Day 1
Riding: No riding.
Arrival at Bordeaux airport for the set time transfers strictly by 6.00 pm. You will be driven to the Chambres d'Hotes en Vigne in Ruch for your first dinner and overnight. If arriving into Bordeaux train station then you should take the shuttle to the airport (30mins) to meet the transfer there.
NB. Please note that this itinerary sometimes runs in reverse, starting in Molis and ending in Ruch.
Day 2
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
After breakfast you meet the horses and set out riding through the Entre-deux-Mers region with its varied hilly, wooded landscapes and beautiful vineyards. Pass the 13th century Chateau de Rauzan before arriving at your picnic spot. In the afternoon, continue riding through the Bordeaux vineyards, returning to Chateau du Courros (Bordeaux Superieur) for a tasting. Built on the grounds of a pre-6th-century religious community dedicated to Saint Vincent (said to be the patron saint of winegrowers), Chateau du Courros lies a few kilometers south of St. Emilion.
Dinner and overnight for a second night in Ruch.
Day 3
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
Today you head along the Dordogne to Merlande, passing through vineyards to reach St. Emilion in time for lunch. You'll see Chateau de Pavie (Premier Grande Cru classe A) before taking your picnic at Chateau Franc-Mayne (Grand Cru Classe). Backing onto the slope of Franc, from which it takes its name, the chateau boasts 7 hectares of vines. The ancient Gallo-Roman road runs alongside the vineyard and an old coaching inn bears witness to the passage of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Tasting and discovery of the 2 hectare underground cellars. In the afternoon, take in the famous estates of Chateau Petrus, Cheval Blanc and Chateau Figeac before arriving in the Pomerol appellation where you leave the horses.
Dinner and overnight in a hotel.
Day 4
Riding: 3 hours
The morning is free for you to enjoy Saint Emilion. This unusual medieval town opens its doors all year round to adventurers, wine lovers and the simply curious. A city steeped in history and perched on a rocky promontory, Saint Emilion and its vineyards draw their originality from the limestone that has shaped their identity. This is evidenced by the 200km of underground galleries that provided the limestone needed for the construction of many of the regions buildings, including Bordeaux. Picnic where you left the horses yesterday (on the Chateau Le Gay property) and in the afternoon ride through vineyards interspersed with small woods to reach Chateau Mayne-Veil (Fronsac) where you leave the horses.
Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Libourne.
Day 5
Riding: 4 - 6 hours
Todays ride heads for Mouillac through varied landscapes of vineyards, meadows and forests. Picnic at Mouillac's little Romanesque church, where you'll have time to find the canonic dials. Continue to Cubnezais - the landscape here is divided between the vineyards of the Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux appellation and the forests of pines and hardwoods. At the end of the day you leave the horses at Domaine de la Gravette and overnight at a B&B in Civrac de Blaye.
Day 6
Riding: 4 - 5 hours
Ride through the rolling hills of the Cotes de Bourg stopping for a picnic and tasting at Chateau Lamothe (Cote de Bourg). Departure around 3pm for the Citadelle de Blaye where you enter the 18th century Vauban citadel on horseback. With its 1.5km of ramparts, gates and underground passageways the citadel has preserved intact the defensive system designed by Vauban, as well as the buildings necessary for the proper functioning of a garrison: former convent, prison, barracks and powder magazine.
Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Blaye.
Day 7
Riding: 3 hours
After breakfast, cross the Gironde on the ferry with your horses to reach Lamarque and the Medoc (40min). Then ride through the Medoc vineyards to your picnic at Moulis en Medoc. Here you say farewell to the horses. The afternoon is at leisure with a tasting at Chateau Maslescasse (Haut Medoc). Located in Lamarque, between Margaux and Saint-Julien, Chateau Malescasse was built in 1824 in the purest neo-classical style.
Dinner and overnight in a B&B in Moulis en Medoc.
NB. Please note that this itinerary sometimes runs in reverse, starting in Molis and ending in Ruch.
Day 8
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, it's time for your transfer back to the Bordeaux airport. There will be one group transfer today with no possibility for later transport. If you are departing by train then you should take the shuttle (30mins) from the airport to the train station.
* Please note that this itinerary may run in reverse!
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
