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Sancerre Rides

Overview

This ride take place in the wonderful Sancerrois region of France and offers an exceptional riding experience. Not only will you enjoy the company of great horses, but you will explore a wonderful historic area of cultural interest such as Sancerre, Assigny, Blancafort and La Chapelotte staying in …

Highlights

  • Explore the historic Sancerre Region
  • Ride through vineyards, meadows, woodlands & riverbanks
  • Traditional comfortable hotel accommodation
  • Enjoy picnic lunches in historic settings
  • Visit Château de La Verrerie - a Renaissance gem

Essential Facts

  • 1 itinerary available
  • Max 10 riders per group
  • Average of 3 - 4 hours riding per day
  • Weight limit: 90kg / 198lbs / 14st 3lbs

Description

This ride take place in the wonderful Sancerrois region of France and offers an exceptional riding experience. Not only will you enjoy the company of great horses, but you will explore a wonderful historic area of cultural interest such as Sancerre, Assigny, Blancafort and La Chapelotte staying in traditional accommodation all serving wonderful food and wine along the way.
Throughout the ride you will enjoy picnic lunches and visit picturesque villages and historic monuments all with a rich history.

The ride organisers are responsible for a number of fascinating horseback tours across France and use their own herd of horses for the different trails, transporting them to the different starting points of the rides. You will always be accompanied by a certified guide and, if necessary, a translator.

Horses & Riding

Tack

You will ride in comfortable trail saddles during these trips. Saddlebags are provided to keep personal belongings in during the day. All the horses are ridden in English style bridles with "myler" type bits.

Horses

The ride organisers have a lovely mixed stable of horses including paints, Arabian, Thoroughbred and French warmbloods (both pure and cross-bred). Many of the horses used on these rides have been selectively bred by your guides and hosts for the task. The horses live out in a large herd together during the down season and are well-mannered and well-rounded in their education.

Riding

There is 1 itinerary:

  • Sancerre Horses & History is a trail ride

Ages

16+ for trails

Health

Riders should be fit and comfortable in the saddle for long hours. Canters may last several minutes at a time and you will be asked to ride in a light/forward seat thoughout.

Weight

90kg / 198lbs / 14st 3lbs

Food & Accommodation

Food

Full board meals are included. Dinners are in a traditional French regional style taken in restaurants and hotels along the route. Picnic lunches tend to be buffets involving cuts of cold meats, cheese and various mixed salads (including local wine). Breakfasts are continental style.

Please note that appetisers and drinks are not included with dinners.

Drinking water will be provided during the riding days, but guests are asked to bring their own refillable water bottles as individual disposable plastic bottles will not be available.

Accommodation

You will stay at various hotels and B&Bs during this trip. Price is based around sharing a double or twin room, though single rooms are available for a supplement. Bathrooms are usually en-suite but occasionally it may be necessary to share a bathroom.

Itineraries

Sancerre Horses & History Standard accommodation.

Other Activities

During the ride you will enjoy cultural visits in beautiful settings.

Travel

A set time airport transfer is available to and from Tracy-Sancerre Train Station.

On arrival day you will be collected at 6:00pm or if you are hiring a car, you are welcome to join the other riders at the hotel.

On departure day you will be transferred to the Train Station after breakfast.

The cost for transfer is paid locally on arrival (see individual itinerary). Please note that no alternative transfers will be offered.

Itinerary & Pricing

Day 1

Riding: No riding.

Arrival at Tracy-Sancerre Train Station for the transfer at 6:00pm. Your hosts will drive you to your hotel, Le Panoramic in Sancerre to meet your fellow riders for dinner. If you are hiring a car and driving to the hotel, please arrive at 6:00pm.

Day 2

Riding: 2 - 3 hours

After breakfast you will meet your horses and set off for a gentle ride along the paths of the Sancerre vineyards to Chavignol, where you will enjoy a picnic lunch. The village of Chavignol is a beautiful winegrower's hamlet, set in a basin in the middle of the vineyards and situated along a road that climbs towards the church and then up to the Graveron lookout, from where the view over Sancerre is magnificent. This hamlet is the origin of the Crottin de Chavignol, a delicious goat's cheese.
The afternoon is free for you to discover Sancerre which is a charming old medieval town. Perhaps enjoy strolling through the picturesque, ancient, cobbled streets or climb the 195 steps of The Tour des Fiefs, the town's only defensive tower and the last vestige of the Château of the Counts of Sancerre and enjoy the panoramic view. In the evening enjoy dinner at Le Panoramic Hotel and rest before your first full days riding.

Day 3

Riding: 4 - 5 hours

Today you continue your discovery of the Sancerrois landscape with the Pays Fort. On the way to the village of Assigny, you leave behind the rows of vines to discover a different landscape of arable land. Enjoy a picnic in Assigny, where the highest point in the Cher is located, at Fait des Marnes, offering a panoramic view over the Loire Valley, Puisaye, Nièvre and the Piton de Sancerre.
After a refreshing siesta, set off for Vailly sur Sauldre and the Pays Fort. With views over the vine-covered hills of the Sancerrois region, the Pays Fort stretches out over bocages 'ancient woodland and pastures' covered with oilseed fields, hedged meadows where cows and goats graze, winding streams, sunken lanes and country roads.. The Pays Fort boasts a rich rural heritage: old timber - framed dwellings (Manoeuvrerie du Noyer, 16th century), old mills (Moulin au Riche de Concressault, 16th century), wash-houses and the famous pyramid - shaped barns (17th and 18th centuries). Overnight stay and dinner at Hotel le Cerf in Briare, Vailly sur Sauldre.

Day 4

Riding: 4 - 5 hours

Your third days riding will once again be in the Pays Fort toward Blancafort and its wonderful castle where you will stop for your picnic lunch on the banks of the old Sauldre canal.
In the afternoon, you will visit Blancafort Chateau which was built in the 15th century by the Boucard family on the site of an ancient seigneury dating back to the 11th century. This fortified house was transformed in the 17th century and with its fine brickwork stands on the banks of the Sauldre canal, a pleasant setting enhanced by a formal garden.
You then head for Aubigny sur Nère, in the Berry region which was notable during the Hundred Years' War, when Charles VII, King of France, gave the seigneury of Aubigny to John Stuart de Darnley, Constable of the Scottish army. For almost 4 centuries, the village lived on Scottish time, with kilts, bagpipes and whiskies lining the streets and 'Shakespeare's
language' was widely used. The area was returned to French territory in the early 19th century, but the Scottish heritage is still very much alive today.
Overnight stay and dinner at Hotel la Chaumiere in Aubigny sur Nére.

Day 5

Riding: 2 - 3 hours

Today is a shorter day of riding. After breakfast you ride towards Château de la Verrerie, a Renaissance gem built by
Béraud Stuart, where you will enjoy a picnic lunch. The grounds are full of paths where Alain-Fournier, the author of Le Grand Meaulnes, loved to wander. It was owned by the Stuarts for two centuries, before being given by Louis XIV to Louise de Kéroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth.
The afternoon is free to visit Aubigny sur Nère where Scottish history is still very noticeable. From the Stuarts' castle, now the town hall, to the unique collection of half-timbered houses, to the Aubigny Auld Alliance whisky brand proudly displaying the local colours, the only thing missing is the rain to make you think you're really in Scotland! The splendour of this town, located on the Jacques Coeur Historic Route, is complemented by some lovely heritage features such as the Philippe Auguste enclosure, the Gothic church of Saint-Martin and the Augustins cloister. From the superb large gardens, inspired by Le Nôtre, were bequeathed by the Duchess of Portsmouth.
Overnight stay and dinner at Hotel la Chaumiere in Aubigny sur Nére.

Day 6

Riding: 3 - 5 hours

This morning you ride towards La Chapelotte for which will be your picnic spot for today. In the heart of the Pays Fort between the vineyards of Menetou - Salon and Sancerre, close to the pottery village of La Borne.
The rolling landscape, with the Vernon river running through it, is a favourite with hunters, anglers and walkers.
After lunch break, continue your way through this undulating landscape to Sens - Beaujeu, where we leave the horses. Sens -
Beaujeu lies between the Pays Fort and the Sancerrois, just a stone's throw from the Champagne plain.
The Grande Sauldre River and its tributary, the Etang de Couët stream, cut through much of the area's plateau, forming wet valleys in a landscape of hedged farmland.
Overnight stay and dinner in Chambres D'Hotes le Cep en Scancerrois in Sancerre.

Day 7

Riding: 4 - 5 hours

Todays highlight is your visit to the Tour de Vesvre in the commune of Neuvy deux Clochers, a fortified house with massive, thick walls that stands on the Vesvre site. Designated a "Domus fortis", it is a rare, fortified structure that appeared late in the 13th century and this is where you will enjoy today's picnic lunch. Building was started at the end of the 12th century, on the remains of an ancient seigniorial residence dating back to the 9th century. Its history is linked with that of the Site de Vesvre, which included the neighbouring motte castrale in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Tower was listed as a historic monument in 1993. The adjoining 13th Century farmhouse was a fortified farm with a stable, dovecote and barn. The barn and dovecote have recently been restored.
You will ride back to the Bête Noire farm, where we began your riding at the start of the week then have dinner and spend the night at Chambre d'Hôtes le Cep en Sancerrois in Sancerre.

Day 8

Riding: No riding.

After breakfast, departure or transfer to Tracy Sancerre railway station.

Accommodation

1st & 2nd night: Le Panoramic - Sancerre
3rd night: Hôtel le Cerf - Briare
4th & 5th nights: Hôtel la Chaumière - Aubigny sur Nère
6th & 7th nights: Chambre d'Hôtes - le Cep en Sancerre
* The names of hotels are given for information only and may be changed without notice and replaced by another of the same standard.

Experience Intermediate

You need to be capable in all four paces (walk, rising trot, canter and gallop in a forward seat) across varied terrain in open spaces. You should ride regularly and be fit to canter for long distances, with soft hands. You should also be a confident rider. Those who are assessed to not have the required level for the ride may be asked to stop riding and will be charged additionally (c 300€ euros) for the transport of your horse back to base. No refunds will be given in this case.

Minimum group size 5
Maximum group size 10
Departure windows

Sept. 13, 2025 - Sept. 20, 2025

Sept. 21, 2025 - Sept. 28, 2025

Pricing

2025
Non-Rider, Sharing
£1240 $1620 €1495
2025
Rider, Sharing
£2115 $2755 €2545
Included 7 nights accommodation in shared rooms, all meals from dinner on arrival day to breakfast on departure day, wine with lunches and 6 days of riding as per the itinerary.
Not included Flights, train tickets, personal travel insurance, group set-time transfers, wine tastings (where applicable), drinks in hotels and restaurants. entrance fees for visits to Chateaux, Gardens, and Museums, tips and personal expenses. You should expect to pay around 50 euros for visits during your ride.

Extras

2025 - Single Supplement £380 $495 €460
Paid to Far and Ride
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.