Through the vineyards and cellars of Rochecorbon

Set off from the car park on the banks of the Loire, at the mouth of the Saint-Georges valley, accessible by bus from Tours on the route serving Rochecorbon.

(S/E) From the car park, follow the path down alongside the Loire embankment towards Tours.

(1) Just before the Total petrol station, take the narrow staircase leading up the embankment. It comes out directly opposite the Allée de Rochecorbon, which you follow to reach the Route de Beauregard, at the foot of the cliff.

(2) Turn right onto this street and follow this narrow road as it winds its way above the Beauregard Sports Park. As you pass, note the strange diving board above a patch of grass. On the other side, a succession of tuffeau-stone houses—some of which are set into the cliff face—compete with one another in elegance.

(3) As you come out onto Rue Saint-Georges, turn left to walk back up through the village, where the houses – some more opulent than others – are staggered on either side of the road.
Don’t miss a stop at the chapel, which stands on one side of the small square at the top of the village.

(4) About fifty metres past the chapel, leave the road and take the path that climbs the hillside before emerging into the vineyards. Go round them on the right, following the path that runs along the wooded edge of the hillside.
The path soon turns into a small track that runs parallel to the cliff.

(5) At the crossroads in the vineyards, carry on straight ahead, keeping the slender Tour de la Lanterne in your sights – the sole remnant of Rochecorbon Castle. As you approach it, the path curves to the left, beginning a descent through a narrow, enclosed valley.

(6) At the start of this descent, turn left onto the path that climbs back up towards the vineyards. You’ll be approaching the château, which you previously passed on your left. But as you approach the park surrounding it, the path turns right. Carry on straight ahead when you reach a small road, then follow the edge of the housing estate until you’ve passed it entirely.

(7) Once you’ve passed the last houses, turn right onto a grassy path and continue for about 150 metres. Turn left at the first opening in the neighbouring wasteland to descend towards the vineyards and the wooded hillside overlooking the Vaufoynard road. Pass the chicane leading into the woods and let yourself glide down the slope until you reach the road. Turn left and walk back up past the houses to the Bourillon-Dorléans wine cellar.

(8) At the winery, turn right into Rue Elisabeth Génin, walk past the succession of troglodyte dwellings and continue straight on past the chicane marking the end of the street. The narrow path leads to a street which you follow down to the right to reach one of Rochecorbon’s central crossroads.

(9) Pass the hairdresser’s shop on your right and head up Rue des Fontenelles to the left. You’ll pass beneath a beautiful château before walking alongside the village cemetery. Turn right at the first street after the cemetery.

(10) After the bridge over the Bédoire stream, turn right to follow the stream along the recently developed greenway. This lovely route, which follows the bubbling stream, leads to a roundabout, which you leave on the right to cross the stream once more. Then turn left straight away to continue following the stream down through gardens and meadows.

(11) When you reach the road leading to Rochecorbon church, turn left, cross the stream again, and turn left at the next junction. Continue up the steps leading up the hillside. When you come out onto Rue des Hautes Gâtinière, turn right and follow this street, which is once again lined with beautiful houses more or less carved into the cliff face. At the next junction, turn right into Rue du Peu Boulin and walk down this street until you come to a narrow lane branching off to the left. Take this lane and the footpath that continues it for about a hundred metres, then turn right to head back down towards Rue des Clouets.

(12) Turn left and walk down the street until you leave the village. You’ll come to the junction with the road that runs alongside the Loire; cross it, then take the path slightly to the left which leads back to the towpath.

(13) At the towpath, turn right and follow this greenway (shared with cyclists). You’ll cross the Bédoire where it joins the Loire, then walk alongside a succession of gardens in varying states of upkeep.

(14) The sight of slides and other children’s play equipment signals the approach to Luluparc, an amusement park famous in Tours for its open-air café. Walk alongside the site to continue along the path. When you reach a spot where various boats (gabares) typical of the Loire are moored, the car park (S/E) is a short distance further on.

At various points along the route, we passed cliffs that had been hollowed out in places. Whether they were dwellings built entirely or partly into the rock, annexes to these houses, or cellars where Vouvray wine is aged, this rocky Swiss cheese would comprise several kilometres of galleries. And you may be lucky enough to visit one of them, as we did when we went looking for the key to the chapel. When we couldn't find it, we consoled ourselves with a visit to the cellar next to the building, which is actually carved into the cliff behind the chapel.

It's strange to see this diving board overlooking a patch of grass in the middle of the Beauregard sports park. This diving board used to be next to the swimming pool that occupied this space. And the pool was fed by a spring that flowed from the cliff.

The Rochecorbon guinguette is a place that was recommended to us by several people. Apparently, the atmosphere there is very friendly. But on this winter's day, the place was very quiet and deserted.