The final location on our 2025 French roadtrip was to visit Chateau de Chambord, an amazing construction built by the best French and Italian architects in order to entertain royalty, host hunting parties and dazzle guests with its grandeur and fascinating double spiral staircase said to have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci.
We stayed at Camping Huttopia les Chateaux which is an 8km cycle ride through the forest to Chambord, so after our first night settling in there the following day we set off for the Chateau. After a few hundred yards cycling on roads we picked up the signs leading us onto the hardsurfaced forest trails. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the temperature was rising so we were thankful of the coolness the shade of the trees gave us as we peddled along. The route was quiet and easy to follow, most sections being long straight pathways but towards the end the paths were weaving in and around the trees. Although it was an easy ride I don’t have the best cycling ability so I’m thankful I managed to stay upright on two wheels! As we emerged from the forest the last kilometre was then on smooth tarmac roads to the main vehicular entrance. Here there was a large bike park which was nearly full, obviously it was a popular way to travel to visit. It was much busier than the previous two Chateaux we had visited. After collecting our tickets and visitors guide we followed the crowds wandering the pathways and had our first glimpse of the magnificent Grande Facade.
Chambord’s construction was started in 1519 by King Francis I with the keep and two wings being added during the next 150 years until the Chateau and its park was finally completed by Louis XIV in 1684. It has 4 floors, more than 400 rooms, 77 staircases and 282 chimneys. Following several changes of ownership it was bought by the State in 1930 and listed as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO) IN 1981.
After entering through the keep the focal point is the grand double spiral staircase at its centre. Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci it is a monument in its own right. Formed of two flights of steps that wind one above the other with windows opening onto a central core, it is a puzzling mind game as you can see others climbing the same staircase but your paths will never cross. The building was designed so that you can wander aimlessly in and out of rooms on each floor but are always able to return to the staircase at its core so never get lost – although that’s easier said than done as Steve and I were losing each other all the time as we explored its many rooms and exhibitions! Royal bedchambers, ceremonial apartments and Louis XIV’s theatre are all authentically recreated to relive the different centuries of the Chateau’s occupation.
At the top of the keep the grand staircase leads out onto the open terraces which offer a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding gardens and parkland. The French garden was restored in 2016/17 after years of research to reproduce the exact layout of the lost 18th century gardens with its symmetrical planting and fleur-de-lys design.
The surrounding parkland has over 20km of trails and walking routes to explore with bikes and electric carts available to hire. You can also take a 4×4 tour and hire a boat to cruise along the 4km of canal.
After several hours of exploration inside and out we made our way back to the bike park and headed to the forest for our return cycle journey. Not quite sure of which windey path we had arrived on we ended up cycling about an additional kilometre before we recognised a signpost through the trees pointing back to the site. The scenery was tranquil and peaceful with birdsong, butterflies and wild flowers lining the route which helped us on our way under the cool canopy of trees. Arriving back at Huttopia we flopped into our deckchairs having clocked up several thousand of our daily steps and 16km of pedalling.
The next day was our penultimate holiday day, one where we had to forego leisurely sightseeing to hit the road North to get within an hours drive of Dieppe ready for our ferry the following morning. It was a 320km drive estimated by Google maps to take 3.5 hours, so add on an hour because we don’t drive as fast as they think we do, and there’s always more traffic than Google initially anticipates, and we should be at Pavilly by middle to late afternoon. As I have said in previous blogs we do use the toll autoroutes to get to and from our required destinations, not everyone’s choice I know, and hopefully in our future retirement years when time is not a constraint we will be able to wander the roads less travelled and make it all about the journey not the destination. But until then we can only have 10 days each trip in which to see the world!
We had decided on another Camping CarPark stop for our last night located in Pavilly just north of Rouen and under an hour from the ferry port. I had prebooked our spot there on the Camping CarPark app just to be safe as it only has 8 pitches. It was easy to find located in the village and looked like it had only recently been constructed. There were 4 vans already there and by early evening it was full. A 10 minute stroll into the village centre and there is a good sized, well stocked convenience store which provided us with our evening meal and snacks for the onward journey home. The rest of the village looked all closed up and as it had started drizzling with rain we didn’t get to explore any further.
After a good nights sleep we arose the next morning, ate an unusual breakfast made up of everything that we shouldn’t be bringing back into the UK, and started the 55km journey to Dieppe ferry port. No hold ups at check in, not long to wait in our designated lane and we were boarding. We found our favourite reclining lounge seats and settled in with coffee and snacks for the four hour sailing. A few pages of our books and a little snooze later, we woke to the sight of white limestone cliffs on the horizon.
After only 10 days away driving back on the left suddenly seemed wrong and so unnatural. Roadworks and the M25 brought us quickly crashing back to reality though. During the journey home we reminisced about each day of the holiday, the locations, the views, the food, the wine, the experiences. And then the inevitable question was asked – “Right then, where are we going next time?”
So to find out keep reading the blogs to see where our travels take us next.
2gocaravanning 