau de Chaumont