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What if, on your Indre à Vélo route, you decide to spend 24 hours on a walk to discover the architectural and natural treasures around Loches? We offer you a day trip to explore Montrésor, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, passing through the majestic national forest of Loches.

BEAULIEU, THE WELL NAMED, GATEWAY TO THE FOREST

From Loches, you follow the cyclo loop n °in the direction of Beaulieu-les-Loches. Crossing the Meadows of the Roy, a sensitive protected natural area, you can see in the distance the spire of the bell tower of the Saint-Pierre abbey which, from its height of 61 meters, dominates the valley of the Indre. You take the old streets lined withmansions and old tufa stone walls around Ferriere-sur-Beaulieu (signposting "towards the Loire by bike").

Meadows of Roy © S. Papillault

After climbing the hill, beyond the village you can see the immense border of the national forest. Before entering the forest, you can admire on your left theFerrière church and priory (11e - 13e s.).

The road now leads through the first plots of a private forest made up of conifers and deciduous trees. After crossing the D764 (with caution), you enter a beautiful forest path in the heart of plots of oaks and beeches. At the crossroads with Allee Georges d'Amboise, take it on your right. Over the kilometers, you discoverstrange pyramids which mark certain crossroads. These old hunting marks guide your pedal strokes today.

Pyramid in the forest of Loches - © D. Darrault

At the Liget pyramid, you take a forest path that leads you to the peaceful Pas-aux-ânes pond, a place that connects you with the new cyclo loop to follow, number 5, which sets off again on the left.

Pas aux Ânes pond - © D. Darrault

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE CHARTREUX

For the more courageous, a marked road between the oldest trees of the forest allows you to explore the Romanesque chapel and remains of the Charterhouse of Liget. Founded by Henry II Plantagenet, father of the famous Richard Lion's Heart, the monastery, powerful in the Middle Ages, was sold after the Revolution. The road then sets out again in a younger part of the forest before crossing pretty farm hamlets posed on the heights of the hills of the Indrois valley.

Charteuse du Liget - © L. Lagarde

MONTRÉSOR LEGENDS

The road takes you to the shores of Lake Chemillé-sur-IndroisLa leisure centre is the occasion of a cool break on the beach, or gourmet on the terrace of restaurant Carp diem, the aptly named!

You then pedal on the loop cyclo n ° 3a pretty shaded path to one of the most beautiful villages in France, My Treasure. Before crossing the bridge, you discover the imposing silhouettes of the castle and collegiate. Do not hesitate to set foot on land to follow the canal and the river on the balconies of the Indrois. Of the, the view over the village is superb.

Aerial view of the village of Montrésor - Loïc LAGARDE

Le castle, founded at 11e century, was profoundly transformed during the Renaissance and then in the 19e century by Polish Count Branicki. The visit of the castle and its collections of works of art is essential and will rest the calves a little. Before retracing your steps towards Chemillé, take a look the elegant collegiate church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, one of the Renaissance architectural masterpieces from Touraine.

RECOVER THE SPIRIT OF THE FOREST

À Chemillé-sur-Indrois, you climb the hill following the loop 5. After crossing the D760, in the shade of a walnut tree, an ordeal tells you that you have to turn right to regain the freshness of the Loches forest. At the junction with the D9, you will find loop 4 which brings you back to your starting point, offering you beautiful unobstructed views of the Indre valley and the Beaulieu bell tower which guides you again. 

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