After two nights at the perfectly placed Camping de Moulin Fort it was time to move further up the Loire Valley to be within cycling distance of another Chateau on our bucket list, Chateau de Chambord, but before we arrived there another one was due to be visited on the way.
The planned driving route took us virtually past the front door of yet another Chateau that was not to be missed, so with time to spare before check in at our next site we found ourselves parking up in the village of Cheverny.
The village aswell as the motorhome park up was virtually deserted so no problem in finding a space for our 8m long vehicle. There is also an area next to the designated parking that appeared to be for overnight stays as it had a service point and we could see that this was nearly full. A short walk down the village street brought us to the elaborately gated entrance of Chateau de Cheverny. After paying our entry fee at the shop we were given a site map and guide and stepped back out into the warm May sunshine to explore this French gem. Yet another stunning vista awaited us as we walked along the pathways and rounded a corner.
The Chateau was one of the first French stately homes to open to the public in 1922 and the estate has been owned by the same family for more than 6 centuries, although the Chateau itself has slipped out of their hands twice in that time. Once being bought by Diane de Poitiers after she was ousted from Chenonceau by Catherine de Medici. It was bought back by the Marquis de Vibraye in 1825 and so returned to the Hurault family whose descendants now live in the apartments in the right wing. Whether it’s because it still is partly a family home but we thought it felt intimate and homely even though it is stunning on a grand scale.
In 1943 Herge, the author of Tintin, was inspired by the architecture of Cheverny when he created Marlingspike Hall for his comic book strips. There is a Tintin museum located in the former stables and a large shop as you leave, which was a great bonus for Steve and kept him entertained whilst I took a tour of the beautiful flower filled gardens. Strangely this was our holidays’ second encounter with Tintin as there was also a shop on the quayside in St Martin on Il de Re that we had discovered a few days before.
Cheverny is also an important hunting venue. The onsite kennels house about a hundred French hounds, each with V for Vibraye shorn into its right flank. One or two were lounging around their compound in the full sun but most were taking shelter in the shade against the kennels.
The 18th century Orangery now houses a cafe where we enjoyed our lunch surrounded by its decadent gold furnishings. As with many Chateaux this Orangery building was used to hide the nations art and valuable property during the Second World War, most notably apparently the Mona Lisa.
After we had toured the Chateau, its gardens, Tintin museum and had lunch, time was marching on and we could now check in to our next campsite. We reluctantly left the stunning vistas of Cheverny and took to the road heading for Bracieux. A short drive later we arrived at Camping Huttopia les Chateaux, a fairly large site situated in a forest. After having to inform the reception that we couldn’t fit on the pitch they had initially reserved for us, we ended up on a large sunny pitch with its own picnic table, what a bonus. The site has a bar, restaurant, bike hire, swimmimg pool and playground, alot of amenities but it felt spacious and quiet out of the main holiday season. The pitches were all lush grass making a change from the dusty patches you usually encounter on European sites. Chilling out in the last of the evening sun we had a bbq and plenty of wine to round off another amazing day of our French roadtrip holiday.
Read the next and final part of our French Roadtrip blog as we cycle through the forest to Chateau de Chambord and our trip comes to its end.
2gocaravanning 